Can you build relationship based on lies?
Juvia had been wondering about that since her first date with Lyon. She had her new identity as Claire Jameson, and she hid her past. She felt so ashamed of her predicament and guilty about her past. She sold her body and her soul to pay off her father's debt. She didn't feel she had any dignity left. Whereas Lyon was an orphan when he was still a kid until Ur adopted him, and she raised him well.
He had a warm, happy childhood and he grew up becoming a responsible man. He finished his study and he worked as a financial supervisor in a local company. He was likeable by his boss and his co-workers. Some women in his office adored him and confessed their loves for him. Yet, only Juvia had his heart.
He didn't even sleep around with anyone until he married Juvia. Juvia remembered on their first night, Lyon was so gentle, so timid, and inexperienced that Juvia had to guide him.
She still remembered his exact words that night.
"I'm glad that I waited so long to do it with the right person. It's so worth it," he said with a warm smile as he brushed back her wavy hair gently.
That was his entirely honest confession. Yet his confession created a dull, dirty ache in her chest, as if Juvia'd been stabbed with a rusted knife. Would he still love her the same if he knew her past, she wondered.
It all kept building inside her until she felt suffocated in her own lies.
She lied so many things to her own husband: her past and her present.
"Sweetheart, I'm leaving. Don't forget to lock the door, okay?" Lyon said as he kissed her forehead.
Juvia just nodded. "Drive safely, Lyon-sama."
He smiled at her. "I love you, Claire."
"I love you too."
These were just empty words. She knew he longed to hear that words from her, and she just gave him what he needed to hear.
Even though knowing Gray alive gave her closure that she needed, it didn't change the fact that she still loved him. She still thought of Gray when she kissed and made love to her husband.
Not long after Lyon left, she heard a doorbell rang. Without checking, Juvia just opened the door, and she was shocked to see a man standing before him.
Her voice trembled. "Bora? What are you doing here?"
With a smirk, Bora just walked in to her apartment then closed the door.
"I just saw your husband walked out the building. It must be nice Juvia, oh wait now you're Claire Vastia," he said arrogantly.
"What do you want?" Juvia asked, trying not to sound too nervous. Yet as much as she tried to hide her nervousness, she couldn't keep her voice from sounding shaky.
"Did you forget that you escaped from your loving home?"
"That's not my home. I escaped because I didn't belong there."
Bora slapped Juvia and continuously hit her until she fell on the couch.
"Shut up, bitch! Do you remember that your father sold you to us? We saved your father and this is how you are repaying us?"
He seized her hands and held these tight, and the more she tried to free herself, the more he tightened his grip.
He forced himself on top of her.
"It's been a while, Juvia."
She saw his sparkling eyes and she feared his brutal lust.
He had done this before and she could not let this happen again.
When he tried to unzip his pants with one hand and held her down with the other hand, she saw an opportunity to escape. She quickly scanned the furniture around her that she could use to attack him. She grabbed the table lamp near her and hit him on the left side of forehead. It knocked him on the floor. "Argh," he screamed as the blood oozing down the side of his forehead. She rushed and attempted to leave the apartment, but he got a hold of her leg and tripped her as she was running. She grabbed the same table lamp and hit him so hard several times until he was unconscious.
"Bora?" she asked nervously, but no response.
With trembling fingers, she sought out the vein on Bora's neck. She couldn't feel any pulse. She couldn't move from her position, absorbing the shock. Did she just kill Bora? She just declared the war against her madam.
Suddenly the door opened. "Claire, I told you to lock the door—"
Lyon couldn't finish his words when he saw a body of a man that he had never known before and that her wife was sitting next to his body with blood on her hands.
He immediately closed and locked the door. He was shocked, but he tried to take control of the situation. "Claire, what just happened?"
"Juvia— Juvia has just murdered him."
"Who is Juvia?" he asked in frustration. It was just one question after another.
"I am not Claire. My name is Juvia," she answered with tears falling on the floor.
"Juvia— Juvia has to call police," she said as she tried to pick up the phone on the table near her. But he ran to her, and dropped the phone.
"Juvia, be honest with me. Who are you, and who is this guy?" Lyon tried to sound calm, but his voice croaked because the thought of losing her made his throat so dry that he was choking.
"Juvia's father was a heavy drinker and gambler and he sold Juvia to this guy. His name is Bora. Since then he forced Juvia to be a prostitute in Magnolia."
She had been wanted to be honest with Lyon. Although it's not ideal situation to blurt out her past, she was relieved that she finally did. It was such a heavy burden to keep her past from him, and she felt as if the weight had been lifted up off her chest.
But when she saw the pain in his eyes, it broke her heart.
There was long pause. "So he's here trying to get you back?"
Juvia nodded. "Yes, he raped Juvia before and he was trying to rape her again. Juvia knew she had to do something, but Juvia didn't expect he would—" She couldn't finish her sentence as her tears were now flowing uncontrollably.
"Juvia is sorry. Juvia has to go to police, and you need to divorce Juvia—"
He pulled her closer to him. He rocked her soothingly as she cried, all her emotions releasing themselves at the same time.
"Juvia, you're not going to the police and I'm not going to divorce you."
Lyon knew something in her past worried her, but she hid it well. He'd seen fear in her eyes when she saw someone drove up to her in unfamiliar car. But he never questioned her. He decided she would tell him about her past when she was ready.
"Lyon-sama, Bora is madam's son. You will be in danger if you're—"
He cut her off. "I don't care. I will protect you, Juvia. We're in it together."
"But—"
"No but, this is my decision as the head of this family. However, you need to tell me the truth. No more secret."
He eased his grip on her and looked her in the eye. "Is there anything else you want to tell me?"
Juvia doubted for a moment if she needed to tell him that she fell in love with one of her customers, and that he was in chase after murdering one of the most powerful persons in Magnolia for her sake? But Gray clearly didn't want to have anything to do with her. The last time they encountered, he didn't even bother to steal her away from Lyon.
Her eyes closed for a second as if she wanted to shield something from him. Lyon realized that she was conflicted about something that she wouldn't want to share with him.
"You're trembling, Juvia."
Juvia shook her head before she begged him to overlook her past. "Nothing, this is just her past and Juvia doesn't think it relates to present. Please trust Juvia on this."
Lyon knew she still kept something from him, but he decided to trust her.
"Will you also trust me that I will protect you?"
She nodded. "Yes, Lyon-sama."
"We are going to get rid of the body at 2 a.m. I know the security guy very well. I will bribe him to delete all of the recordings that this dog came into our apartment. For now just stay calm as if everything is normal."
It's not normal anymore. What if madam found out that Juvia murdered her son? She knew no mercy nor forgiveness. She would do the same to her, and to Lyon.
He saw in her eyes. And the doubt.
He gripped her shoulders tightly. "Juvia, get yourself together. We are going to move out of this town, and we'll start new again. But for now I need you to focus. We have to take care of everything before we leave this town."
She could feel his hands were also trembling. He was as scared as her. But he knew he had to take control of the situation if he still wanted them both to be alive.
She felt guilty for involving him in her mess. He was just a decent, nice guy with bright future who got involved with the wrong woman.
Yet, she knew he was right. They both had to survive this mess.
She nodded confidently. "Juvia will be packing our stuff."
"Good, I will go to my mom's place and get her big suitcase and all of the cleaning supplies that we're going to need to cover his traces. I think he will fit into her suitcase."
"But what if Ur-sama—"
"I will not tell a word to her. She didn't need to know any of these," he reassured her. "Just pack our stuff. I will be back soon." He then kissed her on the forehead before he left.
##
"Lyon, why do you take all of my cleaning supplies? Are you going to clean the whole town?" Ur complained as she saw Lyon kept browsing her storage room for all cleaning supply that he will need.
"Mom, the less you know the better," he answered in his upmost serious tone. "Listen, mom," he's getting serious, "you can't tell anyone that I am here to pick up all of this stuff, and please don't ask me any question."
Ur snorted, "Is it Claire?"
He didn't answer. His silence confirmed her suspicions.
Ur sighed in frustration. "I told you that something is not right with her, but you're not listening to me."
"Mom," he raised his tone. "Nothing is wrong with my wife. She's the right person for me. Please trust me on this."
Ur could sense her son's fear and frustration, so she decided not to argue with him anymore. She let him pack of her stuff in her big suitcase. Before he left, she called up to him, "my son."
Lyon stopped and turned his head to his mother. She gently cupped his cheeks in her hands. She smiled softly with tears flowing down her cheek. "Will I ever see you again?"
Lyon smiled back at her. "Thank you mom for all you've done for me."
She cried out as he walked out of her door. As much as it hurt him to hear her cry, he knew he had to do what he had to do— to protect his wife, even though it meant that he had to leave his mother, his career, his friends, and his comfortable life in this tiny town.
##
After they cleaned everything in their apartment, they loaded all of the suitcases in his car, including his body.
The security guy smiled at them. "You're really leaving, Lyon?" he asked.
Lyon nodded, "yes, thank you so much, Yuka. I owe you a lot."
Yuka was not only an average security guy, but he was also a good friend of Lyon. He didn't know the detail of why Lyon was leaving all of sudden and why he begged him to delete the recording. Yet, Yuka had a bond with Lyon and he decided to trust his friend.
Then they hugged. "Be safe," Yuka whispered.
Lyon nodded. "You too."
##
After burning Bora's body in the forest, Lyon drove for hours to Clover Town, a small, quiet town. He figured it would be the best place to hide for now. The couple stopped at Hargeon city and spent the rest of the night in a small motel.
"You can take shower first," Lyon said to Juvia as he lay down on the bed. He closed his eyes, too tired to move around. Ignoring him, Juvia lay down next to him. She then kissed his lip gently. It was a quick, innocent kiss. But it left such a great effect on him. He was elated and his eyes met hers. He then kissed her back, caressing her lips with his tongue. Didn't want to break their kiss, she just quickly unbuttoned his shirt.
For the first time ever, she didn't think of Gray when she made love to her husband.
PS: the end for now. I was pretty satisfied with my bittersweet ending on the first chapter and I didn't plan to write part two for this story, but it just crossed my mind to write Juvia's story with Lyon. Yes, it will be interesting if they run into Gray during their escape. But honestly I don't think I will write that because I am lacking of creativity and action writing is so damn hard. I appreciate my only two reviewers, you're awesome. Thank you for your kind words.