Chapter Text
Lillian sucked her teeth as she continued throwing clothes into a bag. Lionel had abused her for the last time honestly. Though it wasn’t really her plight that caused her to finally take action now. No, he had nearly hit Lena and that was the final straw. Though, if she stopped lying to herself, the final straw was a year ago when Lionel had brought home a random four year old, said she was his daughter and that Lillian should be happy she had a child now, considering she couldn’t produce him an heir. He had handed her the paperwork and went to his office. She was the only one listed as the adoptive parent and Lillian assumed it was a better story to say she was feeling charitable and wanted to give the child a family especially considering her situation, than for him to admit to his bigshot colleagues that he was a cheating bastard who didn't wear a condom.
The girl had been shaking, clutching to a tattered bear with tears streaming down her face and even though Lillian wanted to hate this girl; the very epitome of her husbands’ infidelity, she couldn’t bring herself to do so. Lillian bundled her in her arms and ushered her off to a room which would be her own. It had been a good year. Her husband was still a workaholic, but he had left her alone. It was just her and Lena in the house most days and due to this, the girl had become somewhat attached to her. It was easy too for Lillian to fall in love with her bright and questioning eyes. Her sadness though made Lillian ache and she wished she could give this little girl the world, if only to get her to try to smile again.
Last night, in a drunken rage Lionel had flung a glass vase at her while she was holding Lena, and it was only due to her quick reflexes that the thing hadn’t shattered in the child’s face. So here she was, packing a bag for her and her daughter (for all intents and purposes), ready to leave her life behind.
The Luthor name was powerful. Handed down from generations, it came with power, resources and considerable wealth. The Luthor name was hers. Her father before her and his father before him all owned it with pride. Lionel had been a Karstark before their marriage. He had taken her family’s name because of its status and he had charmed her family. He had had them before their death attending to his beck and call, all willing to lay down arms for the great Lionel. He had genuinely been nice to her as well in the beginning. Years of “young love” but for business sake of course. He was a brute of a man but he had never extended those emotions to her until the doctors had pronounced her unable to carry a child to term due to health issues. That was when the brutishness became her everyday norm. He would curse at her and throw things, always coming home drunk and his snide remarks about her failings were like an unwanted mantra. Constantly but unwantedly repeated in her presence.
The man she was leaving now was always the same man she had married, but she had been foolish to willingly overlook his tendencies for being excessive in his drinking, his abuse and his thirst for power. She sighed and went off to Lena’s room to gather up the girl. There was a car waiting for her downstairs. Her driver Corben to this day had been loyal to her family and had never taken a strong liking to Lionel. Corben had been with her family since she was young and thinking on it, she should’ve taken the aging man more seriously, but when he had used phrases like “my bones tell me” or “my joints creak” before stating something he disliked about her husband she hadn’t put much stock into his cautions. She was definitely wrong.
She pushed open the door to her daughter’s room, never more grateful that Lionel had broken the law to make the girl only hers and as such he couldn’t contest her taking Lena with her, couldn’t claim kidnapping and would have no recourse with the law. The little girl was sleeping, clutching her teddy, her black hair almost otherworldly in the soft moonlight. Lillian felt her heart squeeze. This was the second time Lena would lose family. It couldn’t be helped this time around though, because if they stayed, she was unsure if they would survive as Lionel was becoming more petty and similarly more unstable.
“Lena,” Lillian softly called, running her fingers along the girl’s ankle in order to softly rouse her from slumber.
She watched as the girl shifted, kicked out softly and held tighter to the bear. Lillian had wanted to dispose of the bear when she had just arrived at the house a year ago, it was tatted and old, but the girl had screamed bloody murder and bawled when she had even moved close to the toy and that idea was soon scrapped. She ran her fingers on the girl’s ankle and softly called her name again. She watched as her eyes popped open and she rubbed them before looking up at Lillian.
“We have to go baby,” Lillian said and made a motion towards the bag on her shoulder and the door.
“Okay” was the only response Lillian got as Lena slowly got off the bed and went underneath to pull out a backpack. She slipped socks and shoes on the girl’s feet after and then they both left the room without glancing back.
Corben opened the car door for them when they finally got outside and Lillian ushered Lena in quickly slamming the door behind her as Corben made his way back to the front.
“Where to Mrs. Luthor?” he asked as he started up the vehicle while catching her eyes in the rearview. He had a kind smile on his face and Lillian was grateful she saw no judgement there.
“My parents’ retirement home in Midvale please,” she replied, and watched as he nodded slowly before putting the vehicle into drive and taking off.
“Did you get the things I asked for?” she followed up as she watched Lena look out the windows into the darkness.
“Yes Mrs. Luthor, your lawyers have also sent the drafts necessary to keep him away from you both and I assure you the divorce papers will be signed and returned by tomorrow evening at the latest,” he replied.
Lillian saw Lena’s head perk up at the word divorce and she was now faced with those big questioning eyes focused on her, asking but not out loud, curious but analyzing.
“Thank you,” she said, waiting on Lena to say something or ask where they were going, but as she waited, nothing came. The girl just continued to stare at her and she continued to be silent.
The drive would take them at least three hours at their current pace and being so early in the morning or late in the night actually, they shouldn’t encounter any issues hopefully. Lillian knew Lionel would be stark raving mad when he woke up to find them missing. He couldn’t do anything however, her lawyers had made sure of that. There was a restraining order in place already and the divorce papers set up. He would also not be able to still use the last name Luthor after the divorce was settled. Her accounts had always been safeguarded from his grimy paws and she was grateful for that foresight on her part. The company would remain in his name but only profits going forward after the divorce could he claim as his own and that was if he could keep the business afloat with only the Luthor money he was entitled to, which was not much considering the many prenups and monetary safeguards her lawyers had put in place for her, no thanks to her parents.
“Benny” Lena whispered, and Lillian looked quickly at the little girl then into the rearview.
“Yes, little Miss?”
“Will you help this mom I have now or will she have to go with the angels like my Mammy?”
Lillian felt her heart clench and shatter with Lena’s question. She could see tears running down Corben’s face and so she moved closer to her daughter and wrapped her arms around her.
“You’re going to have a mom again for a long time little Miss,” he responded softly while watching them in the rearview. Lena only nodded at his answer and nestled her head into Lillian’s chest while holding the teddy bear as if it were lifeline.