- 08.
The date was set for tonight.
My sister–in–law nudged me toward the stairs, telling me to freshen up and put on
something nice.
After my shower, I stepped out to find a string of missed calls on my phone–all from
Liam.
I stared at the screen, confused. He had Nina now, so why would he still be calling me?
But despite myself, I picked up.
“Why didn’t you show up to work today?” His voice was calm and familiar, the same as always. But his question–about work–was so typical of him.
Seven years together, and Liam had never asked about anything other than work.
There was no point hiding it, so I told him the truth.
“I quit.”
I could hear his sharp intake of breath. “Why? What happened?”
“No reason. I just didn’t feel like staying.”
The silence on the other end stretched on, heavy and suffocating.
I couldn’t take it. “Liam, if there’s nothing else, I’m hanging up. I have plans.”
But before I could end the call, he asked abruptly, “When are you coming back?”
His question caught me off guard. “I resigned. Why would I come back?”
“No problem,” he said smoothly. “I’ll keep your position open. You’ll still get paid.”
And just like that, I got a notification.
22:19 Fri, Jan 10 G U.
972%
Liam had transferred me $100,000–the same amount I’d received as severance when I
left the company.
I stared at the notification, bitterness welling up inside me.
I thought about the card Liam had handed me at Nina’s party earlier today. I thought about how meaningless it all felt now.
I remembered the year I got into Ravenwood University.
I’d spent weeks asking around, trying to find out what had happened to Liam, but I never had the courage to reach out to him myself.
Instead, Nina’s little entourage found me.
They cornered me, looking me up and down with sneers plastered across their faces.
“You?” one of them scoffed. “A nobody from some dead–end town thinks she knows the
Liam Carter?”
“Let me warn you,” another one said, stepping closer, “stay away from him.”
I didn’t back down. I insisted I knew him, even when they mocked me.
That stubbornness cost me.
They beat me so badly I ended up in the hospital.
I don’t know how Liam found out, but that day, he showed up at the hospital.
It was the first time I’d seen him in years.
Not long after that, Liam and Nina had a falling–out.
Nina, furious, threw one of her infamous tantrums and got her father to cut off all financial support for Liam.
At the time, Liam was still in the early stages of building his business. Without the backing of Nina’s family, everything came crashing down around him.
backing of Nina’s family, everything came crashing down around him.
I tried to persuade him to make amends. “Just apologize to her,” I begged. “She’s your girlfriend–she’ll forgive you.”
But Liam shook his head. “This isn’t about apologizing,” he said quietly.
He started over, clawing his way back from nothing.
He went from city to city, pitching to anyone who would listen. The stress and long hours took their toll–he lost twenty pounds in just a few months.
Eventually, he found someone willing to partner with him.
But the deal came with a catch: a $10,000 security deposit.
Today, $10,000 means nothing to Liam.
But back then? It might as well have been a million.
I still remember that night vividly.
I watched him make call after call, only to be turned down over and over again.
Later, on the hospital rooftop, he smoked one cigarette after another.
It reminded me of years ago, when we were kids, and his father had thrown him out of
the house.
I was terrified.
Scraping together every penny I had–my tuition, my scholarships, my savings–l managed to pull together $3,000.
It wasn’t enough.
So, for Liam, I took out a loan.
I gave him the $10,000 he needed.
22:19 Fri, Jan 10 GM
That semester, I survived on nothing but plain bread and pickled vegetables. I was so malnourished I fainted and had to be taken to the hospital. Even then, I could only afford a handful of dates to chew on for iron.
“Liam, can you grab me a towel? I can’t find one,” Nina’s voice suddenly rang out on the other end of the call.
Liam’s response was immediate. “Coming.”
I almost laughed at the absurdity of it all.
Without another word, I hung up.
