Chapter 10
When I woke up, I was lying on a bed, my limbs bound tightly. A sliver of light seeped in through the gap in the curtains, but I couldn’t tell if it was dawn or dusk.
Suddenly, the door opened, and light from outside spilled in, revealing a camera set up beside the bed. My heart leapt in terror.
Liam walked in with a man I didn’t recognize. Standing by the window, he spoke softly to
me, “This was always my last resort. I didn’t want it to come to this.”
He leaned down, gently stroking my face. “I’m sorry, but I want you to stay with me forever.”
No matter how fiercely I cursed and screamed, Liam didn’t react. He stood quietly against
the light, his expression unreadable. I only heard him say calmly to the man, “Don’t hurt
her.”
The man looked at me with a suggestive gleam in his eyes. Tears trickled down my face,
soaking into my hair as he unfastened his belt, pulling it from his waist. Realizing escape
was impossible, I called out Liam’s name one last time, then stopped resisting.
But just as the man was about to proceed, Liam rushed forward, shoving him off me. His
voice shook as he said, “I’m sorry… I just can’t go through with it…”
The man stumbled to his feet, furious. “Are you out of your mind?” he shouted. “You’re the
one who hired me, said you wanted photos of your wife, and now that I’m about to do it,
you back out?”
Liam closed his eyes. “I’ll still pay you. Just leave.”
Grumbling curses, the man left.
Once Liam untied me, I slapped him across the face. He grabbed my hand, pleading for me
to hit him again. I yanked my hand away, quickly dressed, and fled. He didn’t stop me, collapsing onto the floor and sobbing, repeating over and over, “I’m sorry…”
I went to the police. The camera that was supposed to record my humiliation became evidence against Liam.
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Chapter 10
Gianna showed up, slamming her pregnancy test results on the table, smugly demanding I drop the case. I half–wondered if she’d read too many novels and couldn’t help but advise her, “Liam’s reputation is ruined. He’ll never be able to give you the life he once promised. Your best option now is to terminate the pregnancy and focus on your studies.”
Though I despised her, she was still young, barely twenty, inexperienced. In the end, it was Liam who had orchestrated all of this.
But good advice is wasted on those determined to self–destruct. She scoffed at me, “Don’t think you can drive a wedge between me and Liam. Do you think I’m stupid?”
“If it weren’t for your bitterness and lies, framing him out of spite, he wouldn’t have left!”
Sara ushered her out on my behalf.
Liam confessed to his crimes without dispute. On the day his sentence was handed down, I was on vacation with Sara and Jacob in Hawaii. At the ferry dock, the sunset was breathtakingly beautiful, bringing tears to my eyes.
I wiped them away gently, watching as the sun dipped below the horizon.
For me, my sun had just begun to rise.
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