Chapter 43
I don’t even know who I was before him. I only know the girl after him.
And that I don’t want to be the girl during him ever again.
When Stone tried to get me into his bed, it shattered something in me. Not just because of him, but because it con- firmed what I’ve always feared-what I’ve always known.
That no matter what I do, no matter who I am, people will only ever see me as one thing.
A girl whose only purpose is to please the men around her.
Maybe the names they call me hurt so much because, deep down, I believe them.
Maybe I really am nothing but a doormat-meant to be walked over, never taken seriously. Never allowed to have my own dreams, my own wants, my own voice. Because I spent so many years trying to be the perfect wife for a man who never even saw me.
God.
I want to own an art gallery.
I want to grow out my curls and let them be wild.
I want to wear dresses that leave little to the imagination-just because I can. Just because I want to.
Just because.
I don’t know where Liam takes us. I don’t even realise we’re moving.
All I know is that I break down in his arms. And for the first time in forever-someone actually holds me together.
Liam doesn’t say anything. He just holds me. Like he’s trying to take every shattered piece and put it back where it belongs. Like he won’t let me slip through the cracks, even if I want to.
I press my face into his chest, my whole body shaking. He smells like salt and something warm, something safe. His hand moves up and down my back, slow and steady, like he’s trying to remind me how to breathe.
And for once, I don’t feel like I have to be anything. Not perfect. Not put together. Not somebody’s something.
Just me.
“I don’t want to be nothing,” I whisper. The words are barely there, but I know he hears them.
His arms tighten around me. “You’re everything.”
0.0 %
16:16
I squeeze my eyes shut, my fingers gripping his shirt. My mind wants to fight it-to tell me he’s just saying that be- cause he’s contractually obligated to, because he feels bad. But there’s something about the way he says it. Like it’s a fact, like it’s obvious.
Like I’ve been everything all along.
I pull back slightly, just enough to look at him. His eyes are burning, his jaw tight, and I realise he’s angry. Not at me. At everyone else. At Zane. At Stone. At anyone who’s ever made me feel small.
His hands move to cup my face, thumbs brushing away tears I didn’t even realise were still falling.
“Whoever made you think you’re nothing,” he murmurs, voice low and rough, “they’re fucking blind.”
I let out a breath that feels like it’s been trapped inside me for years.
I force a smile, but it doesn’t quite reach my eyes. “You’re what you let people think you are, right?” The words taste bitter, like I’ve swallowed something I was never meant to.
Liam doesn’t hesitate. Doesn’t even blink. His grip on my waist tightens just slightly, like he’s trying to keep me grounded. “No.” His voice is steady, so certain it makes me look into his light blue eyes. They’re smiling at me. “You’re who you are. Nothing else. Nothing more. Whatever anyone thinks? That’s their problem. Only the truth mat- ters.”
His eyes burn into mine, and for a second, I swear he’s trying to will the words into my bones. Like if he says it enough, I’ll believe it.
I want to. God, I want to.
But the world has spent so long convincing me I’m something I never wanted to be. A shadow of someone else. A background character in my own life.
“Then tell me,” I whisper, barely breathing. “What’s the truth?”
Liam leans in, his forehead almost touching mine, his hands steady and warm on my waist. “That you’re stronger than you think.” His voice drops lower, softer, but there’s an edge to it-like he’s daring me to believe him. “That you’re not what they made you. That you’re yours.”
His thumb brushes against my hip, and I swear the whole world tilts.
And for the first time in forever, I don’t feel lost.
Liam wipes away the last of my tears with his thumb, his touch so gentle it makes my chest ache. He’s looking at me like I’m something delicate, something worth holding onto, and it’s almost too much. I barely stop myself from run- ning.
His smile is soft but knowing. “I’ll ask again. Answer honestly this time. You okay?”
I swallow, forcing a little nod. “Yeah.”
43.0 %
16:16
