Killing him was my only chance.
Why hadn’t I listened to Damien? Why hadn’t I let him kill Liam in the first place?
This was a cruel way to repay my mercy.
I crept down the stairs quietly because I could definitely hear the sound of the TV. The place was small, a summer home we used to get away from the crowds of tourists. I held on to the banister as I made my way down, the adrenaline masking the pain I felt in my stomach. I shouldn’t be creeping around in stealth mode to kill a man several times my size.
But I wasn’t going to lose Damien like this.
Unless he was already dead…
When I made it to the ground floor, I looked around for any sign of Liam. I kept heading for the living room, following the sound of the TV. When I rounded the corner, I noticed him standing in the kitchen. He was making dinner…like we’d gone back in time.
I crept up behind him so quietly and grabbed the lamp with steady hands as I prepared to slam it down on his head. He would be knocked out, potentially dead, and I could find the car keys to get out of there. I’d even go on foot if I had to.
My feet were so silent against the tile, and I didn’t breathe a single breath because I didn’t want to give away my position.
He stirred the contents of the skillet, his bare back muscular and strong. He was in just sweatpants, oblivious to my intent right behind him. “Good. You’re awake.” He turned off the burner before he faced me.
I quickly stepped back, the lamp still in my hands.
He didn’t seem the least bit surprised. “I have your medication here.” He walked to the other counter and grabbed the meds from a bag. There were several bottles, all labeled. He must’ve gotten them when he took me from the hospital, but since he’d kidnapped me, I wasn’t sure how he’d orchestrated that. “You should put that down.” He nodded to the lamp. “It’s heavy, and I don’t want you to hurt yourself.”
Since my only advantage was the element of surprise, I lowered it to the kitchen island. There was no way I could come at him now and possibly win. And if I really engaged in a physical battle, not only would I lose, but it would probably rip my incision.
He watched me from across the room. “You hungry?”
Floored by the question, all I could do was stare. “Am I hungry?” Did he seriously just ask me that? “Am I fucking hungry? Is that a joke?”
He grabbed one bottle of pills and read the label. “You’re supposed to take most of these on a full stomach, so yeah, it’s not a joke.”
My frustration built until I broke like an overflowing dam. My hands went into my hair and dug the strands from my scalp because I was overwhelmed by this reality. This was a man I could never get away from. Death was really the only solution. “What the fuck, Liam? What the fuck did you do?”
He stayed calm, trying to convince me this was normal when it was anything but. The doctor said you were free to go. I decided to bring you home and take care of you.”
“Exactly. You decided. What the fuck is wrong with you?” I threw my arms down and knocked over all the dishes sitting on the table in front of me. They crashed to the floor in pieces.
He watched my movements without reacting, as if he expected me to behave this way.
“Where’s Damien?” If Liam had killed him, I really would hang myself and take my own life. I couldn’t live with the guilt of what my stupidity had caused. I already hated myself for ever loving Liam at any point in time, for being faithful to somebody who never deserved my loyalty.
He leaned against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. “Alive.”
My hand moved across my chest, and I bowed my head as relief released the pain in my heart. “Oh, thank god.”
Liam wore his best poker face as he stared at me.
“Let me go.”
He moved to the cabinet and pulled out a new set of plates.
“Liam.”
He scooped the food onto the plates and ignored me.
“You can’t keep me here. What do you think that’s going to achieve? I don’t love you anymore, and now my indifference is quickly turning to hatred. The only way you’re going to have me is if you force me. And if you do that…you’ll definitely never get what you want.” I couldn’t imagine Liam doing something like that, but then I realized I couldn’t imagine him kidnapping me either…and that happened. I had been blinded by his handsome and charming ways. He’d been a monster the whole time—I just never noticed.