- LIAM
I didn't give a s**t that my words had exploded like a bomb in the room, erupting chaos around me.
I stepped down from the stage, my large, sturdy shoulders cutting through the spotlight as I headed straight for the back aisle.
"Liam!" my mother barked loudly as she stood. "What is the meaning of this? You simply cannot..."
I didn't hear the rest. The elders' voices, the outraged gasps from Veronica, and the absolute chaos erupting across the banquet hall faded into background static. My focus was entirely locked on the back corner of the room. The space behind the AV console was empty. The rolling chair was still spinning slightly, and the thick, heavy scent of burnt sugar and fresh rain was already fading into the stale air of the ventilation system.
Alex was running away.
