Chapter Seventeen:tears
780 Words
Demi remained seated on the balcony long after Liam had walked away.
The cold night breeze brushed against his face, yet he didn’t feel it.
Liam’s words echoed relentlessly inside his mind.
“You don’t deserve her anymore.”
He clenched his fists until his knuckles turned white.
He couldn’t let Eva go…
But the thought of Isla belonging to someone else was unbearable.
But what hurt the most wasn’t the thought of losing Isla.
It was realizing that someone else had seen the pain he had ignored.
Someone else had been there when she needed him the most.
For the first time in years, Demi felt trapped by the very choices he had made.
He stayed on that balcony until dawn, unable to move, unable to sleep.
After leaving the balcony, Liam quietly walked back to his room.
The moment the door clicked shut behind him, the strength he had been holding onto disappeared.
He leaned against the wall, his jaw tightening as tears slowly filled his eyes.
“I won’t let her walk back into the same pain again…” he whispered into the darkness.
“Not after everything she went through.”
His voice broke.
He lowered his head, covering his face as silent tears slipped through his fingers.
If protecting Isla meant standing against Demi…
Then he would do it without hesitation.
Even if Isla never saw him as anything more than someone who protected her…
He would accept that.
Meanwhile, Mia remained seated beside the swimming pool.
The ripples in the water reflected the moonlight, but her thoughts were elsewhere.
She couldn’t stop thinking about Isla.
No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t find a way to fix everything.
Not this time.
Morning arrived far too quickly.
Soft sunlight filtered through the curtains as a gentle knock echoed through Isla’s bedroom.
“Ma’am…”
“Liam’s voice came again.”
“Mrs. Cross… are you awake?”
Isla slowly opened her eyes.
“Come in.”
The door opened carefully.
Liam entered carrying a breakfast tray before kneeling beside the bed to place it on the bedside table.
A small smile appeared on his face.
“Good morning, ma’am.”
Isla rubbed the sleep from her eyes before smiling softly.
“Good morning, Liam.”
“I hope you slept well.”
“I did…”
She answered instinctively.
“But what about you?”
As her gaze settled on his face…
Her smile faded.
His eyes were swollen.
Not badly…
But enough for her to notice.
“Liam…”
She sat up immediately.
“What happened to your eyes?”
He looked away.
“It’s nothing, ma’am.”
“You didn’t sleep?”
“I’m fine.”
But the exhaustion in his eyes told her a different story.
Liam had always been the person who stayed strong for everyone else.
Seeing him break, even slightly, felt unfamiliar.
“No.”
Isla’s voice became firmer.
“Look at me.”
Liam remained silent.
Instead, he lowered his gaze to the floor.
For a brief moment, Isla simply watched him.
Something wasn’t right.
Without thinking, she reached out.
Her fingers gently touched his cheek as she turned his face toward her.
The instant their eyes met…
She froze.
For a moment, Isla forgot about everything else.
The anger.
The betrayal.
The pain she had been carrying for so long.
Realizing what she had just done, Isla immediately withdrew her hand.
A brief silence settled between them.
Neither of them spoke.
Only a few inches separated them now.
Liam looked directly into her eyes.
There was no surprise…
No anger…
Only quiet sadness.
Isla finally broke the silence.
“Liam…”
“You’ve been crying.”
Her voice softened.
“Tell me the truth.”
“Did I do something that hurt you?”
“Or is there something you’re hiding from me?”
Liam continued looking into her eyes.
So many words rose to his lips.
So many truths he wanted to tell her.
That he had watched her suffer.
That he had watched her smile while silently breaking inside.
That he was terrified she would walk back into the same pain all over again.
But in the end…
He swallowed every single one of those words.
“…No, ma’am.”
His voice came out almost as a whisper.
“You’ve never hurt me.”
His eyes drifted away again.
“The only thing I can’t bear…”
He stopped himself before finishing the sentence.
Because the truth was far too dangerous to speak aloud.
Especially when the truth was that he was slowly falling for the woman he was trying so hard to protect.
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