Chapter 12
1169 Words
* Liam's POV *
“Enough!” I said with fierceness. My voice cut through the room like a whip, and the whole place went dead quiet.
Elena stood there with wide, hurt eyes. Andrea’s smug smile faltered for a second. I took a deep breath, trying to control the anger boiling inside me.
“Elena… please give us privacy to talk,” I said, my voice became softer for her but was still firm.
Elena stared at me in disbelief for a long moment. The pain in her eyes hit me straight in the chest. It hurt me deeply that she felt this way on the very first day, but I needed to handle Andrea first. After what felt like forever, Elena turned without a word and walked upstairs, her shoulders were stiff with hurt.
I waited until I heard her door close before turning to Andrea. “What are you doing here?”
Andrea crossed her arms, lifting her chin defiantly. “I have every right to be here, Liam. After all, I’m your girlfriend.”
I folded my arms tightly across my chest, anger rising fast. “We are not a thing, Andrea. We broke up a week ago. You have no right to show up at my house unannounced and disturb my visitors like this.”
She scoffed loudly, rolling her eyes. “Oh please. You’re really choosing a complete stranger over your own girlfriend? Just like that?”
I corrected her sharply. “Ex-girlfriend. We are done, Andrea. I made that very clear.”
She laughed bitterly, shaking her head. “Ex-girlfriend? Funny. I’ve come to stay, and nobody is taking my man away from me. After all, it’s just a fake marriage, right? So why are you being so defensive about her?”
Her words stung. I clenched my jaw. “This has nothing to do with you. You need to leave.”
Andrea grabbed the handles of her two designer suitcases and started walking toward the stairs with majestic confidence, her heels clicking loudly. “I’m not going anywhere. This is my home too.”
I stood there in silence, watching her ascend the stairs like she owned the place. My hands balled into fists at my sides.
“s**t!” I muttered, grabbing my head in anger and frustration. My mind was spinning. This was the last thing I needed right now.
I took the stairs two at a time and stopped in front of Elena’s room. I knocked softly on the door.
From inside, her voice came out cold and distant. “I don’t think I want to talk right now.”
My heart squeezed painfully. “Please, Elena. Let me in. I can explain everything.”
“No, you don’t have to,” she replied, her tone flat and hurt. “It’s none of my business anyway.”
That coldness saddened me more than I expected. I leaned my forehead against the door. “I know it isn’t… but let us have a conversation, please. I promise I’ll explain everything to you, Elena.”
Silence stretched on the other side of the door. I waited, breathing hard, hoping she would open it.
After a long moment, her voice came again, quieter this time but still laced with pain. “Why should I believe anything you say right now? You told her everything about me. You let her call me the ‘poor pregnant girl’ like I’m some charity case you picked up. On the very first day of this contract… you made me feel small and worthless.”
I closed my eyes, guilt crashing over me. “Elena, that’s not how I see you. Andrea is just… she’s trying to stir trouble. I never meant for any of this to happen. Please open the door so we can talk properly.”
“You had a girlfriend this whole time and didn’t think it was important to mention?” she continued, her voice cracking slightly. “I trusted you enough to sign that contract. I put my baby’s future in your hands. And now I find out you have someone else? How am I supposed to feel safe here?”
“I broke up with her before I even met you again at the hospital,” I said urgently. “She wasn’t supposed to show up. I do not know how she found out about our contract. I swear I didn’t plan any of this. You’re not a charity case to me, Elena. You’re the mother of the child I promised to protect. You’re… important to me.”
A bitter laugh came from inside the room. “Important? The way she spoke about me, coupled with the way you stayed quiet… it felt like I was nothing. Just another broken girl you’re helping out of pity. Do you know how that feels? After everything I’ve already lost?”
My chest ached. I pressed my palm flat against the door. “I know. I’m sorry. I froze. I should have shut her down immediately. But I was shocked too. Please… let me in. I don’t want our first day to end like this. We’re supposed to be a team now.”
Elena didn’t answer right away. I could hear her moving inside, probably pacing. When she finally spoke, her voice was thick with unshed tears. “A team? Teams are honest with each other, Liam. They don’t hide important things. They don’t let other people humiliate their partner on the first day.”
“You’re right,” I admitted, my voice raw. “I should have told you about Andrea the moment we made the deal. I thought it was over. I didn’t expect her to show up like this. But I’m telling you now — she is my ex. Nothing more. You and the baby… you matter more than anything right now.”
Another long silence. Then, softly, “I feel so stupid. I signed that paper thinking this could be a safe place for me and my child. Instead, I’m already fighting for respect in a house that isn’t even mine.”
“You don’t have to fight for respect here,” I said quickly. “This is your home for the next year. I promised to take care of you and the baby. That promise still stands. Andrea will leave. I’ll make sure of it.”
I heard her sigh deeply. “I don’t know what to believe anymore. Everything feels like a lie again. First Alexander, now this…”
My heart broke hearing the pain in her voice. “Elena… please open the door. Let me look at you while I say this. You are not a charity case. You are not helpless. You are strong, beautiful, and carrying a child who deserves the world. I want to give you both that world. Please… give me a chance to prove it.”
The door remained closed, but I could feel her standing right on the other side.
- Writer
