Chapter 1
I caught my bipolar boyfriend hooking up with his lover in the psychiatric hospital.
Two weeks before our wedding, he hit me for the last time.
Then he checked himself into a psychiatric hospital–claiming it was for treatment.
But I knew better.
That hospital wasn’t his refuge; it was a secret love nest.
And the woman moaning beneath him in nothing but an apron?
“When I finish treatment,” my boyfriend said breathlessly, “I’ll be the perfect husband to Melanie. Just think of this as my way of making it up to you.
As I listened to their panting, I touched the barely healed wound on my forehead.
The pain in my heart was worse than anything that cut ever caused.
So I made one final call–to the man who raised him.
“Finn,” I said, my voice shaking, “Liam’s cured. I’m leaving.”
Irene Jamison’s flushed face suddenly went pale through the crack in the door, her eyes filling with tears.
“You bastard,” she choked, “I gave up my plans to study abroad for
you. I came here to work in this hospital and be with you. I even gave you my virginity! If you never planned to marry me, why did you sleep with me?”
Liam Whitaker gently wiped her tears, and though his eyes flashed. with a trace of guilt, his voice instantly softened as he comforted her. “Don’t cry. I promised I’d be your husband for these two weeks, right? If you want the stars and moon, I’ll bring them down for you.”
Irene broke into a tearful smile after his kiss. “I don’t want the stars or the moon,” she said, “I just want you!”
Liam looked down at her delicate, tear–streaked face, and something in his gaze darkened as he leaned closer.
“Isn’t this me giving you what you want?”
Irene gasped, her arms clinging to his back–but just a second later, he pried them off.
“Don’t leave scratch marks on me,” Liam frowned, annoyed. “If Melanie sees them, she’ll make a scene.”
Irene stubbornly wrapped her arms around him again. Her voice trembled as she insisted, “I want to! You said you’d give me what I want!”
Outside the door, I stood frozen, heart pounding. I heard Liam finally sigh and say, “Fine.”
At that moment, my heart skipped a beat and shattered. Tears spilled down uncontrollably, like a string of pearls snapping loose.
On the phone, Finn let out a long, heavy sigh.
“Melanie.” he said gently. “You dropped out of school for Liam, even cut ties with your parents to help him recover. He’s finally better, and your wedding is around the corner. Why are you—”
I wiped at my tears, my voice hoarse as I cut him off. “Finn, Liam doesn’t need me anymore. Please let me go.”
Marrying Liam used to be my biggest dream.
Back when he was 18. his parents were murdered in front of him in a kidnapping. That trauma broke him–he was diagnosed with bipolar. disorder and lashed out violently at anyone who came near.
But I was the only one who could approach him. The only one who made him feel safe.
Finn came to me, begging me to help Liam heal. And since I’d always loved Liam. I didn’t even hesitate. I quit school and stayed by his side. nursing him through his breakdowns.
To everyone else, he was a wild, vicious beast. But with me, he was different. He’d hurt himself before he’d ever lay a hand on me.
When I discovered the cuts on his wrist, he broke down, sobbing like a child. “Melanie, please don’t leave me,” he’d cried. “I’ll get better. Don’t give up on me, okay?”
He was terrified I’d abandon him. Scared I’d find him too broken.
But now, he was using the very illness he once hated as a cover–to throw punches at me just so he could sneak off to a psychiatric hospital and be with Irene for two weeks.
The cut on my forehead still throbbed faintly. But it didn’t hurt nearly
1500
as much as my heart.
Once Finn gave his permission. I booked a ticket home.
From now on, I refused to be his medicine.
The noise pierced through the room like a gunshot when my phone. dinged with the booking confirmation.
The two tangled bodies inside froze.
Liam opened the door a moment later and wrapped me in his arms.
“Melanie,” he said with a warm smile, “what are you doing here?”
9041
Chapter 2
