Chapter 3
I lifted my eyes and looked straight into Liam’s trembling pale pupils. Suddenly, I remembered how he’d hurled that vase at me without hesitation.
If he really cared about me, how could he have smashed my head open like that?
Irene finished applying my medicine and pulled out a syringe.
“Liam, it’s time for your mood stabilizer injection.”
Liam frowned, clearly reluctant, but still rolled up his sleeve.
Even though I’d already decided to stop loving him, when I saw the patchwork of needle marks on his arm, I couldn’t help but speak up. “Be gentle–he’s afraid of getting hurt.”
As soon as the words left my mouth, the needle pierced his skin. Blood immediately trickled out from the injection site.
Irene gasped. “I missed the vein–sorry!”
I thought Liam would lose his temper. But he only gave her a mild frown, glanced at her apologetic expression, and said tiredly, “It’s fine. Doesn’t hurt. Go ahead, try again.”
And just like that, I was the odd one out–the concerned whisper I’d let slip felt like a boomerang that came back to slice through my heart.
Irene shot me a smug look before calmly adjusting her grip and
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continuing the injection.
I stared at her, and a memory suddenly surfaced.
A year ago, I’d caught a nasty cold, and Liam had carried me to the hospital for an IV drip. Irene was the intern nurse on duty–and she’d messed up, pricking me wrong and drawing blood.
Liam had exploded back then, yelling at her like she was a total failure.
But the moment she looked up with teary eyes to apologize, something in him seemed to shift. He didn’t yell again–just told her to fetch another doctor.
Later, she wanted to send me healthy meals and added Liam to messaging apps.
So they’d started their entanglement from that very moment.
A light tug on my hand snapped me out of my thoughts. I looked up into Liam’s concerned eyes.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing. Just hurts to watch you get poked.”
He gently cupped my fingers, brushing a soft kiss across my knuckles.
“For you, I can endure any pain,” he whispered.
Just then, my phone lit up again–another message from the airline.
Liam straightened his back, nerves instantly on high alert.
“Melanie, why did you book a flight overseas?”
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Ħ
I snatched the phone and casually made something up before he could read it. “It’s for my parents.
“I know we cut ties years ago, but I still want them at the wedding.”
His tensed muscles relaxed. Like a loyal dog, he nuzzled my nose and whispered with guilt.
“I’m sorry, Melanie. It’s my fault you had to go through all that.
“If you hadn’t dropped out of school for me, maybe your parents wouldn’t have been so disappointed in you.”
I lowered my gaze to hide the pain that flashed in my eyes.
All the love I’d given–every sacrifice–had been repaid with lies and betrayal.
I couldn’t feel anything now but regret.
Soon after, Irene stepped out of the dressing room.
She was wearing the wedding dress. Tiny crystals sparkled like stars in the night sky against her fair skin. It fit her perfectly–so perfectly that it was obvious the dress had been made for her all along.
Liam’s eyes lit up, and he looked stunned. Irene blushed under his
gaze.
“This dress is beautiful,” she murmured shyly. “But I wonder, what would it look like if it were torn apart?”
