Chương 19: Chapter 19: In Plain Sight
MAEVE
"You did what?" I could hear my own voice, sharp and incredulous, slicing through the stillness around us. The words felt like they were pulled from some stranger's mouth, as though they couldn't belong to the same person who had felt all that closeness just seconds ago.
I couldn't believe that.
Liam's face wavered in front of me, that hurt little-boy expression settling there with surprising ease. And that was when it hit me — my image of him, of us, had shifted completely.
It was like the floor had been yanked out from under me, and I was left falling with no end in sight. The version of Liam I'd held on to, the person I'd loved, trusted, leaned on — he vanished, leaving only this…petulant child standing in his place.
Memories flooded in, reshaping themselves in the fresh light of his betrayal. I thought back to all those times when he'd made impulsive decisions without thinking through the consequences. Like the time he'd shown up at my apartment at three in the morning, drunk, holding a bouquet of hastily picked wildflowers, certain he'd pulled off the "grand romantic gesture."
Back then, I'd laughed and found it sweet, his way of making things special in his own disorganized way. Or that time he'd "fixed" my broken lock with nothing but a rusty screwdriver and brute force, leaving it worse than before. I'd thought it was endearing, just his playful way of doing things his way, even if his way was haphazard and reckless.
There were other times too, things I'd brushed off because they seemed harmless at the time, or maybe because I didn't want to see them for what they really were." I'd waved it off back then, told myself it was just his carefree nature, his inability to be "tied down" by little responsibilities. But now…now it all looks different.
All those careless moments, all those immature actions I'd once taken as funny or sweet, suddenly felt selfish and thoughtless. And this, this latest stunt, was just another example — only now, it was my entire life he'd treated like a game.
"How could you?" I barely recognized the tone in my voice, the raw disbelief simmering under each word. "What did you even think you'd accomplish by announcing that to them that?"
Liam's jaw clenched, and he looked away before glancing back at me with a flicker of defiance. "You told me to do something and I wanted to shake things up. Stir the pot a little," he said, folding his arms. "Mum's always in the middle of everything, controlling you, controlling Ronan. I thought maybe this would finally get her out of the picture and give you a chance to walk away from all this."
"So your brilliant plan," I said slowly, trying to keep my voice steady, "was to throw me into an even bigger spotlight, rile up the entire pack, the Coven, Jean, everyone — and then what, Liam? You thought we could just run off into the sunset together? Is that what you thought would happen?"
He flinched, and for a second, that defiance slipped, replaced by something that looked almost like regret. "I didn't think it would blow up like this, Maeve. I just wanted them to back off, to let you go." His voice grew softer, pleading almost. "I wanted them to see that you weren't theirs to use."
I laughed, but it came out bitter and dry. "You really thought that, huh? That you could just tell the whole world about us and Jean and the rest would…what? Leave me alone? Let me go?" The absurdity of it was almost enough to make me laugh for real if it hadn't hurt so damn much. "No, Liam. All you did was make things worse — for me, not for Jean."
"But she —"
"No, Liam," I cut him off, my voice hardening. "Jean would have handled it. Spun it, controlled it, twisted it to suit her needs. She's been doing it for years. She would've doubled down, only now I'd be trapped under even more scrutiny. People would be watching my every move to see if I'd run back to you or stay with Ronan. And do you know who would've had to live with that fallout? Me."
He opened his mouth, but I wasn't finished. "You didn't do this to Jean; you did this to me. You didn't get back at her. You have hurt me."
I watched him stagger back a step, the words hitting him like punches, but the hurt that flashed across his face barely made a dent in the fury burning through me. "Maeve, I didn't mean —"
"You didn't mean what? To embarrass me? To throw my life into chaos just to 'make a point?" I shook my head, my hands curling into fists. "I trusted you, Liam. I trusted you to have my back, and instead, you went behind it. You took away whatever scraps of dignity I had left and twisted it to serve your ego."
He just stood there, his face caught between shame and frustration. "I did it for us, Maeve. You can't see that right now, but I did it because I love you."
"Love?" The word felt like poison on my tongue. "If this is love, then I want nothing to do with it."
I could see it in his eyes — the desperate need for me to understand, to somehow see his actions as some grand gesture of devotion. But all I could see was the wreckage he'd left in his wake, the thoughtlessness and selfishness that had been hiding beneath his sweet words and promises.
"You know what?" I said, the realization landing like a punch. "Maybe it's a good thing you did this. Because now I finally see you for who you really are." His face flickered with a brief, hopeful look, as if for a second he thought I was forgiving him. I laughed again, a hollow sound.
"No, Liam. I finally see all the things I brushed off before as cute or 'quirky' or whatever I'd convinced myself they were. But you know what they actually were?"
I could see him tense, waiting for the blow.
"Childish," I said, my voice steady, cold. "All those times you'd pull stunts just to make a point or push back on something that didn't go your way. I used to think it was sweet, even funny — that you'd go out of your way just to get my attention, to show me how much I mattered. But now I see it was never about me. It was always about you, your need to feel in control, to feel like you were…important."
I paused, the words flowing faster, sharper. "Like our last conversation after the wedding. When I was already breaking, already barely holding it together, and all you could do was get mad that I didn't want to run away with you. You never thought about what I needed, what I was going through. It was just…your own bruised ego."
He flinched, his face a mask of hurt and anger, but I pressed on, unwilling to let him off so easily. "Liam, you don't love me. You love the idea of being my savior, of swooping in to rescue me when it suits you, when it makes you feel good about yourself. But when I needed you to actually stand by me, to be someone I could rely on, you let me down. Again and again."
His mouth opened, a desperate expression crossing his face, but I didn't give him the chance to speak.
"It's over, Liam. I'm done with you."
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