18
Meras
The door clicked shut, bringing Liam back to reality. He pounded on the door.
“Serenity, I know you’re listening. Please, let me explain!” His voice cracked, pleading. “I didn’t mean to hide it. Chloe… she took advantage of me when I was drunk. I wanted to end it then, but my parents called, pressuring us for a child. I didn’t want you to go through that. So… I He trailed off, unable to articulate the shameful truth. But we both understood.
On the other side of the door, leaning against it, I felt a bitter wave of irony. He had claimed he couldn’t bear the thought of me enduring the
- me. The emotional anguish of his betrayal was suffocating pain of childbirth, yet he inflicted far greater pain on The day I discovered his infidelity, the grief had overwhelmed me to the point that it triggered respiratory alkalosis. I’d rarely visited hospitals before, but that day I nearly lost my life. And where was Liam? In bed with Chloe.
He had better ways to handle the pressure. He chose the most humiliating path. Even if he’d paid Chloe off, she was still someone he’d slept with. Given his possessiveness, he would inevitably seek her out again. The simplest solution would have been to go to the master bedroom that night.
Even before Chloe’s actions, his behavior had shifted. His conversations used to mention only me. Now, Chloe’s name frequently appeared. Chloe’s move had only given him an excuse to cheat.
I closed my eyes, ignoring Liam’s pleas. The clock ticked, his pleas continuing. He wouldn’t stop until he received an answer. His rambling disturbed the other patients. A neighbor tried to yell at him, but seeing his face, swallowed their words, quietly closing their door. freeze when he saw my icy gaze. When the door finally opened, Liam’s anxious expression lit up, only to “Liam,” I said, my voice cold and my accent slightly altered from my time abroad. My once–tender tone had turned frigid. “I made myself clear that day. You claimed your actions were to spare me the pain of childbirth. Yet you initiated every encounter with Chloe after that. I heard and saw everything.”
I dug my nails into my palm, the memory still raw and disgusting.
“It’s done. Don’t make excuses. Our relationship ended the day you cheated.”
I turned to leave, but Liam lunged to grab my hand.
“No, it’s not like that. I’m not dirty, Serenity! If you think I’m dirty, I’ll clean myself, I’ll do anything, just don’t say it’s over.”
I wrenched hand
my
away, my laugh bitter.
“Then don’t cheat in the first place!”
He was my one true love, my rock, my intended life partner. And yet, he cheated.
“Liam, why did you cheat? Why, when I needed you, were you in bed with another woman? Why, after betraying me, did you still claim to love me?”
