Too bad! I need to know. Otherwise I’ll spend my nights regretting it and continue to wonder what was in the envelope. My heart races and I gulp as I take out pictures. My hands tremble and tears come to my eyes when I see the first image. I knew it would be difficult, but I didn’t know how much. I try not to cry as my breathing picks up.
In the picture, Liam is kissing a woman with his finger inside her. It’s just seeing him so passionate with someone else; and here I thought what we had was unique. I feel like I’m getting hit with the cold hard truth. I’m only one more. I find the courage to take a look at the second picture and this time, I see him with two women in his secret room. He is looking at the person taking the photo, and I assume that it’s Desiree.
Behind him, a platinum blonde kisses his neck, and a brunette licks his testicles while playing with him and his face is twisted with enjoyment. He looks harsh and cold a way he’s never allowed himself to be with me. He has never been himself with me. A third photo shows a naked woman tied to the wall, and he’s biting her lip while another woman, chained to the floor, sucks him off.
I’ve seen enough! I throw the pictures on the counter. I don’t want to know what the other pictures show. It hurts too much! I won’t let Desiree win! I can do this stuff, too, and I can be this kind a woman for Liam because I love him so much.
“It’s hard, right?”
I turn around to Jay who comes into the kitchen and I sigh. Desiree deals the final blow; she knows the state she put me in and sends a man to comfort me; to pull me away from Liam, and convince me that he’s not good for me.
“Leave me alone, please.”
“No,” he says, advancing forward with a compassionate expression on his face. “Desiree told me what she did. She’s a bitch, forget about her! Liam loves you, it’s obvious.”
I’m confused. Is he trying reverse psychology with me, or what?
“I know,” I say.
He takes a glance at the photos on the counter and shakes his head.
“Hell, I didn’t know he was that into this crap.”
“You seem to know a lot about it?”
“I slept with one of his former conquests one day and she told me everything. Well, nothing that sounded like this,” he says, pointing to the images.
He turns to me and looks at me with pity.
“I hope he won’t drag you into this. Carly, you’re a really good girl, don’t let him pervert you. It would be such a waste!”
He slides his hand along my jaw.
“What are you doing?” I exclaim, stepping back.
But at that moment he grabs my waist to press me against him while holding my wrists behind my back.
“Just let me,” he pleads, leaning toward me. “I’ll make you forget him.”
“No! Let go of me!”
He keeps forcing himself on me and I’m about to scream when all of a sudden, a fist smashes his jaw, pushing him to the ground. I free myself from his grip stepping backwards, now finding myself face-to-face with a pissed-off Liam. He picks Jay up by the collar to hit him again before lifting him and pinning him against the cabinet. The glass shatters around him and Jay cries out.
“Don’t you come anywhere near her again, you hear me!”
Jay pushes Liam with both hands and doesn’t add anything before leaving. Behind us, all the guests saw what happened, but my attention is only on Liam’s glare. His beautiful blue eyes are clouded by a boundless rage that I’ve never seen in him. He almost looks dangerous. He reads the fear that makes its way on my face and calms down. He notices the damage around him and the witnesses, and sighs.
“Come on,” he simply orders, harshly grabbing my arm.
We immediately leave the house and go home. The car ride home is done in complete silence. He’s so angry, and I don’t see what I could say to make the situation better. I’m really happy he arrived when he did, but the images of him remain in my mind.
Once home, he lets himself fall on a kitchen chair. He buries his face in his hands and places his elbows on the counter. I slip a comforting hand on his shoulder.
“Thank you,” I say, sitting beside him.
“I’m sorry, Carly.”
“What for?”
“You told me you didn’t want to go…What if he…If he had hurt you, I swear…”
He pauses and purses his lips together.
“But you came in time.”
He nods.
“I should have believed you,” he says. “Desiree had everything planned.”
“I know.”
I don’t want to add to his anger by telling him how much she tried to separate us tonight, but the images I saw of him haunt my mind. The man sitting next to me will never be the same to me again, and the dark side he’s hiding might be too dark for me. I realize now I know nothing of him. I understand why he wanted to hide it from me, and why he refused to show me his secret room.
We both go to bed exhausted and I turn my back to him to curl up in the blankets. He kisses my head before saying good night and lays on his side with his back to me. My heart breaks knowing we are so close physically, and yet it feels like we’re miles apart.
I wake up in the morning with a hell of a headache. I run a hand through my hair and turn to Liam who’s no longer there. I sigh. I wish I could hold him in my arms this morning, and kiss him before he leaves for work. I turn my head to the night table next to me, but instead of seeing what time it is on the clock, I see a newspaper. I frown and sit up. The first page says it all:
Liam Walker gets drunk and takes issue with a guest at a party given by his ex-girlfriend, Desiree Lauren.
I take a deep breath. What the hell is this article talking about? Liam was sober last night and didn’t drink anything! I suspect he had to leave early this morning to deal with this new crisis. I open the newspaper to read the article in detail.
The great CEO of the company Walker Concept drank one too many last night, or perhaps even more. According to witnesses, he abandoned his new girlfriend Carly Scott to another man and continued the party with an attractive redhead whose identity remains unknown. He got drunk before beating up his friend, Jay Sullivan. The latter was barely recovering while Liam shouted senseless threats to the man. He then dragged his girlfriend by force to his car. It makes you wonder, what kind of influence is this young woman having on this man? The CEO has been professional and well-behaved until she came along. He has begun acting irrationally and irresponsibly, and investors have reasons to fear for the company Walker Concept…
I scoff out loud, throwing the newspaper behind me. It’s a bunch of crap! Come on! It makes no sense at all, and it’s not even credible! I get up and the anger I feel increases the tension in my body. I dress to go downstairs to the kitchen, but as I stand at the top of the staircase, I hear Liam’s voice. I’m happy he’s still here!
“It’s the whole company that could fall, Liam!” a man I don’t know shouts.
I stretch to see him and I can only see his suit and tie. It must be a man who works with him.
“I know!” Liam replies, clearly upset.
“You have to end this relationship,” his mother begs.
I see Aubelia who’s pacing in the living room, dressed in a turquoise outfit with her hair tied in a bun.
“That’s out of question!” Liam opposes.
“There’s no need to be so drastic. In fact, breaking up with Carly right now would only give more reason for gossip. I think the best would be that you take a vacation. Both of you get away for some time while the press gets over this. That way you can prove to them that you are a strong, normal couple. It would reassure the investors.”
“I can’t leave now. Not with the theft from two weeks ago!”
“Two days, Liam,” insists the man.
“Ron, come on! This girl is a real calamity! She doesn’t come from a good family, she has no education, no career and no future. She’s only a pathetic gold digger! Investors see that! Liam, hon
ey, you’re being blinded by your feelings for her. Certainly, she is very beautiful, but she is only taking advantage of your kindness.”
“This is ridiculous!”
“She has no idea how to behave in public, Liam. She has no style, no class and she knows nothing about the world we live in.”
“I’ll teach her.”
He’ll teach me! Am I dreaming? Is he agreeing with his mother? I can’t believe it!
“She’s trash, my darling, you are worth much more than her.”
“She should indeed be a better representation of you, Liam,” confirms the man.
“Some suitable outfits and the problem is solved.”
I get down the first stair and sigh, watching them. The man greets me before leaving us alone, and Aubelia just glares at me.
“Hi Carly,” she says coldly.
“Can you leave us alone, Mom?” asks Liam.
She leaves reluctantly and whispers a threat between her teeth as she walks pass me.
“You haven’t seen the last of me!”
I watch her go without adding anything, barely believing what she just said to me.
“This conversation is not over,” she says to Liam before leaving.
Liam sighs, pushing a hand through his hair. His tone is stern when addressing me.
“You are to make no comments and say nothing to anyone. You’ll have to redouble your efforts to avoid being photographed in a compromising situation. This means being careful who you are seen with, how you are dressed…”
“Wait! What?”
“I’m not kidding, Carly. This is very serious. Tonight, I’ll pick you up to discuss some things.”
I have tears in my eyes hearing him say these things as if I were a doll he could dress and order around as he wishes. I will not change my life just because it doesn’t please his entourage.
“The cook prepared breakfast,” he adds, exasperated.
He picks up his jacket on the chair.
“I have a big day ahead of me. Javen will take you home.”
He’s never been so cold with me. He goes to leave without kissing or even hugging me. It’s absolutely not like him.
“Liam!” I call.
“What!”
“Why are you being so distant this morning?”
He looks disgusted, and I wonder what I’ve done to put him in this state. I mean, it’s not my fault that journalists have fabricated this whole story! He takes a deep breath, running his tongue over his mouth and thinking about something, then exhales.
“Follow me,” he orders as he walks into his office.
I follow him into the small room on his left. He goes directly behind his wooden desk, picks up a folder, pushes it in front of me, and sits in his chair, staring at me sternly. It feels like he’s expecting some kind of confession on my part, or a compromising reaction maybe?
I open the brown folder, but I don’t understand the documents he presents to me. Only numbers and terms that I don’t know.
“What is it?” I ask.
“These are the documents that were stolen from me.”
“Okay?”
“They were in my office, Carly, here. And they ended up in the hands of your father.”
I look up at him, dumbfounded. This can’t be happening. Is he really suspecting me of having anything to do with this?
“You’re kidding, I hope!”
He shrugs, pursing his lips.
“You’re the only one who had access to my office. And I must confess that this story of an illegitimate daughter would suit you well, am I wrong?”
“Liam?”
I don’t recognize the man before me at all. The man I love would have never believed me of being capable of such a thing. He at least would have given me the opportunity to say it’s not true. Now, it’s as if he had already declared me guilty and that no matter what I say, he will not believe me.
“Is it even useful to tell you I had nothing to do with this?” I ask.
“Promise me you didn’t, and I’ll believe you.”
I shake my head. In fact, I think I’ve had enough. I wipe a tear from my cheek and I take a few seconds to digest it all.
Why can’t I tell him? Because I never would have questioned him. I would have given my life to him without hesitation. Damn, I was even ready to enter a world of S&M for him! He asked me to trust him, and follow him into his world without looking back. Then he treats me like a criminal the first opportunity he gets.
No, I don’t want to deny anything, because I shouldn’t have to. If this is all the trust he has in me, well we’re not on the same page and I think I’d prefer to just end this relationship. Anyway, he will be better off.
I start to cry without being able to hold back my tears as the thought of leaving him makes its way into my mind. It hurts so bad!
“So?” Liam is impatient and his gaze begins to break.
I refuse, shaking my head.
“I’m sorry I ever met you right now! I don’t ever want to see you again and don’t you dare call me when you realize how big of an asshole you’ve been!”
I detect panic rising in him, but it’s too late; the damage is already done. I storm out of the room and leave his apartment, leaving the key on the small table at the entrance so I can never to return.
I take the bus to go home, unable to hold back the tears flowing down my cheeks. People around look at me and I couldn’t care less. Nothing matters anymore and I don’t care about anything. I just want to leave or run away so far from him that I will never have to see him, hear his name, or think of him again. But I could run for weeks and it wouldn’t change anything. I would have to tear out my heart to forget about him.
I push open the door of my apartment, noticing the absence of the horrible, Coca-Cola bottle-shaped clock that belonged to Sean. Him moving out doesn’t make this day any easier. I need him to be there to make me laugh, or to help me get my mind off everything. Or even just to see my brother emerge from the kitchen with a bag of chips to join him in the living room. But I’m alone.
I take a jar of ice cream from the freezer and sit in front of the TV. There is nothing interesting playing. I flip from channel to channel until a knock sounds on my door. I leap to my feet, praying inwardly that it’s Liam. But when I open the door, I see Ethan who gives me a sympathetic look before holding me in his arms.
“Hey, how are you?” he worries.
I show him my spoon of ice cream that he pulls out of my hands.
“How did you know?” I ask.
“Liam called me.”
“Really? What did he say?”
“That you two had broken up. He wanted someone to make sure you were safely home.”
I sigh.
“What happened?” he inquires, joining me in the living room.
“He accused me of stealing documents for Richard. Can you believe that?”
“Huh? Come on, Carly, you would never do that. He must know that.”
“Apparently not.”
“You must have misinterpreted him. He looked devastated when I talked to him.”
“Liam? Devastated? Now, it’s you who are misinterpreting.”
“A man doesn’t need to cry. He might not be indulging in ice cream, wrapped in a blanket, watching crappy shows. And yes, he’s probably at work right now, and he’ll be there again this evening, and tonight. But not because of the crisis that his business is going through; it’s just so he doesn’t think about you.”
“I thought you didn’t like him?”
“That’s true, but I know that he loves you.”
I shake my head.
“Not enough to stop me.”
The words just came out. In fact, I think that’s what hurts the most. He hasn’t even tried to hold me back or convince me I was making a mistake. He let me walk out of his life as if the world wouldn’t turn upside down; as if as soon as I walked out the door, everything would be back at normal for him. But me…I don’t know wh
ere I am anymore.
Ethan stays with me a moment and I snuggle into his arms. His cell phone rings.
“Hello?…Yes, she’s home. I’m with her…Okay. Goodbye!”
He hangs up. I don’t want to know. The minutes pass without me asking him who it was, and Ethan breaks the silence.
“He worries, you know.”
“So?”
“If he didn’t feel anything for you, he wouldn’t even be thinking of you right now.”
I don’t answer and I continue to watch television.
The night falls and Ethan stretches out. He has to leave, and I have to admit, it’s already late and he almost spent the whole day with me, even if I really wasn’t good company.
“I have to go now,” he announces.
I nod and then his eyes fall on the necklace I forgot to remove.
“That’s nice.”
I take it off.
“Liam gave it to me.”
“Do you want me to give it back to him?” he proposes.
I frown.
“When will you see him?”
He takes a deep breath as if he was about to tell me something I didn’t want to hear.
“The timing is bad, I know.”
“Ethan?”
He looks down. “I didn’t want to tell you before because I wasn’t sure it would work.”
“What? Tell me!”
“I was admitted to a college.”
“Are you serious! That’s awesome! When did you find out?”
“This morning. Liam told me.”
“Oh. Is he paying for it?”
I don’t like it at all! But Ethan shakes his head.
“No. He put me in touch with the dean and I had a meeting. I was able to pass some tests and get a scholarship. I didn’t want to owe anything to anyone and Liam understood that.”
“Is it far from here?”
“In Baltimore.”
I want to jump for joy and cry at the same time. That’s very far away!
“I have to leave in two days if I want to start the next semester on time.”
Another person who is dear to me walking out of my life. It feels as if everything is slowly falling apart around me. But I don’t have the right to be so selfish. Ethan sacrificed everything to protect me ten years ago; this is the reward and he has a second chance to have a decent life and future.
A Borrowed Life (Carly and Liam #1) Page 30