Aria’s POV The surprise party was to take place at the house Liam and I had shared together when we were married. Though I’d been in this house before since we’d started talking again, it still felt strange and a little melancholy walking through the doors. “Everyone’s out back,” said one of Lia
Liam’s POV A loud splash interrupted me mid-sentence. I didn’t think anything of it at first. After all, this was a pool party, and there were already swimmers in the pool. One of them might have just done a cannon ball. Yet, as if on instinct, my eyes were drawn to the place Aria had been stand
Aria’s POV “What… did you just say?” Liam asked, his face crumpled up with both disbelief and confusion. I didn’t think I had said anything confusing. I knew Liam was protective of me, and I understood that instinct. Especially because I had almost drowned thanks to Sophia’s little vicious prank
“So he filled in for you.” “He did.” Liam swallowed thickly. “And then… he crashed…” “Oh, Liam.” I took another, wider step, moving right up against his side. I reached out my hand and placed it on his arm. He looked at me, his eyes haunted but… softening… I felt like an invisible gap that h
Aria’s POV “You should go back to the party,” I said. Lightly, he shook his head. “I prefer it in here with you.” My heart skipped a beat. He was hard to resist when he laid on the charm like this, and without the previous misunderstandings standing in our way, I felt myself drawn to him like
Liam’s POV I was a lot of things to a lot of people, but I knew for a fact that I was not Sophia’s property. I wasn’t her boyfriend of her lover. Maybe I was a brother-figure or a friend, but neither of those titles had been implied when Sophia had called me hers. And now she wanted to have a ch
Joe’s POV At school the next day, Joe handed William the letter in the hallway before homeroom. William looked at the ripped-up top of the envelope. “You opened it. We said we’d open it together.” “I was curious,” Joe said. “Well, what does it say?” William asked, nervous excitement in his v
Liam’s POV Two days passed, and I still hadn’t heard anything more from Sophia. If it was her alone, I would not be as concerned. She had a tendency to disappear for long periods, particularly when she was mad at me. But never in the past did she include William in her silent treatment. For Will
“Yes,” she replied. She hesitated, as if gathering her courage, but then asked, “I wanted to make sure you were okay.” Another pause. “Are you okay?” “No. Not really.” My assistant had been with me long enough that she already knew the answer before she even asked. Maybe she expected me to lie. Ma
Liam’s POV As I waited for my assistant to spread word about the encroaching press conference, I entirely gave up on attempting any work today. With Sophia’s threats at the forefront of my mind, I didn’t have the mental capacity to handle much else. If I wasn’t needed here to do this conference,
Liam’s POV “Be serious, Sophia.” “You think I’m not serious?” Her voice carried a harsh edge, but even that, I’d heard before. She was ever the kind who cried wolf, but never actually meant it. “Just put your clothes back on and take a nap,” I said. “Maybe eat something.” “I’m not a child, L
Liam’s POV The next morning, as I walked into the office, I carried with me a confusing mixture of different feelings. It was nice to be on good terms with Sophia and William, though I still felt like they both were hiding things from me. Sophia seemed determined to act like everything was fine, a
So much pain. I pulled Joe into a tight hug. “Me, too, honey,” I told him. “But some things just aren’t meant to be.” Joe lowered his head onto my shoulder, and mother and son, we clung to each other as we would to a life raft, if we were adrift out on the ocean. “It’s going to be okay,” I tol
Aria’s POV After Liam had gone, Isabella left Joe to play in his room while she came down to talk to me. “I know you are already thinking of moving, but before you do anything drastic, why don’t you and Joe just come to stay with me for a while?” she offered. “You’d be out of the house but still
Aria’s POV Back at home, I paced back and forth in the kitchen. Joe was out in the living room, finishing his homework with the television on. I didn’t have the heart to force him to focus, not when I wanted to make certain he wouldn’t overhear this conversation. Isabella sat on one of the kitch
“All this time, he has been lying to you,” she said. She walked toward me the way a cat would towards its prey. When she was close enough, she held out the letter for me. “What’s this?” I asked. “Proof,” Sophia said, without any clarification. Reaching up, I accepted the letter and then opened
Aria’s POV After pushing the doorbell for the third time, I knocked on the door to Sophia’s house instead. “Mom…” Joe sounded nervous. Maybe we should leave. I could call the police and have them do a wellness check rather than have us out here, possibly endangering ourselves. Turning to Joe,