Part 2After the Happy Ending

“What’s up? Lost in thought?”

Liam emerged from the bathroom, rubbing a towel through his wet hair, his voice laced with casual curiosity.

I snapped back to reality.

I looked up at him. He was wearing nothing but a towel slung low on his hips. Broad shoulders, a narrow waist, a chiseled eight-pack. Liam had always kept himself in impeccable shape.

I remembered a friend once envying me. “Just look at him,” she’d said. “As long as he’s not a murderer, what’s there not to forgive? Especially when he’s so devoted to you!”

I had believed it, too. I had believed Liam was devoted to me.

But now, it seemed that was just a story I’d been telling myself.

“Oh, someone called for you just now,” I said, my voice even. “Didn’t say a word and then hung up. You might want to check it.”

“Probably a spam call. Don’t worry about it.”

He took the phone from me, his expression unruffled. He tossed the damp towel into the laundry hamper and picked up his pack of cigarettes from the table.

“I’m gonna have a smoke on the balcony.”

He always smoked on the balcony because he knew I hated the smell.

Only now did I realize it wasn't just about the smoke.

A few minutes later, Liam came back inside, pulling on a fresh shirt.

“Honey, I have to run out,” he said, all business. “Something urgent came up. Don’t wait up for me tonight.”

“What’s wrong?”

“The system at the Harrison Group is acting up. I don’t know what their deal is. It was working perfectly during the tests, but now they’re saying it’s all glitches and crashes. I’ve gotta head over there. If it’s late, I’ll just crash at a hotel nearby.”

“Is Ethan going with you?”

“Yep!”

It sounded so convincing.

Facts, details, even a witness.

I simply nodded.

“Drive safe.”