Part 1The Promise

Liam Sterling was in love with my roommate.

He brought her to the tense family dinner, ready to confront our parents and publicly detonate the pact they’d made for us when we were kids.

He pointed at me, his voice ringing with disdain as he addressed both sets of parents.

"I have never, not for one second, loved her. The thought of marrying Chloe makes me sick."

That was the last day I ever loved Liam Sterling.

Later, when another guy finally asked me out, Liam did everything in his power to stop it.

He stood there, holding the crayon-scribbled "marriage contract" he’d written for me when we were seven.

"You promised," he said, his voice cracking. "You pinky-promised you would only ever marry me."

*

* * *

I arrived just as the shouting started.

Stomping the snow from my boots on the welcome mat, I reached for the door.

"I already told you," a cold voice snapped from inside, "I never agreed to that ridiculous arrangement."

Liam. The sound of his voice stopped my hand in mid-air.

"It was an agreement between our families, made when you were children! Are you trying to humiliate Chloe’s parents by bringing this girl here?"

Through the crack in the door, I saw Liam squaring off with his father. My own parents sat silently on the couch, their faces tight with tension.

"This is my girlfriend," Liam announced, grabbing my roommate Tessa’s hand and pulling her forward.

Liam’s dad turned beet red. "You are marrying Chloe, and that is final! You don't have a choice!"

My hand trembled, and I accidentally pushed the door open. Every head in the room swiveled towards me.

Liam's eyes, cold as ice, locked onto mine. He pointed at me, but his words were for his parents. They were loud and clear, a declaration of war.

"I have never, not for one second, loved her. The thought of marrying Chloe makes me sick."

Without waiting for a response, he grabbed Tessa’s hand and stormed out. His gaze swept over me as if I were a piece of furniture. Behind me, Liam’s parents were stumbling over apologies while my own dad looked like he was about to chase Liam down and punch him.

But I just stared at their retreating backs.

Liam and I had grown up in each other’s pockets. For all those years, he’d never denied our "arrangement." When people teased us about it, he’d just smile.

I thought he loved me back.