Part 2The Runaway Bride's Awakening

Liam didn't get home until midnight.

Taking off his coat, he walked over to the bed and found me lying there, completely soaked, burning with a fever.

"Baby, when did you go out? Your fever is so high!"

I was shivering violently from the cold.

My jaw was clamped shut.

I couldn't make a single sound.

It was an acute stress reaction triggered by the shock of betrayal and deception.

Liam was terrified:

"Chloe, stop biting your lip so hard, it's bleeding."

Without hesitation, he shoved his index finger into my mouth, his face a mask of pure terror and concern.

The memory violently dragged me back to that year.

My parents, prioritizing Mia, had abandoned me in the mountains.

I fell off a cliff and almost lost my life.

Liam braved a torrential storm, kneeling and bowing every three steps, crawling all the way up a holy mountain just to pray for my recovery.

Seeing his forehead covered in bloody gashes, his knees scraped raw, and his severe limp...

I let go of the resentment I held toward my parents and Mia, and agreed to be with him.

But tonight, I heard Liam tell his friends:

"Back then, I crawled up that mountain step by step to show God my absolute sincerity, begging Him to heal Mia's heart condition.

"Chloe just got lucky and survived her fall."

I used every ounce of strength I possessed to viciously bite down on Liam's long, slender finger.

The thick, metallic taste of blood instantly filled my mouth.

Liam didn't pull away.

He acted as if he couldn't feel the pain, looking at me with frantic anxiety:

"Chloe, bite harder. Just please don't hurt yourself. I'd gladly lose a finger for you."

I still let go.

His blood was too filthy.