Chapter 23 Sabrina
SAbrINA
I shifted against the mattress the next morning, my eyes slowly fluttering open.
I stared up at the ceiling and took in a few deep breaths.
Thankfully, my sharp headache from last night had dissipated into a dull ache.
My body no longer felt like I was stuck in quicksand.
It just felt heavy. My immune system seemed to have conquered whatever bug had invaded last night.
I tipped my head to the right to find that side of the bed was empty. I frowned. I could have sworn Liam had lain with me last night…or maybe that had been a dream.
I blinked and turned my head to the left. Samuel was still passed out in his bassinet, which I was grateful for. I needed a few extra minutes to fully wake up.
I relaxed my head back into the pillow as I focused on the ceiling once more. Last night’s events rolled through my mind. The gala. Samuel’s poop-splosion, Liam coming into the bathroom with me, and then seeing him with Katie.
My stomach sank at that memory. It wasn’t the fact that he was close to Katie—she was his daughter’s mother.
Of course they had a history. What affected me the most was seeing him wrap his arms around her.
The look of pure love and contentment that passed over her face as she held onto him like she was never going to let him go.
It broke my heart in more ways than one.
I originally had every intention of sticking the gala out. I was determined to be the dedicated assistant that I’d promised Liam I would be. But after the hug, nausea hit me out of nowhere, and I allowed myself to go back to the hotel.
He had Katie. She would take care of him. I needed to get home and get to bed.
I’d never expected to wake up to a live performance of one of Drifter’s songs, and I would have never guessed in a million years that Liam was Drifter.
Looking back with 20/20 vision, I should have picked up on that.
The inflections in his voice were now so obvious.
The way his tone changed based on his mood.
I was never going to be able to un-hear Liam’s voice when I listened to Drifter’s songs, and I wasn’t quite sure whether that was a good thing or not.
I reached out with my right hand and felt around the bed. I knew he wasn’t there, but I was desperate to confirm that last night had been real. Did he sleep next to me? Or was I so delusional that I’d hallucinated him pulling me close.
I pulled my hand back and pinched the bridge of my nose. No matter what happened last night, reality this morning was as stark as the noonday sun. Liam may have lay with me last night, but he wasn’t here now. And that meant something—even if I didn’t want it to mean what I feared it did.
I slowly blew out my breath and pulled my blankets back. If I was going to get ready without interruptions, I needed to get moving. It was only a matter of time before Samuel woke up.
I was showered and dressed in twenty minutes flat. Samuel was still passed out when I ran a brush through my damp hair and flipped off the bathroom light. Grateful for more time to myself, I headed out into the living room, half expecting to see Liam sleeping on the couch.
But he wasn’t there.
I frowned as I scanned the suite. Where was he?
I walked over to the window and peered down at the street below. Did he go to get breakfast? Was there a rehearsal I didn’t know about?
I pulled my phone from my back pocket and swiped it on.
There were no texts from Bonnie or Liam.
The band was packing up and heading to Seattle today, but that wasn’t until the afternoon.
He should be here in the hotel room based on his schedule.
I shoved my phone back into my pocket and glanced around once more.
Where did he go?
After ten minutes with no answers, I pulled my phone back out and found our text chain.
I didn’t want to seem nosy. He was a grown man.
He didn’t have to tell his assistant where he was going.
But I was worried. Our first night here, he’d come back with a bloodied face.
The only thing racing through my mind right then was an image of him lying dead in a ditch somewhere.
I needed to at least know he was okay.
Just checking in. Do you need me to pack your things before our flight today?
That was good. No pressure and definitely what an assistant would ask.
I set my phone down on the side table next to the couch.
If I continued to babysit my phone, I was going to drive myself nuts.
Needing a distraction, I started walking around the hotel room in search of Liam’s belongings.
I assumed that his answer to my question would be yes, so I was going to get a jump start on it.
When I found nothing, I frowned. I was standing in the middle of the living room, slowly turning in a circle with the hope that I’d somehow overlooked his things. Had he packed already?
Was he…gone?
My heart began to pound as I shook my head.
Of course he wasn’t gone. Why would he leave without me?
I was his assistant. Things had been fine last night.
Besides me discovering his secret, we were good.
He was good. There’d been no indication that he was unhappy with my performance or that he was going to just up and leave.
No. He had to be out with the band. Or Katie. Or…Bonnie!
I walked over and grabbed my phone. The last person I wanted to talk to was Katie. I could only imagine her judgment of me if I had to admit that I lost Liam. I didn’t have a single band member’s number. So the only person I could call who would know where Liam had gone was Bonnie.
I located her number and pressed on it. Five rings and she picked up.
“Hello?”
“Bonnie? It’s me, Sabrina.”
She paused. “Oh, hey, Sabrina. I was just about to call you.”
My heart was racing. Bonnie didn’t sound panicked, which I wasn’t sure how to take. Either she was just cool under pressure, or Liam was not dead in a ditch and there was a perfectly rational explanation for his sudden disappearance.
“You were?” I managed out. My head was dizzy, so I sat down on the couch.
“Yes, ma’am.”
I frowned. “Have you seen Liam? ’Cause, he’s not here.” I smoothed down the plaid wide-legged pants I’d bought with Liam and Katie at the mall.
“That’s what I’ve been tasked to talk to you about. Mr. Carmichael—Liam—won’t be needing your services anymore.”
My entire body froze as her words washed over me. I blinked once, twice, three times as I tried to digest what she was saying. My lips were parted, and I wanted to speak, but no words could come out.
“He thanks you for your hard work and will compensate you for your time, but he no longer needs an assistant.”
I swallowed, my throat feeling scratchy and dry. “Where”—I cleared my throat—“where is he?” So many emotions were now coursing through my body, and it was taking all of my strength to suppress them.
Bonnie cleared her throat. “We’re on our way to Seattle right now. I’m emailing you the flight itinerary for you and Samuel to return to Harmony.”
My phone dinged.
“Let me know if you need anything else. On behalf of Fading Atlas, we thank you for your hard work.”
I started to ask another question, but there was a beep, and when I pulled the phone from my cheek, I saw Bonnie had ended the call. I stared at my screen, my mind racing with thoughts, but I could not process a single one.
Liam was gone? I’d been…fired?
I blinked as tears started to form, but I angrily pushed them down. The last thing I wanted to do was cry over that man. Especially when he didn’t even have the courage to fire me himself. Instead, he had his manger do it? I fisted my hands as anger boiled up inside of me.
I was content in Harmony. I found a job that I enjoyed.
Samuel was stable. Sure, things were strained with Abigail, but that wasn’t going to last forever.
I was going to save enough so Samuel and I could move out on our own.
I was ready to start excelling at life. And then Liam had walked in with all his confidence and swagger.
With his talk of freedom and being who I wanted to be.
I’d been a fool to listen to him. I’d been the idiot who blew up my life to follow him. I’d put my trust in him. I’d given everything that I could give to him, and yet, it hadn’t been enough.
It was never going to be enough.
I wasn’t famous. I wasn’t beautiful. I wore box-store clothing and little makeup. I wasn’t who Katie was. I would never be like the assistants that I saw in the pictures.
I was a single mom to a little boy, and I was just trying to survive.
“No wonder he left,” I whispered under my breath.
I sobbed, pressing my hand to my mouth as I collapsed against the couch. I was so tired and beat down, that I didn’t have the strength to fight the tears anymore. I just let them flow. I allowed myself to cry over Liam Carmichael because this was going to be the last time I would mourn that man.
As soon as the tears dried up, I was going to stand, pull myself together, and get back to Harmony. I was going to crawl back to Abigail, apologize, and focus on creating a stable life for Samuel and me.
I’d had my adventure, and now it was time to get serious. My son was going to be my main focus from here on out. I wasn’t going to let myself get distracted by shiny new objects.
I sniffled as I sat up. I used the heels of my hands to blot the tears that had finally subsided. Even though my heart was still breaking, I steeled myself as I stood.
After a cursory look over the travel plans Bonnie sent me, I moved into the bedroom, where Samuel had started to stir. I changed his diaper and dressed him. Then I propped him up on the bed with his bottle while I started to pack.