Chapter 20 #2
“That was my pretext for getting to know you. To see if we could be allies. I swear I had no idea I was after the same thing as you.”
And again, I believe him. The soup churns in my stomach. That part got orchestrated by Corm. Who, in retrospect, was protecting his interests. At my expense.
Everyone was acting at my expense.
“All my sleepless nights and stressful, long working hours were so you could get your revenge? Fuck.” I drop the spoon.
“I’m sorry.”
The apology is laced with so much sincere regret, I want to take him into my arms. I want us to get lost in each other. Find each other instead of facing what is dividing us.
But that’s not who we are. Lust blooms between us. But nothing else is allowed. I don’t allow it.
“You couldn’t have known Corm’s distrust would lead to our competition, but since then… you had countless opportunities to come clean.”
“I’m sorry,” he repeats.
“I don’t want your sorry, Liam. Your sorry won’t replace what you cost me. You know why I’m able to work at Merged? Why I’m the estranged daughter? I would have been married off to one of Father’s associates, but I played poker with him and won.”
He frowns, probably thinking I lost my mind.
“Yes, that’s my family dynamic. My father found me a husband, and I dared him to a game of poker. He’s cocky enough to assume I didn’t know how to play. Well, the nights when you’re a prisoner in your own home are long. I learned.
“I played for three years of freedom, and his promise to leave Tee alone until she is eighteen. I wanted to make enough money to take her out of there and cut the ties, which might mean disappearing for good.”
“Fuck.”
I must agree with his summation.
“Yeah, so thank you for your explanation, but I’m no good to you because my father can barely stand me, let alone share his secrets with me.”
“You’re very good at sifting through data. You might be able to find out.” He flinches and shakes his head. “Sorry, that’s not—”
“Are you for real?” I shake my head, but the movement makes the room sway again. I really need to rest. “Why would I want to help you?”
“Trust me, Roxy—”
“I don’t trust you, Liam. I barely understand your motivation. Your father did something ten years ago? Fucking grow up and move on.” I stand up, bracing myself against the table. “The joke is on you. You bet on the wrong horse, but you still used me.”
“I’m sorry about that.” He hangs his head.
“Fuck you, Liam. I’m jobless. And I need to protect my sister, because if you don’t marry her, he will find someone else. So as it stands now, I might need to go back there to protect her. To marry to give her more time. You saying you’re sorry won’t fix that.”
He lets out a groan or a whimper, a sound infused with pain. “I fucking miscalculated.”
I sit back down, my legs giving in to my fatigue. “Should I feel sorry for you?”
He shakes his head. “Have you never wished to get back at your father?”
The question isn’t sharp or strategic. It’s tired.
It breaks something inside me. Until now, he’s been controlled, precise, intentional in every move. But this sounds older than the argument.
I don’t know what his father did. I don’t know the shape of the damage. I only know it left a mark deep enough to build a life around.
This beautiful, complicated man has been steered by revenge.
I grew up in a golden cage—ornate, suffocating, locked from the outside. Every rule chosen for me. Every future drafted in ink that wasn’t mine. I spent years dreaming of air. Of escape. Of freedom.
My prison was handed to me.
Liam’s? He built it himself. And he doesn’t seem to realize how carefully he’s sealed the door.
The anger in me doesn’t disappear. It can’t. He lied. He used us. He used me.
But beneath it, something quieter rises. Grief. Not for what he’s done.
For what he’s carrying.
“No,” I whisper, my voice thinner than I expect. “I never wanted to get back at him.” I hold his gaze even though it hurts. “The only thing I ever wanted was to be free.”
He closes his eyes.
I swallow around the lump in my throat. How can I be furious with the man and feel sorry for him at the same time?
It’s like, without me realizing it, I became attracted to more than his body. The thought shakes me to the core.
Instead of throwing him out to deal with the onslaught of emotions, I add, “A thirst for revenge would only keep me connected to him. I don’t want to give him so much power.”
Liam’s eyes widen for a brief moment, as if the concept surprises him. I can’t imagine how consuming his hatred must be since he’s harbored it for a decade.
“What can I do?” He sighs. It’s a heavy sigh, filled with pain, regret, desperation.
I ignore the hurt it elicits in my chest.
“You don’t know who you’re toying with. Stay away from the Locks.” I stand up and walk to the door. “All of us,” I say, before I open the door.
Suddenly, he’s beside me. He pushes the door shut with his palm. With his other hand, he nudges my chin up. Our eyes meet in a gaze ridden with pain and betrayal.
“I don’t think I can do that, Thunder.”
I shake my head. “Seek your revenge elsewhere, Liam.”
“What can I do? I’m so fucking sorry, Roxy. Give me a chance. Let me prove to you that you can trust me.”
I shake my head. “That ship has sailed. But if you’re set on proving your worth, there is something you can help me with.”
It’s the worst idea ever, but it’s a low-hanging fruit at the moment.
“Anything,” he rasps, his gaze penetrating my soul.
The hope in his eyes is heartbreaking, but my heart hasn’t been whole in a long time.
“Marry me,” I say.
He blinks a few times. “Pardon?”
“You heard me. I need to save Tee, and the easiest way is to give my father what he’s after.”
He steps back, flexing his fingers. “That’s ridiculous. You don’t want to play your father’s game.”
He’s right. It is a ridiculous plan.
Still… a part of me is disappointed he didn’t accept immediately.
It’s not a genuine marriage I’m proposing, but his rejection stings. It feels more real than it should.
God, I really need to sleep, because my emotions are disorienting.
“I have little choice, Liam,” I argue.
“You don’t want to marry me,” he almost accuses.
Again, his voice shakes with hurt, but I don’t let that distract me.
My father would sell my sister off, but my union with a Stone would put that off long enough to come up with our escape plan.
“Of course I don’t want to marry you, but better me than my sister.”
His gaze shows so much confusion, pain, and regret, I need to look away. His scent keeps me a prisoner, so familiar and welcoming. I wish I could curl into his arms and forget this fucked-up situation.
But I don’t have that luxury, so I step away.
The room spins violently, making my stomach revolt. I barely make it to the sink before the delicious soup finds its way out.
Liam’s hand is on my forehead, supporting it while his other one soothes my back.
When I finally stop dry-heaving, my stomach completely empty, I lean into his comfort.
But everything blurs, and the floor tilts. I sag into his arms, and he scoops me up bridal-style.
“Fuck, Thunder, I’m taking you to the hospital.”