Chapter 12
Olivia calls the next morning.
“Livy, I’ll be home today.”
“What do I do, Bella?” she sobs, her voice breaking in my ear.
“You scream. You cry. You throw things if you have to,” I say gently. “You feel it. All of it. And I will be there soon, I promise.”
She sniffles, trying to catch her breath.
“Livy, you are going to survive this. I know it hurts. I know it feels like you can’t breathe right now. But you, my beautiful girl, you are stronger than this, even if you don’t feel like it yet.”
“Bella,” she whispers, barely holding it together. “I need you.”
“I know,” I say without hesitation. “I’m coming.”
I walk upstairs and start getting dressed and packing my clothes.
Liam hears me moving and stirs awake.
“What are you doing?” he asks groggily. “It’s only seven a.m. Bella, come back to bed-you barely slept,” he says, and the absence of remorse in his voice makes my stomach turn.
“I wasn’t kidding, Liam. I’m going home.” I keep packing, not even looking at him. “Get dressed. Get your shit together. I need to leave. Now.”
“Bella, I’m sorry-” he starts.
“For once, this has nothing to do with you,” I snapped, finally turning to face him. “And honestly? I’m exhausted from people apologizing after treating me like shit. My best friend needs me, and I’m going home. That’s it.”
I zip my bag and sling it over my shoulder.
“If you won’t take me,” I add coldly, “I’ll find a ride.”
Liam jumps out of bed, panic flashing across his face.
“Wait, Bella, you’re not serious. Come on, just… please,” he pleads, grabbing the edge of the bed. His voice is desperate now, but it’s too little, too late.
“I am serious,” I say, firm. “I need to go. My friends need me, and I am done waiting around for you to act like a decent human being.”
He runs to the closet, yanking clothes out and throwing them on haphazardly. “I…fine, okay! I’ll take you. Just please don’t go alone. Don’t leave me,” he says, his words tripping over themselves in a way that’s almost laughable if the situation weren’t so infuriating.
I glance at him, a mixture of anger and disbelief swirling inside me. “You can’t just apologize and expect me to forget everything, Liam. This isn’t about what you want-it’s about what I need.”
By the time he’s dressed, I’m already in the car, engine running, hands gripping the wheel. Liam climbs in, silent for a moment, then murmurs, “I..look, I’ll do better. I promise. I didn’t realize how much I was messing up. I don’t… I don’t want to lose you.”
The first few minutes were silent, but you could see that his thoughts are running a million miles a minute.
“Say it, Liam,” I said annoyed he just hasn’t said what he’s keeping in.
“Say what?” He asks, playing dumb.
“Whatever you want to say right now. You look like you’re about to burst”.
“I didn’t mean it,” he repeats, fidgeting with the edge of his sleeve. “I didn’t think it would upset you that much. I was… stressed. It just got out of hand.”
“Out of hand?” I snapped “Liam, you lied to me. You manipulated situations, expected me to act normal around people who hurt me, and then got mad when I actually stood up for myself. That’s not ‘stressed,’ that’s shitty behavior.”
He swallows hard, voice dropping to a pleading whisper. “I know, I know… I just… I didn’t realize how much it would hurt you. I was trying to… protect you. I wanted you to have the good parts without the drama.”
“The good parts?” I laugh bitterly, eyes on the road. “You mean keeping me in the dark while your ex and my ex swirl around each other in our life? That’s not protection, Liam. That’s selfishness.”
He reaches over, hesitating to touch my arm. “Bella, please. I’ll do anything to fix this. I… I can’t lose you. I love you. I never wanted to make you feel like this. I’ll make it right, I swear.”
I pull my arm back, finally looking at him. “Liam, you don’t get to just apologize and erase this. You want to fix it? You earn it. You don’t get to control my life or my feelings anymore. You want me to trust you? You start by being honest. No more lies. No more games.”
He nods rapidly, swallowing again, as if finally realizing he’s not in control. The silence that follows is tense, but this time, it’s mine.
“And you want a baby with me, and want me to move in but you can’t even have an adult conversation with me about things. Do you see why I’m a bit hesitant?” instantly regretting the words that just came out.
“Back to the baby, I see” Liam snapped “ I shouldn’t have to apologize for wanting to settle down with you”.
“Liam, it’s been 2 months. How do you even know if you want to settle down with me? You literally said that we were just having fun at the beginning and now you want to have a family with me. Just seems like a big jump for 6 weeks”.
“Well, apparently a lot can happen in 6 weeks because you go from not speaking to Noah to answering his calls at 3 am” he snaps.
I am completely taken off guard by his comment. I am fuming at this point.
I slam my hand on the dashboard, making him flinch. “Are you kidding me, Liam? You’re deflecting. You’re blaming me for answering a call about my best friend in crisis, in the middle of a hurricane, and somehow that makes me the problem?!”
His jaw tightens, eyes flashing, but he’s trying to keep the upper hand. “I just… I didn’t want you to be stressed. I wanted this weekend to be perfect, and instead you’re worrying about Brad and Olivia. You’re not thinking about us.”
“Us?” I shout, my voice shaking with anger. “Us? Do you even hear yourself? ‘Us’ doesn’t mean you manipulate me, keep secrets, and then yell at me for doing the right thing! You act like everything revolves around your feelings, Liam. Newsflash: it doesn’t!”
He swallows hard, his voice dropping to a groveling whisper. “Bella… I just… I love you. I didn’t mean to… I was just trying to protect this… protect us…”
I stare at him, my chest heaving, fury and hurt swirling together. “Protect us? By controlling me and my life? You don’t get to decide that for me. I love you, yes-but if this is how it’s going to be, I can’t. I won’t let you do this to me.”
He goes silent, the weight of my words finally hitting him. His hands clench into fists, then fall limply to his sides.
“What I do know is I’m done lying to your family. You will tell them or I will.”
“Are you threatening me?” he snarls at me.
“No,” I say calmly, which somehow feels louder than yelling. “I’m telling you my boundary.”
His jaw tightens. “You’re really going to blow everything up like that? My family doesn’t need to know our business.”
“Our business?” I laugh bitterly. “You made it their business the moment you asked me to sit at a table with my ex and pretend I was no one. You don’t get to decide when I exist and when I don’t.”
He exhales sharply, running a hand through his hair. “You’re being dramatic. You know that, right? This could have all stayed peaceful if you hadn’t answered that call.”
I shake my head, disbelief washing over me. “There it is. You’re still blaming me. Liam, I’m not hiding anymore. I’m not lying to protect your comfort while I choke on mine.”
He softens then… too fast, too practiced. “Bella… please. I just need more time. I was going to tell them. I just didn’t want it to be like this.”
“It’s already like this,” I say quietly. “And if you can’t tell your family the truth about me, then you don’t get access to me. That’s not a threat. That’s self-respect.”
The car is silent after that. No excuses. No apologies. Just the sound of the road beneath us and the realization settling in his chest that for the first time, he’s not in control.
And I don’t take it back.
“Okay, I will tell my mom,” he whispers.