Chapter 21 #2
I walked up the stairs that were an obstacle a minute ago, because as much as I wanted to sit in that rain and waste away, I needed to cry and what is better than a shower cry?
I wasn’t sure if I was grieving my relationship with Liam or if I was grieving the person I thought I was before Liam.
I turn on the shower and sit there, staring at the scar that’s still forming.
It feels fitting somehow, the blood, the bruising, the pain that make up my life right now.
And one day, when all of this fades, there will be a scar left behind.
Not as a reminder of what broke me, but of what I survived.
I sat there and let the water wash the day off me, crying a year’s worth of tears.
They weren't for Liam, because he wasn’t worthy of them…
they were for the person I used to be. The version of myself I lost because of him.
For the way I let him strip me of my confidence, my self-assurance, my sense of worth.
That loss was incomprehensible.
So I cried, not for him, but for the loss of myself.
A knock on the door breaks my chain of thought.
“Go away… not now,” I sniffle, pressing my face into the shower wall.
“I just wanted to check on you, and let you know I need to head out” Oliver’s voice says softly.
“I’m fine, Oliver,” I manage between shaky breaths, my words barely audible through the sobs. “Please… just leave for now. I’ll be out shortly.”
I hear the door close and the tears come harder. I have nobody who will understand this pain.
I hear the shower curtain rustle open, and Noah steps in, fully clothed. Before I can react, he’s there, holding me as I crumble to the floor, a puddle of tears and exhaustion.
“I’ve got you, Isabel. I’ve always got you,” he whispers into my ear, his voice steady against the chaos inside me.
I cry there on the shower floor until the water runs cold, letting everything spill out… the heartbreak, the rage, the fear. When I finally quiet, Noah turns off the water, wraps me in my robe, and lifts me from the floor.
He carries me to my bed, lays me down gently, and crawls in behind me, wrapping his arms tight around my trembling body. I can feel the warmth and steadiness of him anchoring me, and for the first time all day, I let myself feel a little safe.
A sudden knock at the front door jerks me out of my thoughts.
“Did you order food or something?” I ask, still sniffling, tears streaking my cheeks.
“Nope, but I can,” Noah replies, glancing toward the door. “But let me see who it is… because clearly, they’re not going to just go away.”
The knocking escalates into pounding, sharp and impatient.
I wrap my hair in a towel and pull on sweats and a crop top. It exposes my incision, but it doesn’t bother me anymore, after everything, this is the new me. I need to get used to it.
As I step into the living room, I freeze. I had no idea I was walking straight into the middle of a testosterone-fueled war.
“Noah, you have no room to talk! Look at Sydney and Isabel! You played them both!” Liam screams, his anger filling the room like electricity.
“Yeah, but you were there to tell them both, and yet you didn’t?
!” Noah’s voice shakes with fury and grief.
“And I owned up to my shit! I apologized to both of them! I didn’t project my bullshit onto her or blame her for knocking up another girl!
She almost died, Liam! Where the hell were you?
Nowhere! Out here doing… whatever the hell you were doing because, God forbid, you have a little conflict in your life!
You ghosted her when she needed you! I was there, every single minute!
And do you know what she did when she woke up? She asked for …. you!”
Noah’s voice cracks, the heartbreak so raw it’s almost unbearable.
Liam’s head snaps up, eyes wild, pupils blown, jaw tight.
His hands clench into fists, shaking almost violently.
“But I’m here now!” he roars, voice low, dangerous, unhinged.
“I am here! And no one, no one, will take her from me! She’s mine!
She’s always been mine, and I don’t care what anyone else thinks! ”
“You’re too late, Liam,” Olivia says, her voice cold and sharp as steel, stepping in front of Isabel like a living barrier.
Liam stood frozen as Olivia’s words sank in like a slap to the face. The sound echoed, sharp and final.
I stay silent. I know if I spoke… if I asked the questions burning in my chest… I wouldn’t get a straight answer anyway. None of them even realize I’m in the room.
I catch Brad’s eye across the living room and press a finger to my lips. He stills instantly.
I can fight my own battles, but right now, I want to hear what they say when they think I’m not listening. So I step back into the hallway, leaning against the wall, letting the truth come out without my interference.
“You’re right…it’s not fair to her,” Liam says, his voice low and almost obsessive, eyes darting like he’s trying to convince himself as much as anyone else.
“But she knew I wanted a family. If she still wants me… if she really still wants me… we can all be a family. All of us together. It could work. We could make it work.”
Olivia freezes for a moment, then snaps. “So let me get this straight… you’re saying that because she doesn’t want kids right now, it’s okay for you to… what? Force her into this? And another woman’s child, Liam? You really think that’s fair? Where does Jessica even fit into your delusion?”
Liam tilts his head, almost smiling, like he’s solving some brilliant puzzle only he can see. “Jessica… she’s going to be involved,” he says, eyes wide, voice calm but cold. “She’s the one who’s pregnant. She has to be there. It’s… necessary. For the family. For us.”
There’s a flicker of something manic in his expression – a pulse of danger. The way he talks, like this is inevitable, like it’s already decided, makes my skin crawl. He’s not reasoning, he’s scheming, obsessive, convinced the world should bend to his desire.