Chapter Two

Chapter Two:

Liana

I stood frozen at the kitchen counter, my fingers clenching around the chipped mug of lukewarm coffee in my hands. The faint steam curled upward like the last remnants of something I couldn’t quite grasp. The mug felt heavy—too heavy, almost like it was full of everything I couldn’t carry anymore. My heart pounded in my chest, the weight of exhaustion and fear pressing down on me from all sides.

The last few weeks had drained me more than I ever thought possible, but it was the kind of fatigue that ran deeper than mere physical wear. It was the kind of tiredness that settled into your bones, making it feel like every breath was a fight. I barely had time to catch my breath, much less deal with everything else. But tonight, I knew there was no escaping it.

Emma was asleep in her room, a small, fragile figure under the thin, secondhand blanket I could barely afford. She deserved so much more than this—more than this crumbling apartment, more than the uncertainty that surrounded us—but I couldn’t give her any of that. Not yet.

I stared down into the cup, the cold liquid reminding me that even small comforts had slipped away. When the doorbell rang, it startled me. My heartbeat thudded in my ears, and for a split second, I considered not answering. Who could it be at this hour? A creditor? Someone from the diner?

I wiped my hands on my jeans and took a steadying breath. The last thing I needed right now was someone making things worse. But when I opened the door, it wasn’t a stranger. It was Audrey.

Audrey. My best friend from college. Emma's godmother. The one person I thought I could count on. The last person I expected to see standing in front of me now, so late, with a look on her face that instantly sent my nerves spiraling.

"Liana!" she said, her voice thick with relief. Before I could process what was happening, she pulled me into a tight hug. I froze for a second, unsure of how to react, then I hugged her back, feeling the heat of her body seep into mine. I hadn't realized how much I needed this comfort until it was offered.

"I didn’t know if you’d still be up," she murmured, pulling back and studying me with concern. "I’ve been trying to reach you for days. Why haven’t you been answering your phone?"

I hesitated. How could I tell her the truth? How could I explain that I was drowning in exhaustion, that I didn’t even have the energy to keep up with the calls from people who only wanted something from me?

"I’ve just been... caught up," I said, trying to brush it off. "Work. Emma. You know how it is."

But Audrey didn’t buy it. She stepped inside, her eyes never leaving mine as she took in my appearance. The bags under my eyes, the weariness that clung to me like a second skin. She reached for my arm, her touch soft but firm.

"You look exhausted," she said gently. "Are you sure you’re okay?"

I offered her a tight smile, but it didn’t reach my eyes. "Same as always," I said, trying to make light of it. "Just trying to make it through the day. But what’s going on? What brings you here at this hour?"

Audrey hesitated, her gaze shifting, like she was weighing something in her mind. When she spoke again, her voice was quieter, more serious. "Liana... you’re not going to like this, but... Damian’s back."

Damian. The name hit me like a slap, the sound of it reverberating in my chest. Damian. The man who had left me behind without a word, without a reason. The man who abandoned me and Emma, just like that. A dark, cold knot formed in my stomach, and my mouth went dry.

"What does he want?" I demanded, my voice coming out harsher than I intended. I couldn’t help it. I hated him. Hated the way he had walked out without a single word of explanation.

Audrey took a deep breath, looking away for a moment. When she met my eyes again, the unease in her expression made my skin crawl. "He wants Emma."

The world seemed to stop. My breath caught in my throat, my heart slamming against my ribs. "What?" I asked, the word a ragged whisper, too soft to carry the weight of what I felt. "He wants what?"

"Calm down," Audrey said quickly, holding her hands out in a placating gesture. "Just listen to him. Okay? Hear him out first. Maybe you’ll understand once you do."

I shook my head, disbelief and anger boiling up inside me. "Understand? He walked out on us—on me—without a word. No explanation. No apology. He doesn’t get to come back now and just take her."

Audrey’s face softened, her eyes full of pity and something else that I couldn’t quite place. She stepped closer, her hand touching my arm, but I jerked away, my frustration bubbling over.

"Please, Liana," she said, her voice low. "Just listen to him. He’s been trying to make things right."

"Make things right?" I laughed bitterly, the sound hollow. "After everything he did to me? After all the promises he shattered? You honestly believe that? You—"

I stopped short when I heard the unmistakable sound of footsteps behind me, and then the air around me turned cold. I didn’t need to turn around to know who it was. The same man who had haunted my every thought for years. Damian.

"See? I told you she wouldn’t listen," he muttered, his voice a low growl. His presence filled the room like a storm cloud, dark and oppressive.

I couldn’t hold back anymore. I spun around to face him, my fists clenched, every nerve in my body screaming with rage. "What the hell do you think you’re doing here?" I demanded, my voice cracking with fury. "You don't just get to come back and—"

"I want my daughter back," Damian said, cutting me off with a cold, emotionless tone. His eyes were ice, his face a mask of control. There was no warmth in his gaze, nothing that resembled the man I once knew. Just a hard, unyielding demand.

I recoiled, my breath catching in my throat. "That’s not possible," I snapped, my voice shaking, the words a mix of disbelief and anger. "You don't get to waltz back into our lives after abandoning us and just take her. You don’t get to make demands."

"I’m her father," Damian said, his voice rising with frustration as he took a step closer. "And I have rights."

"Not after what you did!" I shouted, my hands trembling with fury. "You don’t get to just walk in here and claim rights you gave up years ago. She’s mine now. She’s been mine since the day you left us."

Audrey stepped between us, her hands pressing gently against Damian’s chest in an attempt to calm him. "Liana, please," she whispered, her eyes wide with something I couldn’t name. "Just hear him out. You may not like what he has to say, but you need to listen."

"I don't have to do anything, Audrey," I snapped, my voice seething with anger. "I definitely don't have to listen to him. I thought we were on the same team. I thought you had my back."

"I do, I do," she stammered, her voice breaking.

Damian Interrupted,"She is my wife, Liana."

My stomach dropped. I turned to Audrey, confusion and betrayal clawing at my chest. "So you married him?" I spat. "You lied to me? All this time you’ve been lying to me? How could you? How could you do this to me?"

Her face drained of color, and for a brief moment, I saw something flicker in her eyes—guilt? Shame? But before she could answer, Damian gave her a look, and she lowered her gaze, nodding.

"Yes," Audrey whispered, her voice barely audible. "I’m sorry, Liana. We’re married."

The world seemed to shatter around me. My heart clenched in my chest, and my vision blurred as I struggled to keep my balance. Audrey... My best friend. My closest ally. Married to him. The man who had torn my life apart.

"I can’t believe you would do this," I whispered, my voice cracking. "How shameless of you..."

"Enough with the insults!" Audrey screamed, her voice breaking. "Is it my fault that he left you? Maybe you didn’t deserve him after all."

Damian’s lips twisted into a cruel smile, one that felt like a slap in the face. "I told you she wouldn’t listen," he said, turning on his heel and walking toward the door, his footsteps heavy.

I stood rooted to the spot, my breath coming in shallow gasps, the rage and betrayal threatening to consume me. Before Audrey left, she hesitated, casting one last glance back at me. "Get a life, Liana," she muttered before following Damian out the door.

The door clicked shut behind them, and I stood there, motionless, as the silence wrapped around me like a suffocating blanket. My body was still, but my mind was screaming.

A sudden ring of my phone broke the stillness, and my hand shook as I picked it up. I barely registered the voice on the other end, the words a blur as I forced out a response.

"No, you can’t do that," I said, my voice shaking.

Then, Emma’s small voice called from her bedroom. "Mom? What’s wrong?"

I felt my chest tighten, my heart breaking all over again. I wiped away the sudden rush of tears, forcing a smile that I knew Emma couldn’t see. "Nothing, sweetheart," I whispered. "Go back to sleep."

But as I sank onto the couch, the phone still pressed to my ear, I couldn’t stop the sobs that racked my body. This wasn’t over. It was just beginning.