CHAPTER FIVE

By the time I returned to my apartment, darkness was slowly setting in. It was the kind of sunset that used to make Liam slow down the car and point at the horizon like it was a piece of art. I hadn’t seen that look in his eyes since… Well, since before everything fell apart.

The small yet bright spark that usually shone in his eyes was now missing. The playful smirk that always hung around the corner of his lips was missing.

He looked different from the man I fell for.

He looked lost.

Putting off my heels, my apartment suddenly felt smaller. The silence echoed louder than usual.

Not just smaller, I felt lonely tonight. I miss LJ, I miss my old life.

I bought this house six months ago when I decided to go through with my plan, just basic furniture and simple aesthetics.

No picture frames, just a couch, a television, and a fancy fireplace in the living room.

Stopping at the mirror in the hallway, I stared at my reflection.

Was this what reinvention looked like? Or just desperation in nicer clothes?

Was I ready for tonight?

These were the questions that kept on ringing in the back of my head.

Dinner with Liam.

My ex-husband.

He doesn’t remember me.

This will be the first time we will be meeting in a setting outside work.

Aside from the awkward drive home yesterday. All he did was type on his phone throughout the entire ride.

He barely looked up from the phone when I came down from the car.

Dropping my handbag gently on the bed, I walked towards my closet and ran my hand across the few dresses I owned.

I had gone on a little shopping spree when I applied for this job, I wanted to prepare myself for every possible situation.

The dresses were nothing extravagant, nothing close to what I was used to before I left Chicago.

My eyes fell on an emerald green mini dress with silver straps standing stylishly in my closet. It was simple yet classy.

Perfect for the occasion.

Putting it on, it fell perfectly above my knees. The green popped out my skin color and the fitted style of the dress perfectly showcased my physique and curves.

I looked towards the small box at the bottom left of my jewelry drawer which held my wedding ring. Sweat began to tickle up my skin.

“I want you to wear the best diamonds as my wife” he would say.

I missed my old life.

I missed being happy.

I missed being in love.

My phone beeped

*unknown number*

“I will be at your place in thirty minutes, Get the right documents ready”

I wiped off the drop of tear that managed to escape my eyes and decided to focus on getting ready.

I was here for the truth and not the memories.

I picked out a silver necklace that complements the V-shaped neckline of my dress, a silver clutch, and comfortable heels for the night.

——-

It was just past seven when his SUV pulled up. Sleek, black, windows tinted.

No chauffeur, just him.

He rolled down the window, expression unreadable.

“You’re punctual”

“Learned from the best,” I replied, slipping into the passenger seat.

The brown leather interior still had the familiar scent of cedar and chocolate musk faintly hanging in the air. Same as his old apartment.

The pleasant smell that lured me to sleep waiting for him on the couch to come home from work.

“You clean up well,” he said after I slipped into the passenger seat.

“Is that a compliment or an observation?” I asked.

His lips tugged into something that wasn't quite a smile. “Whichever makes you more uncomfortable.”

Charming.

We drove in silence for a while. City lights flickered on like stars trying to outshine the past.

“I’ve been trying to place it,” he said suddenly. “Your voice.”

I looked at him. “What about it?”

“It’s familiar. Like… something I forgot I knew.”

My chest tightened.

“I don’t think so.”

He nodded and looked away. The rest of the ride was enveloped in silence.

The restaurant was tucked in a private corner of the west side of Chicago. Low lights, gold accents, expensive click of heels against the shiny floor, the kind of place where secrets and signatures were exchanged over red wine and steaks cooked to perfection with soft jazz music playing in the background.

Elegant and intimate.

The client, a charming middle-aged man most likely in his mid-thirties named Adrian Kings greeted Liam with ease like an old friend or a long-term business partner.

His handshake was firm and turning to me, his stare lingered way longer than I appreciated.

“I see you've upgraded,” Adrian said smirking at Liam.

“Classy, elegant. I like this one.”

“She is efficient” he replied casually, “that's all that matters.”

The conversations started, and food came in. I stayed polite, present, and just the right amount of quiet.

Jotting down important details on my iPad and when I am not writing, I am sipping my wine.

They spoke in half-codes about deals and deadlines, and every so often, the client looked at me with that smug curiosity rich men have when they think a young woman is a new toy in the boss’s collection.

I’d read enough about the merger project to stay informed. Adrian asked a few surface-level questions, and I offered thoughtful answers.

Liam seemed almost impressed.

He watched me with the same look we had the night we danced barefoot in his office after signing our marriage license in secret.

"We would make our own rules Els," he had said, kissing my forehead. ‘We would gain their approval and the world would adapt.’

“You don’t look like a secretary,” Adrian said to me halfway through dessert.

“Good,” I replied. “I’m a personal assistant.”

Liam didn’t react. But the corner of his mouth twitched again.

“She’s efficient,” he added. “Rare.”

Rare. Like I was a museum piece.

“I try,” I said simply.

“We could probably meet up some time after work, I will love to…..”

“Adrian, why is your wife not here again?” Liam cut in, the irritation in his voice couldn't go unnoticed.

“She canceled at the last minute, some trip to Qatar,” he said, still staring at me.

I shifted uncomfortably on my seat and decided to head to the restroom.

I stood in front of the large mirror, and I felt dirty from the way Adrian looked at me.

Like some prey, like the next woman to warm his bed.

I splashed cold water on my neck and returned just as Liam’s phone buzzed.

He was now sitting alone at the table

He picked it up without looking at the screen. “Clarisse.”

I froze halfway to the table.

Clarisse is his childhood friend, current girlfriend, or fiancée, depending on which headline you believe.

“…Yes, dinner went fine.” A pause. “No, she’s just my assistant.”

Another pause.

“I don’t know what you’re fishing for, Clarisse, but I’m not biting. We agreed on business tonight and we will talk after.”

His voice lowered. “No, we’re not having this conversation again. Not now.”

He turned his head slightly and caught me watching him.

“I’ll call you later.”

He hung up and looked at me.

“Ready?”

“For what?” I asked.

“To go.”

When we returned to the car, the air was quiet.

Tense.

He opened the passenger door for me. “You were great in there.”

“Thanks,” I said softly. “You were… you.”

That pulled the faintest smirk from him. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Commanding. Cold. Polished. Everything they expect from Liam Grey.”

He nodded. “And what do you expect?”

I looked at him. “Something else.”

We sat in silence as the city rolled by outside the windows.

The thirty-minute ride ended just outside my apartment. Parked in the driveway, engine still running.

I didn’t plan to ask. But the words fell out anyway.

“Do you want to come in?” I asked, surprising even myself.

There was a beat. Two.

He opened his mouth.

And then his phone rang.

Clarisse shone boldly on the screen.

His face shifted, and the simple Liam I was experiencing disappeared in that minute. Back into the constructed mask.

“I should take this”

I nodded “Of course.”

I stepped out of the car and walked to my door without looking back.

Sad about the opportunity I just lost.

But a faint feeling of excitement began to build up knowing my Liam is still there.

Inside, I kicked off my shoes and collapsed onto the couch. Every emotion I’d buried all evening broke through the surface.

I used to know that man. That version of him that laughed during thunderstorms and made pancakes at midnight.

The vibration of my phone startled me.

*PRIVATE NUMBER*

I frowned.

Answered.

No voice.

Just static.

Then the line went dead.

A second later, a message lit up my screen:

**You’re back. You shouldn’t be.**

My stomach dropped.

A slow chill crawled up my spine.

I jumped from the couch and locked the front door again, even though I knew I had already. Then I drew the curtains, double-checked the windows.

When I turned, something caught my eye on the kitchen counter.

A white envelope.

Plain.

Unmarked.

I hadn’t seen it when I walked in.

My fingers shook as I picked it up and tore it open.

Inside was a photo.

Me.

Sitting across from Liam at the dinner table earlier tonight.

Taken from outside the restaurant window.

In thick black ink, scrawled across the bottom:

*You were warned once.*

* You won’t get a second.*

I stared at the photo, heart hammering in my chest.

Someone had followed us.

Watched us.

And now they were telling me exactly how close they were.

The past wasn’t just catching up to me.

It had never left.

But the bigger question I had was, how did they know where I lived?

How did they get in?