Chapter 007

Abigail stepped through the familiar doorway. The restaurant hadn’t changed,the same dim lighting, the same wooden booths. But everything felt different now.

She used to love this place. It had been theirs,where Liam had first asked her out, where they had spent hours stealing glances over candlelit dinners. Where they had shared secrets.

Now, standing in the same space, she felt nothing but disgust.  

Choosing this place wasn’t accidental. Liam wasn’t nostalgic,he was calculated. He wanted to remind her of who they used to be. He wanted her to hesitate, to soften, to forget the damage he’d done.  

But she wouldn’t.  

Straightening her shoulders, Abigail exhaled and stepped forward.  

Let him see that she wasn’t the girl he left behind.  

Liam ran to embrace her,he encircled his arms around her, holding on as tight as he could. Abigail pushed him away,disgusted.

Liam barely hesitated when Abigail stepped back, rejecting his hug. 

A flicker of something crossed his face, but he covered it quickly, sliding into the booth like nothing had happened.  

“You still like the lamb pasta, right?” he said, waving down the waiter without waiting for a reply.  

Abigail watched as he effortlessly ordered for her,just like he used to. As if things were still the same. As if she hadn’t spent months pulling herself out of his world. 

“This place hasn’t changed much,” Liam continued, a smirk tugging at his lips. “Remember when we snuck in here after curfew? You were terrified we’d get caught.”  

Abigail exhaled sharply. “I remember you daring me to drink that awful wine with wolves bane in it,” she muttered, eyes narrowing. “And laughing when I nearly choked.”  

Liam chuckled. “You were a lightweight.”  

She frowned. He was trying to paint them in nostalgia, wrap her in old memories like they held meaning.But she wasn’t that girl anymore.

“You only gave me the antidote when I was near dead.”

Why had he really called her here?

Abigail didn’t touch the food. The scent of rosemary and butter only made her stomach turn. Liam kept talking,light stories, smiling at his own memories, like they were pieces of something precious.  

But in reality,it was all broken. Dead,buried,decayed and forgotten.

Finally, she cut in, her voice low. “You remember the first time you brought me here after I was bullied”  

Liam blinked, smile faltering. “Yeah, you wouldn’t stop crying on the way home…”  

“No,” she interrupted softly. “I wouldn’t stop crying because you screamed at me. Because you drank half a bottle of scotch before we even made it to the restaurant. Because that night, you shattered a glass and told me I was a burden.”  

The air shifted.  

She leaned forward slightly, eyes locked on his. “You remember the birthday you forgot? The one where you disappeared for three days and came back with blood on your shirt?”  

Liam looked away.  

“I remember,” she whispered. “I remember every time you slammed doors, every time I had to lie to someone about where the bruise on my shoulder came from. I remember you saying you loved me,you said it right before throwing a chair across the room.”  

He stayed silent, jaw tight, the charm fading from his face little by little.

“So don’t sit across from me, feeding me my favorite meal, and pretending we were perfect.”  

Abigail sat back, her breath steady now. “You didn’t lose me because life got hard, Liam. You lost me because you became someone I couldn’t survive.”  

Liam exhaled sharply. “I know I messed up,” he said, voice tight with frustration. But beneath it, there was something else,desperation.  

“I’m not that person anymore, Abigail.” His gaze locked onto hers, pleading. “I can give you more than Ethan ever could,you know that. You don’t have to be with him. I'll prove myself worthy of the title of the next alpha and I'll rule with you by my side.”  

Abigail laughed.Actually laughed.

“Oh, Liam,” she said, shaking her head. “This isn’t about me, is it? It’s about him. About losing to Alpha Ethan. About losing to your father. You don’t love me,you just can’t stand the idea of someone taking what you think should be yours.”  

Liam’s jaw clenched, but he said nothing.  

She leaned forward, voice dropping to something sharp. “Do you want to hear the truth?Ethan is better than you. He’s better because he doesn’t need to control me. Better because he doesn’t break things when life doesn’t go his way. Better because when he says he cares,he doesn’t make me bleed for it.”  

Liam exhaled, his grip tightening around his glass. “You really believe that?”  

Abigail’s voice was steady, but there was no mistaking the sharp edge beneath it.  

“You let me fall,” she murmured, eyes locked with Liam’s. “Let me die inside. And now…now that I’ve found the light, now that I’ve pulled myself out of everything you buried me in,you want it back?”  

Liam raised a brow, jaw tight, but she didn’t stop.  

“Do you have any idea how much it hurt?” Her breath was slow. “How much it tore me apart to love someone who only knew how to destroy things? I don’t care how bad it hurts you now, Liam.” She leaned closer,her gaze unwavering. “Because we are done.”  

And then, the final blow,one that left no room for doubt.  

“I’m going to be your stepmother.”  

For the first time, Liam had nothing to say. Abigail knew that she and Ethan couldn't be a thing,but she couldn't let Liam find out or see how much it broke her.

Abigail stood,ready to leave. But then,Liam grabbed her into his arms and kissed her. Abigail quickly pushed him away. 

Liam hit his back on the table.

“You are disgusting,Liam Frey.” She took one last look at the man who used to cause butterflies and all she felt was that…disgust.

***

In the opposite booth. A masked figure smiled at himself seeing the satisfied shots he got on camera. When he was done,he dialed a number. “I have the photos.”