8

Chapter Eight

Aurora sat in the passenger seat, staring out of the window as Liam drove in silence.

Her arm still stung, but that wasn’t what had her mind spinning.

It was him.

The way he had looked at her after the fight. The way he had touched her wrist, checked her wound like he actually cared.

She hated it.

Hated that for even a second, she had felt something in that moment.

She glanced at him, trying to read his expression, but Liam’s face was set in stone, his jaw tight, eyes fixed on the road.

That wasn’t normal.

Liam was never quiet.

He always had something cocky or sarcastic to say, always had that annoying smirk ready to throw at her.

But now?

He looked… p*ss*d.

Aurora sighed, shifting slightly in her seat. “Are you going to say something, or are we just going to sit in this awkward silence until we get home?”

Liam didn’t look at her. “You’re an idiot.”

Aurora blinked. “Excuse me?”

Liam gripped the steering wheel tighter, his knuckles turning white. “You heard me.”

Aurora’s irritation spiked. “And what exactly makes me an idiot?”

Liam let out a humorless laugh. “Maybe the part where you threw yourself in front of a knife like a complete reckless moron?”

Aurora scoffed. “Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize letting you get stabbed was the better option.”

Liam’s eyes snapped to her, dark and burning.

“I don’t need you to save me, Aurora.”

His voice was low, controlled, but she could hear the anger underneath it.

Aurora crossed her arms, glaring back. “And I don’t need you to tell me what to do.”

Liam exhaled sharply, turning his attention back to the road. His grip on the wheel didn’t loosen.

Aurora hated this.

Hated that she could still feel the heat of his hand on her wrist.

Hated that he had looked at her like that.

Hated that her pulse had spiked when he did.

She looked out the window again, trying to focus on something else. Anything else.

But the silence stretched between them, thick, heavy, unbearable.

After a few minutes, she sighed, shaking her head.

“You’re so dramatic,” she muttered.

Liam shot her a flat look. “Dramatic?”

Aurora nodded. “Yeah. You’re acting like I died or something. It’s just a cut.”

Liam’s jaw ticked.

“Just a cut?” he repeated, his voice quieter now.

Aurora frowned, sensing something beneath his tone.

Something… off.

Before she could say anything, Liam pulled into the mansion’s driveway.

The second the car stopped, he got out, slamming the door behind him.

Aurora sighed, resting her head against the seat for a moment before finally getting out too.

By the time she stepped inside, Liam was already in the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of whiskey from the counter.

She watched as he poured himself a drink, downing it in one go.

Something about that unsettled her.

Liam wasn’t just angry.

He was shaken.

And Liam Blackwood never got shaken.

Aurora walked over, leaning against the counter. “You going to share, or are you just planning to drink your emotions away in peace?”

Liam poured another glass, sliding it toward her.

Aurora raised an eyebrow but took it.

She wasn’t much of a drinker, but after tonight?

She deserved it.

She took a slow sip, letting the burn of the whiskey distract her from everything else.

They stood there for a moment, just drinking in silence.

Then Liam spoke.

“You remind me of her.”

Aurora blinked, caught off guard. “What?”

Liam kept his eyes on his glass, his expression unreadable. “My mother.”

Aurora’s breath caught.

She had heard whispers about Liam’s mother.

The woman Edward had married before her own mother.

The woman who had… died.

She swallowed. “How?”

Liam let out a slow exhale.

“She was reckless too,” he muttered. “Always throwing herself into fights she had no business being in. Always thinking she could fix things. Always thinking she could stop him.”

Aurora’s stomach tightened.

Him.

Edward.

She didn’t know what to say.

She had never seen Liam like this.

Not cocky. Not amused. Not playing games.

Just… raw.

Liam took another drink, then turned to her.

“And you know what happened to her?”

Aurora already knew.

But she still felt the weight of his words before he even said them.

“He killed her.”

The room suddenly felt too small.

Aurora put her glass down, her fingers shaking slightly.

She didn’t know why her chest felt tight.

She didn’t know why her throat burned.

But she knew one thing.

Liam wasn’t just angry about tonight.

He was terrified.

Not for himself.

For her.

She took a slow step forward, her heart pounding.

“Liam…”

His eyes snapped to hers.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

Then, before she could think—before she could stop herself—she reached out.

Her hand brushed against his arm, light, hesitant.

Liam stilled.

His gaze dropped to where her fingers rested against his skin.

A warning.

A test.

Aurora’s breath caught.

She should move.

She should pull away.

But then Liam lifted his hand, slowly, deliberately, and covered hers.

Her pulse spiked.

She hated him.

She hated how he got under her skin.

But right now?

She couldn’t breathe.

Liam’s fingers curled slightly, his grip warm, strong.

Aurora’s stomach twisted.

Then, just as suddenly, he let go.

The moment shattered.

Aurora stepped back, clearing her throat. “You’re still an *ss.”

Liam chuckled, the tension finally breaking. “And you’re still annoying.”

Aurora grabbed her glass again, taking another drink.

But her hand was still warm from his touch.

And for the first time, she didn’t know if she wanted it to fade.