Chapter 11

Liam’s POV

The city lights blurred past the windshield, smeared by the rain sliding down the glass. I sat in the driver’s seat of the Maybach, engine off, my hands gripping the wheel as if letting go would mean losing control of everything that mattered. My chest still burned from the tension of the last few hours. Chloe. The hotel. The bridal shower. Everything had escalated too quickly. But so what? She would understand. She always did.

I inhaled, slow, deep, letting the air fill my lungs. The street outside was empty. Quiet. The perfect setting for thinking. For planning. For waiting. She would come back. She always came back. That thought alone was enough to steady me. I didn’t regret what happened. Not really. It was one mistake, and she would see it that way too.

I let my hand rest on the gear shift, fingers tapping lightly. My mind replayed her face, shocked and wide-eyed, when she walked into the hotel room. That look would fade. It had to. It was temporary. Temporary emot