Aria’s POV The very last thing I wanted to do was go crying to Liam every time I had a work problem. Even being called a bitch, in the grand scheme of things, wasn’t such a terrible offense. After all, I was pretty sure the drivers said far worse about me behind my back, particularly when I made t
Liam’s POV “I can have the movers there as soon as this afternoon,” Markus said. “I just need to know the date and time Aria plans on leaving.” “What are you talking about?” I asked. This was probably bait he was dangling, to drag me into another conversation. But where Aria was concerned, I had
Aria’s POV Perhaps, in my fear of having lost the check, I was irrational, but given all that Anthony had already done to me, I immediately looked at him with suspicion. After all, he’d already stolen my pens. Why wouldn’t he take a check worth so much? “Did you take it?” I demanded. “I didn’t
Joe’s POV “No way,” William said, his face scrunched up. “This is fake. Has to be.” “It looks real to me,” Joe countered. He didn’t have a lot of experience in these things, but it seemed official enough to him. There were numbers printed on the bottom and someone had signed it. The handwriting
Annoyance flickered within me. How many nights had I stayed up hoping to talk to Liam only for him to arrive too tired to speak? How many times had I put the effort in, wanting to talk to him, wanting to work things out, only for him to not be there? Now, the one time I had something of my own to
Aria’s POV With great difficulty, I managed to arrive at Markus’s manor without speeding or running any traffic lights or stop signs. Despite the adrenaline coursing through my body and my strong desire to get this over with, I still somehow prioritized my wellbeing first. The gate to Markus’s e
Aria’s POV When I arrived home, I sat in the car in the parking lot for a few minutes, trying to calm myself. My speaking with Markus did little to help the situation. He thought I was a liar, pretending to have lost the check. He wouldn’t listen to me tell him I wasn’t interested in his money.
Aria’s POV I talked with Joe for a while, eventually convincing him that he wasn’t entirely responsible for Liam leaving. He was still determined to accept some blame, despite my best efforts to convince him otherwise. Likely only Liam would be able to convince him otherwise. Over the course of
“I’m so sorry,” Isabelle said, her face downtrodden, her own make staining streaks down her face. We must have looked like quite the pair. It’d be laughable if my heart wasn’t so very heavy. “I totally misread the entire situation. When I saw that ring…”“How could you think anything but what you di
Liam’s POV“I don’t care what you think, Joanna,” I said coldly. With everything going on, now she wanted to threaten me? Didn’t she realize that without Aria, I had nothing left to lose? “With Markus gone, I have no reason to stay in this relationship.”“We had an agreement,” Joanna said. Her anger
Aria’s POVI wasn’t ready to go home yet. Upset as I was, I worried what the kids would think if they saw me like this. I also had no idea how I was going to explain to Isabelle just how wrong she had been about all of this.So I told the cab driver to take me to the park, and there, I exited and pa
Liam’s POVI sat on a stone bench along the walkway, my mind in shock over what just happened.I’d risked so much trying to appease Markus with this fake proposal, and now I was going to lose it all. And with Markus gone, it hadn’t even been necessary.I should have waited this out, or fought harder
Aria’s POVI couldn’t trust my own eyes. There was no way, I thought, that Liam would betray me like this. Even when the evidence had been clearly laid out before me, in my heart, I didn’t want to believe it. Even now, seeing it here, I was ready to doubt.Yet, hearing his voice, there could be no m
Liam’s POVWith Joanna on my arm, we walked around the massive event ballroom, speaking directly with our guests. The mayor is in attendance, as are several prominent members of the city council. All of the news media owners are in attendance with their wives, including Chuck who gives me a smirk fr
Liam’s POVThe exclusive banquet hall where we were holding the engagement event had a few side rooms for potential brides and grooms to prepare if they were getting married there.I stood in the groom’s room, looking at myself in the full length mirror. Dressed in a tuxedo, I could have been a groo
Aria’s POVThe rest of the dinner was filled with stilted conversations and us avoiding looking directly at each other.The drive home was entirely silent. I looked out the window, counting the streetlamps we passed, while Liam coolly sat behind the wheel. There were many things to talk about, but I
Liam’s POV“Chuck,” I said, recognizing the news media owner who I had called a couple of days ago, practically begging him to keep the engagement party a secret.I hadn’t even considered that he might be here, in this restaurant, seeing me out on what appeared to be a date with someone other than w