Chapter 3

Liana

“Well, little Liana. Don't just stand there and look. Come hug your big brother.”

I froze mid-step. The nickname was the one he had used to humiliate me and to remind me of how small I was.

I lifted my head slowly, forcing my eyes to meet his.

Liam Shedrach leaned against the wall now, his mouth twitched into that smirk I knew too well. The blood in my veins turned to ice.

"There is no need to cause a scene now," I began, keeping my voice low and controlled. But my pulse spiked, and I couldn’t stop the bitterness from spilling over.

“Little Liana,” he repeated, louder this time, his eyes dancing with amusement. He had caught the attention of a few guests. “I have to say, you haven’t changed a bit.”

"And what is it you see, Liam?”

"Everything. You're just the same four-eyed Liana I always knew from high school. Pathetic and always trying to insert yourself into my life."

That was it. Something snapped inside me. Seven years of humiliation, seven years of his laughter haunting me at my expense, seven years of trembling in halls just because he could decide who was worth noticing. All of it surged forward like wildfire, scorching the careful civility I had been practicing.

I straightened my back, lifting my chin until I felt the cold determination settle over my shoulders like armor.

“You think I haven’t changed, Liam?” I said, my voice ringing across the hall. 

Heads turned and glasses paused mid-air. People hushed their conversations and settled their gaze on me. “Do you think I’m still that frightened, awkward girl you used to mock? The one who spent every day in that school wondering if she’d ever be invisible enough to survive your cruelty?”

Liam’s smirk faltered slightly, a flash of uncertainty in those eyes he usually kept so trained.

“I remember everything,” I continued, stepping closer, my voice trembling with anger but steady with focus. “I remember how you ruined my drawings with gums, the rumours you spread about me, the dinner where you acted like the perfect golden boy while your friends laughed at me. I remember you made sure I’d never forget my place in the world. And now you stand there, still with that arrogance expecting… what? An applause?"

The room had gone utterly silent. Someone coughed politely, as if trying to switch the tension back into casual interaction, but it was useless. I already said my mind, and the elite crowd, accustomed to fake smiles and polite conversations, froze. Even Tim Shedrach, standing at the far end with his usual composed grace, blinked rapidly, the hint of surprise in his expression betraying his confidence.

“How dare you…” Liam started, but I pressed on, ignoring his presence.

“No, how dare you?” I said, pointing a finger at him, "How dare you think you have the same hold over my life the way you did before? And what makes you think your life is envy worthy for me to insert myself into?"

A gasp rippled across the room. Some guests exchanged nervous glances. A few of them exchanged words.

"Who is she? How dare she speak to him like that?"

Liam’s lips pressed into a thin line. His jaw tightened. For the first time, I realized he felt something he had never felt in all those years. The sting of embarrassment, so hot it bloomed across his cheeks just enough to be visible.

“Liana…” Tim stepped forward, his voice calm but authoritative. “That's enough.”

I swallowed, my chest heaving. I didn’t look at him, and I didn’t care. The words were out. All my anger and fear had been transformed into something undeniable.

Liam stepped closer. So close I could feel the light brush of his suit on my skin. He lowered himself to my height.

“You've grown bold,” he said finally, his voice just above a whisper, but everyone seemed to hear it. "I'll give you credit for that. But the next time you say shit to me again, you'll understand you're not the only one who's grown bigger. Understood?"

I didn't speak. I couldn't even tell what came over me. How did I think I could stand against the son of the man who helped me get to this point? No, the heir to all those riches. 

With my actions finally dawning on me, I turned around and walked away quickly. Liam was right. I was still the same girl he bullied. The one who couldn't do anything in life without him or his family. My heart was pounding and as I reached home, my hands shook from what I knew would happen. 

I woke up thinking it had been a dream, coupled with a dull headache and a vague sense of embarrassment, already fading. For a few blessed seconds, nothing felt real.

Then my phone started ringing constantly. It was vibrating against the bedside table like it might blow up anytime soon. Message alerts layered over missed calls, notifications stacking so fast the screen lagged when I picked it up.

I blinked and squinted, still half-asleep.

Then I saw my name being tagged and mentioned. A shaky video filled my screen, and I saw myself at the party last night, shaking, my hands gesturing, Liam standing opposite me in his fitted suit and handsome face. The caption beneath it twisted the situation.

"Girl confronts Shedrach heir at engagement dinner."

"Future stepsiblings clash publicly."

"Is the Shedrach wedding already doomed?"

My stomach dropped. Local news pages had reposted it. Blogs I’d never heard of had comment sections bloated with strangers dissecting my face, my tone, and my right to be there at all. Some called me brave. Most didn’t think I was.

I sat up slowly, the clarity pressing down on my chest. I have caused such great damage to Tim and my mother. And I was destroying a family I wasn’t even part of yet.

Again, I’d made myself a problem.

Before I could spiral further, my phone rang again. I answered without checking the name.

“Liana,” Tina, my best friend said, breathless. “Tell me you’ve seen it.”

“Yes,” I whispered. “I’ve just seen it.”

“Oh my God. You’re everywhere. T*****r, I*******m, even the news. Do you know how insane that is?”

“I didn’t mean for it to—” My voice cracked. I swallowed. “I just snapped.”

There was a pause on the line. Then, “Did he say anything to you?”

“No.” I stared at the frozen image of him on my screen. “He just stood there.”

She scoffed. “That’s worse.”

I think I ruined everything,” I said quietly. “My mom, the wedding. Tim...oh my god, he’s going to hate me.”

“Liana,” she said firmly, “you didn’t ruin anything. You told the truth. People just aren’t used to someone like you saying it out loud.”

I laughed, short and hollow. “That’s not how the world works.”

“I know,” she admitted. “But I’m proud of you anyway.”

When the call ended, my thoughts drifted back to the night before when Liam was leaning closer, his voice deliberately low. To the way my body had reacted before I could stop it. I pictured the shiver after the accidental brush of his arm against mine.

I squeezed my eyes shut and shook my head.

No.

Liam Shedrach didn’t want me in his life. He never had. Whatever that moment was, it meant nothing. It couldn’t mean anything.