The Afterglow of Us

The first time I saw Liam Chase's bloated, waterlogged corpse, I was furious—furious enough to swear I would hunt him down even in death and demand an answer.

I wanted to know why he had made such a decision without my consent.

So when I saw him again, my hand moved faster than my mind, and I slapped him across the face.

The blow seemed to jolt him back to his senses; the haze in his eyes cleared a little.

"Khloe, are you insane?!"

"You're the insane one, Liam! I hate you!"

Tears welled in my eyes as I glared at him.

He opened his mouth to curse me again, but when his gaze met my tear-reddened eyes, he faltered for once, confusion flashing across his face.

Yet the drug's effects surged through him in relentless waves, and he reached for me, trying to pull me into his arms.

I shoved him away as if waking from a nightmare.

No. I would not let the tragedy of my past life repeat itself.

Back then, during Liam's mom's birthday party, Liam had been drugged with an aphrodisiac. He searched desperately for someone else but found no one. I accidentally stumbled into his room, and in my confusion, we ended up… together.

The crowd that burst in saw everything, branding me as a shameless woman without a shred of dignity.

From that day on, Liam despised me, convinced I had been the one to drug him. No matter how many times I explained, he dismissed it as lies.

Now, facing him again under the same circumstances, I turned and bolted for the door without hesitation.

This time, I would not let him misunderstand me. This time, I refused to become his enemy in marriage.

I had barely reached the hallway when I ran straight into Alexa Conley, who was approaching from the other end.

"You're just in time," I told her. "Liam's looking for you."

Her brows drew together in suspicion. "What are you playing at?"

Feigning urgency, I spoke quickly. "He looks like he's in pain. You'd better go check on him."

Without waiting for a response, I slipped away.

Behind me came the sound of her hurried footsteps, followed by the door creaking open.

Leaning against the wall, I felt a sharp ache in my chest.

I had thought that, given a second chance, I could face it all with calm detachment.

But it still hurt.

Descending the stairs in a daze, I nearly bumped into Liam's mother, Catherine Henley. She looked at me with concern. "What's wrong, dear? You look so pale. Haven't found Liam yet?"

I forced a light smile. "It's nothing. Just a little tired lately."

"Then go back and rest soon. It's fine if Liam isn't here. I'll announce your engagement to him later anyway. You've grown up, Khloe. I won't let anyone else have you."

Her kindness only reminded me of the scene from my previous life—her at Liam's funeral, striking and cursing me.

Her grief-stricken voice still rang in my ears. "I regret it! I regret letting Liam marry a toxic woman like you! Our family treated you well, and yet you abandoned Liam!"

I thought, 'This time… that scene will never happen again.'

Lowering my head, I said, "Catherine, I don't want to marry Liam. I only think of him as an older brother."

She looked at me in disbelief. "Impossible. Did Liam do something to upset you, Khloe?"