It was well past midnight when Quinn got home. She stopped in the living room, where photographs covered the walls, and absently touched the pendant resting against her chest. After a moment, she reached for the frame hanging in the center.
The little girl in the photograph was grinning from ear to ear. Beside her stood a slightly older boy. She held on to him while he stood stiffly, clearly unsure what to do with himself.
It was a picture of the day they'd first met.
Quinn had been only three when she'd pointed at Liam and announced, "I like this boy! Can we take him home?"
That innocent request had been enough to make Liam's father, Charles Grant, finally take notice of him. He promptly brought the woman he'd kept as his mistress for years into the family home, giving Liam his rightful place as a son of the Grant family.
Quinn found herself lost in memories.
When she was three, Liam had made her the center of his world, treating her like his most precious treasure.
At eleven, when her mother, Catherine Walker, passed away, he'd stroked her hair and promised to stay by her side forever.
At fifteen, when Liam left home to study, he'd told her over and over, "Quinny, wait for me to come back."
And at eighteen, he'd promised, "Give me two more years, and I'll marry you."
From the time Quinn was three until she turned nineteen, Liam had been a constant in her life. Everyone knew how much he loved her, and she'd believed it just as firmly as anyone else.
Until now.
Without another moment's hesitation, Quinn tossed the photograph into the trash.
Her voice was slightly hoarse when she called the butler. "Have someone come by tomorrow and get rid of everything Liam owns in this house. I don't want a single thing left."
She had bought the house for herself when they got engaged, intending it to be their marital home. She'd personally chosen countless matching items for the two of them, imagining the life they would share.
What a waste. In three years, Liam had barely visited enough times to count on one hand.
Whatever. It didn't matter anymore.
Physically and emotionally drained, Quinn forced herself to go to bed and get some rest. She'd expected to sleep straight through until morning, but a disturbance downstairs woke her.
Still half asleep, she stumbled out of bed and opened her bedroom door.
"Liam Grant! What are you doing?"
The girl's playful shriek hit Quinn like a bucket of ice water, shocking her fully awake.
Liam had brought another woman here?
That awful chill crept through her body again. Without making a sound, Quinn looked down toward the living room.
On the sofa she'd spent so much time choosing materials for and personally overseeing the construction of, Liam and Riley were tangled together in an intimate embrace.
The same girl who'd insisted only hours earlier that she needed time to decide whether Liam was worth dating was now wrapped in his arms.
Liam had the petite girl pinned beneath him, taking his time admiring her. One hand held her struggling arms in place while the other moved against her, accompanied by faint, wet sounds.
A low, delighted laugh escaped him.
"What's wrong, Riley? You don't like it?"
He continued teasing her. "That's funny. From what I'm feeling, your body's enjoying this quite a bit."
Riley's face flushed crimson, and a helpless little whimper slipped out. "Don't... Liam."
A moment later, her startled scream rang out alongside Liam's amused voice.
"Oh, look at that. Our little Riley made a mess of the couch. What are we going to do about that?"
He carefully wiped her clean, still laughing softly. "Guess I'll have to add the cleaning bill to what you owe me. You can pay me back later, hmm?"
Mortified, Riley buried her face against his chest, her voice turning soft and breathless.
"Stop it!
"You're embarrassing me! Ah! Liam Grant, I hate you!"
For a moment, Quinn felt as though something inside her had come crashing down.
She reached up and unclasped the pendant around her neck. It was a small faceted crystal cross she'd worn for seven years. There was nothing particularly valuable about it, but its edges had been worn smooth, as though someone had spent countless hours rubbing it between their fingers.
Given Quinn's wealth and status, she could have any piece of jewelry she wanted. All she had to do was glance at something twice, and it would be sitting on her desk the next morning.
Yet this cheap little pendant, a gift from Liam, was the one she'd kept close through countless days and nights.
She remembered how upset she'd been when Liam told her he was leaving to study abroad for two years. Before his departure, he'd taken her hiking up a mountain to watch the sunrise.
Just before dawn, he'd produced a small box and told her he'd had the pendant blessed.
But when Quinn took the crystal cross from its box, Liam suddenly dropped to his knees.
Even now, she remembered how the morning sunlight had fallen across his face. He was eighteen then, his eyes filled with such earnest devotion and love. His voice trembled, but every word rang with conviction.
"Before God, I, Liam Grant, swear that I'll always, always stand by Quinn Walker. I'll never leave her, and I'll never betray her.
"If I ever break that promise..."
If I ever break that promise.
Quinn's hand shot forward, hurling the crystal pendant toward the sofa below.
Her aim was a little off. Instead of hitting the sofa, the pendant struck a vase beside it.
The vase shattered on impact, sending sharp fragments flying in every direction.
Liam reacted immediately. He threw himself over Riley, shielding her with his body and taking the full force of the flying shards across his back.
Several jagged pieces cut into his flesh, drawing a muffled groan from his throat.
"Liam! Are you okay?" Riley cried, her face going pale with fright.
He gave her a reassuring look, but then his gaze fell on the crystal cross lying on the floor.
His expression changed instantly.
From the upper floor, Quinn watched in silence as the two fussed over each other.
Liam slowly lifted his gaze from the pendant on the floor until his eyes met Quinn's.
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