chapter 23

No More Misunderstandings...

Liam had spent most of his adult life avoiding unnecessary drama.

Which was why finding Sophie Bennett sitting in his office waiting for him immediately put him in a bad mood.

He stopped in the doorway.

His assistant looked nervous.

Very nervous.

"Sir, Miss Bennett said it was important."

Liam glanced at Sophie.

She stood when she saw him.

"Thank you," she told the assistant.

The poor man practically fled.

Leaving Liam alone with a conversation he already knew he wasn't going to enjoy.

"What are you doing here?"

His tone wasn't rude and it wasn't welcoming either and Sophie noticed.

She always noticed.

"I needed to talk to you."

Liam loosened his tie and walked toward his desk.

"About what?"

For a moment she simply looked at him as if studying him.

Almost as if she was searching for something or perhaps confirming something she already knew.

Finally she asked,

"Did you ever love me?"

The question caught him completely off guard.

Silence settled between them.

Sophie gave a small laugh which was not a happy one.

"That bad, huh?"

Liam exhaled slowly.

He wasn't someone who enjoyed hurting people.

Especially when they didn't deserve it.

And despite everything, Sophie didn't deserve cruelty.

She deserved honesty.

Maybe honesty was long overdue.

"Sophie..."

"No."

She shook her head.

"Just answer the question."

The vulnerability in her voice surprised him.

Because for years Sophie had always seemed confident, perfectly composed, untouchable.

Now she looked like a woman bracing herself for disappointment.

Liam sat down.

For several moments he said nothing.

Then he answered.

"No."

The single word landed softly.

Yet it felt heavy and final.

Sophie lowered her eyes.

Some part of her had already known.

But hearing it aloud felt very different.

"I cared about you."

Liam continued.

"I still do."

A humorless smile appeared on her lips.

"But not like that."

"No."

For the first time in years, there was no misunderstanding.

No assumptions.

No room for false hope.

There was just the truth.

Sophie looked out the window.

The city stretched endlessly below.

It looked beautiful, distant yet cold.

Very much like the future she had imagined with Liam.

A future that had never really existed.

"You know what's embarrassing?"

Liam remained silent.

"I spent years thinking I was being patient."

She laughed quietly.

"Turns out I was just waiting for something that was never going to happen."

The honesty surprised both of them.

For a long moment, neither spoke.

Then Sophie turned toward him.

"Was it always Judith?"

The question lingered in the air.

Liam thought about it carefully.

Because this answer mattered.

More than she realized.

"I don't know."

Sophie frowned.

"What does that mean?"

"It means I didn't realize what I felt until after she left."

And there it was.

The truth, the ugly truth.

The one Liam hated most.

Because it made him sound foolish.

And maybe just maybe, he was.

Sophie studied his face.

For the first time, she saw something she had never noticed before.

Regret.

Real regret.

Not because of the pregnancy.

Not because of public opinion.

Because of Judith.

Because of love.

The realization hurt.

Yet strangely, it also brought relief.

Because now she finally understood.

She hadn't lost to Judith.

There had never been a competition.

A few minutes later, Sophie stood.

"I should go."

Liam nodded.

Neither knew what else to say.

At the door, she paused.

Then looked back.

"When you finally get her back..."

Liam's eyes lifted.

"...don't waste it."

The words caught him off guard.

Before he could respond, Sophie smiled.

A small, sad smile.

Then she left.

For the first time in years, Sophie cried on the drive home.

Not because Liam rejected her.

That pain had existed for a while.

She cried because she was finally letting go.

Of the dreams.

The expectations.

The version of the future she had built in her head.

Sometimes moving forward required grieving things that never belonged to you.

And Sophie was finally learning that lesson.

───

That evening, Liam found himself outside the Lux estate.

He hadn't planned to come.

Yet somehow he was here.

The gates opened after security confirmed his identity.

A few minutes later, he found Judith sitting in the garden.

A blanket rested over her legs.

A book lay open in her lap.

She looked peaceful.

The sight alone eased something inside him.

Judith looked up.

"What are you doing here?"

Liam sat in the chair opposite hers.

"I was nearby."

The lie was terrible.

Judith immediately rolled her eyes.

"You drove forty minutes."

"I said nearby."

She laughed.

And for a moment, neither spoke.

The garden lights glowed softly around them.

The evening air was cool.

Comfortable.

Eventually Judith closed her book.

"Something happened."

It wasn't a question.

Liam looked surprised.

"How do you know?"

"You only get that thoughtful look when something is bothering you."

The statement made him smile faintly.

Funny.

He used to think Judith didn't notice him.

Turns out she always had.

"I spoke to Sophie."

The smile disappeared from Judith's face.

Not because she was jealous.

Because she was confused.

"What about?"

Liam looked directly at her.

"Everything that should've been clarified years ago."

Judith remained quiet.

Waiting.

Liam took a breath.

Then said simply,

"There won't be any more misunderstandings."

Something in his voice made her believe him.

Completely.

For the first time, Liam had finally closed a door he should have closed years ago.

And although neither of them knew it yet, that conversation would change more than one life.

Because sometimes moving forward required letting go of the wrong person.

Before you could properly fight for the right one.