chapter 42

The Last Wall.....

After the hospital scare, Judith was officially placed under what she called family imprisonment.

Her doctor ordered rest.

Her mother enforced it.

Julian supervised it.

Liam volunteered for it.

And Ava enjoyed every second of it.

It was a disaster.

Three days later, Judith was sitting on the terrace reading reports when Julian appeared.

He glanced at the tablet in her hand.

Then calmly took it away.

"Give it back."

"No."

"Julian."

"No."

"I'm thirty years old."

"And currently under medical supervision."

Judith stared at him.

Julian stared back.

Neither moved.

Eventually, Judith gave up.

"I don't like you."

"You love me."

Unfortunately, he was right.

That was the problem.

By evening, the estate was unusually quiet.

Most of the family had gone out.

Ava was working.

Julian was attending a meeting.

For once, Judith found herself alone.

At least until Liam arrived.

He seemed to have developed a sixth sense for knowing exactly when she was alone.

"You're smiling."

Judith immediately frowned.

"No, I'm not."

"You are."

"I absolutely am not."

Liam sat beside her.

His smile widened.

"You were thinking about me."

"I was thinking about food."

"That's not a denial."

She threw a cushion at him.

Liam caught it easily.

Far too easily.

For a while, they sat together watching the sunset.

The air was cool.

Comfortable.

Peaceful.

The kind of peace Judith hadn't experienced in years.

Then Liam spoke.

"Can I ask you something?"

His tone made her glance toward him.

It sounded serious.

"What is it?"

For a moment, he seemed unsure.

Which was rare.

Very rare.

Then he finally asked.

"When did you stop loving me?"

The question hit her harder than she expected.

Because the answer was simple.

She never had.

Judith looked away.

Toward the garden.

Toward anything except him.

A small smile appeared on her lips.

Sad.

Bittersweet.

Honest.

"I didn't."

The silence that followed felt endless.

Liam didn't move.

Didn't speak.

For a moment, he wasn't sure he had heard correctly.

"What?"

Judith laughed softly.

The sound carried no bitterness.

Only truth.

"I stopped believing you loved me."

His chest tightened.

Painfully.

Because there was a difference.

A huge difference.

"I loved you during the marriage."

She looked down at her hands.

"I loved you when you forgot anniversaries."

A pause.

"I loved you when you cancelled plans."

Another pause.

"I loved you when I signed the divorce papers."

Liam felt every word like a knife.

Not because she was trying to hurt him.

Because she wasn't.

Because she was simply telling the truth.

Judith finally looked at him.

Her eyes were calm.

Steady.

"I never stopped loving you, Liam."

The confession settled between them.

Heavy.

Powerful.

Years of emotions condensed into a single sentence.

For a moment, neither spoke.

Then Liam let out a slow breath.

His eyes had become suspiciously bright.

"That's worse."

Judith blinked.

"What?"

A laugh escaped him.

Broken.

Disbelieving.

"Worse."

He looked away briefly.

Trying to regain control.

Failing.

"Because if you stopped loving me, I could've blamed that."

His voice grew quieter.

"I could've told myself it was too late."

Judith's heart tightened.

Liam looked directly at her.

"But you loved me anyway."

The guilt in his eyes nearly broke her heart.

Because she knew exactly what he was thinking.

How much pain she had endured while still loving him.

How lonely she had been.

How much he regretted it.

For several seconds, neither moved.

Then Liam reached for her hand.

Slowly.

Giving her every opportunity to pull away.

She didn't.

His fingers intertwined with hers.

Warm.

Steady.

Familiar.

The same hand she had held years ago.

The same hand she had let go of after the divorce.

"I'm sorry."

The words came out rough.

Raw.

Different from every apology before.

Because this time he wasn't apologizing for a mistake.

He was apologizing for years.

Judith squeezed his hand.

A silent acknowledgment.

Nothing more.

Nothing less.

The sun had almost disappeared when Liam suddenly stood.

Judith looked up.

"What are you doing?"

Instead of answering, he walked a few steps away.

Then turned back toward her.

His expression was serious.

Almost nervous.

Which immediately worried her.

"Liam?"

He took a breath.

Slowly.

Carefully.

Then spoke.

"I don't want to date you."

Judith stared.

"What?"

Liam smiled faintly.

"I don't want to start over."

Now she was completely confused.

"Have you lost your mind?"

He laughed.

"Probably."

Then his expression softened.

Completely.

"I don't want to be your boyfriend."

His voice lowered.

"I want to be your husband."

Judith's breath caught.

The world seemed to stop.

The garden.

The sunset.

The sounds around them.

Everything faded away.

Only Liam remained.

Standing in front of her.

Looking at her the way she had dreamed of for years.

"I know I don't deserve another chance."

His voice remained steady.

"I know I haven't earned forgiveness for everything."

A pause.

"I know there are still things we need to work through."

Judith's heart was pounding so hard it hurt.

"But I'm done pretending."

His eyes never left hers.

"I love you."

The words were simple.

Direct.

Certain.

"I've loved you longer than I realized."

His voice softened.

"And I'll spend the rest of my life making up for the years I wasted if you'll let me."

Tears filled Judith's eyes.

Before she could stop them.

Before she could hide them.

Because this was everything she had wanted.

Everything she had once given up on.

Everything she thought she would never hear.

Yet despite that...

Despite the love.

Despite the hope.

Despite the future she could suddenly see standing in front of her...

Judith didn't answer.

Not immediately.

Because there was still one wall left between them.

One final piece of fear she hadn't completely conquered.

And Liam knew it.

He could see it in her eyes.

For the first time in months, the future stood directly in front of them.

Waiting.

And whether they crossed that final distance together would depend entirely on Judith's next decision.