All Chapters of THE WEIGHT OF LOVING YOU: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

JESSICA"Yes, I’ll marry him."The words slipped out before I could think twice. Before I could blink. They didn’t stumble; they flowed smoothly, like they'd been waiting in the back of my throat for far too long, clawing to be heard.Mrs. Wilson’s tired eyes, those soft, faded eyes that had seen too much pain for one lifetime…looked up at me from the hospital bed.They widened first in shock, then softened like I’d just handed her a reason to keep breathing.“You will?” She asked, barely above a whisper. Frail and hopeful.“Yes,” I said again, slower now, like maybe if I stretched it out, it would sound more sane. More rational. “I mean it.”I leaned forward and hugged her. Carefully. Like she might shatter in my arms.My heart was thudding in my chest… wild, uneven.Because I didn’t say yes just because I loved him.I said yes because it felt like the only way to finally make him mine. To go from almost to always.God, that sounded awful. It was awful.But it was also true.She smil

JESSICAHe smelled like whiskey and regret, and I hated how much I still loved that scent on him.I told myself I wouldn’t do this. Wouldn’t hold him like I still had the right. Wouldn’t let myself get swallowed whole by the storm that was Liam Wilson.But him falling apart?It undid me.Every damn time.His tongue brushed mine, rough and desperate.His tears tasted like guilt, like pain, like a hundred things I could never fix but still tried to. My fingers found his jaw, clenched tight, and I kissed him back like I was drowning in him. Because I was.He’s drunk, I thought. He doesn’t mean this.But then again, drunk actions are sober thoughts, and if this was what lived in the corners of his heart when he wasn’t guarding it...God help me, I didn’t want to stop him.We broke apart only when we had to. Our lips swollen. Breaths shattered. Eyes wide and dazed, like we’d both come out of something much deeper than a kiss.His forehead pressed to mine. Voice hoarse. “Tell me to stop.”I

JESSICAI woke up in Liam’s bed.The first thing I noticed was the cold. Not just the sheets, but the air around me. That quiet, echoing silence that practically screamed, You’re alone.My fingers instinctively reached for him, still half asleep, but they only met a mess of wrinkled cotton and leftover body heat.He was gone.And the crazy part? I wasn’t confused. Not even a little. I was… disappointed.“Fuck you, Liam,” I muttered, flopping onto my back with a groan. My body ached in that too-much-fun, too-much-feeling kind of way. Thighs sore. Heart sore.I blinked at the ceiling, trying to shake off the hazy mess of last night.The sound of his voice, the way his hands moved like he already knew me. I didn’t even try to smile. That would’ve required hope. Or closure. Or something I clearly wasn’t getting.I sat up slowly, wincing. My hair was a tangled mess. The sunlight filtering in through his curtains made everything feel exposed.His scent still hung in the air… fresh and clean

JESSICAI walked out of that restaurant like my heels were on fire. Each click against the marble echoed louder than my heartbeat, but not louder than the silence Liam left me with.I didn’t glance back. Couldn’t. My fingers curled tighter around my purse, holding it like it was the only thing keeping me from falling apart.I yanked the car door open and slammed it shut, the sound satisfying in a stupid, petty way. It wasn’t him I was mad at.It was me."What the hell were you expecting, Jessica?" I muttered, stabbing the ignition with my key. "A confession? A promise? A miracle?"The car hummed to life as city lights danced on the windshield, blurring through the tears I refused to let fall.I blinked hard and tightened my grip on the wheel. No crying. Not again. Not over him.I merged into traffic, one hand on the wheel, the other gripping my thigh to keep from shaking.I hated how easily Liam could unravel me with a few soft words and a casual smile.Hated that even when he tried t