All Chapters of THE WEIGHT OF LOVING YOU: Chapter 41 - Chapter 50

LIAMThe door closed softly behind her.Not a slam. Not a storm-out.She was just… gone.For a few hours.Lucas’s mom’s birthday party. That was it. But somehow, it still felt like the air got thinner the second she walked out.I was jealous Lucas got to spend the day with her. That he’d get her smile, her voice, her presence—even if just in passing. She was still mine. But right now, someone else had her time.I let out a breath and headed straight to the bathroom. No distractions. No delays.I turned the shower on, hot enough to fog the mirror and scald away guilt. My clothes hit the floor in a messy heap I didn’t bother folding. Not today.I stepped under the stream and let it hit me—hard. My hands braced against the tile as water poured over my back, burning just enough to make me feel something. To make me feel alive, when all I’d felt lately was regret.Jessica’s face floated into my mind. The way she looked in that soft blue dress this morning. The way she made pancakes, laug

JESSICA The second Liam turned his back, I flung the door open like my life depended on it. “Liam!” I shouted, voice cracking. He didn’t stop. His steps were fast, angry—shoulders stiff like he couldn’t even bear to hear me anymore. I took off after him barefoot, barely noticing the sting of gravel under my feet. My heart pounded, wild and reckless, guilt crashing into me like waves. I could barely breathe. “Liam, please,” I called out again, louder this time. “Don’t walk away!” Still, he didn’t turn. The panic in my chest tightened like a fist. My voice shook, full of everything I was too scared to say earlier. “Don’t do this—please!” Nothing. No glance. No pause. Just silence. And somehow, that silence cut deeper than anything he could’ve screamed. Then, out of nowhere, another voice pierced the night like a crack of thunder. “Liam!” It was Lucas. I turned sharply, startled—I hadn’t even realized he’d followed us. His feet pounded the gravel, his face flushed with somethi

JESSICA He walked toward me like it was just another Monday, like nothing had happened between us in the car yesterday. Like he hadn’t kissed me."Hey," he said, stopping just in front of me. His tone was careful, almost soft. "This isn’t awkward, is it?"I let out a short laugh—the kind that was more nerves than humor. "Of course not. We’re professionals, right?" I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear and smiled like my heart wasn’t skipping.His eyes searched mine for a second longer than they should have. "I just… didn’t want things to feel weird.""It’s fine," I said quickly, too quickly. "Really."Lucas hesitated, then glanced down at his shoes before looking back at me. "And Liam? I mean… I hope I didn’t cause any more damage."The name wrapped itself around my ribs. Liam. The man who held me like I was air last night. My man, my man."He forgave me," I said gently. "We actually had a beautiful night."Lucas’s expression flickered. A subtle twitch in his jaw. "Damn," he mutter

JESSICA It was finally the weekend.I didn’t need the alarm. I was already wide awake, sunlight pouring in through the blinds like it had good news to tell me. The sheets were soft. The air smelled like peace. And for once, I didn’t feel like rushing anything. I stretched, slowly, arms over my head like I was reaching for something sweeter than sleep. My body felt warm, rested. My heart felt… light.Liam had left early—claimed it was a work thing. Kissed my forehead, murmured something about not waking me. His cologne still lingered on the pillow next to mine. I didn’t overthink it. Not today.I took my time in the mirror. My hair actually looked good, which felt like a small miracle. I fluffed it a little, added a bit of edge to my curls, then swiped on lip gloss—just gloss. Not lipstick. Not red or nude or matte or smudge-proof. Just something soft and shiny. The kind of effort you make when you’re not trying to impress anyone, just trying to feel like yourself again.And I did.

JESSICA “Jessica, you’re glowing.”I blinked, fingers barely grazing the loaf of sourdough. “Huh?”“Don’t ‘huh’ me.” My mother tilted her head, lips curving in that sly, all-knowing smirk. “You’re glowing. I mean… pregnancy’s not such a bad thing, yeah?”I nearly dropped the bread.“It’s a fever, Mom.”She raised an eyebrow. “Fever? Oh, darling.”I let out a laugh—loud, disbelieving, and a little cracked around the edges. “Pregnant? God, no.”She didn’t laugh with me. She just stared. That annoying maternal look that didn’t need a DNA test to read your entire life like a diary.I tossed the loaf into the cart with more force than necessary. “Let’s just get what we need, Mom.”Grocery shopping with her had already been enough of a rollercoaster. This? This was a full-on emotional ambush. Definitely not what I had in mind when she’d called that morning saying she wanted to “talk about something important.” This woman just had a way of doing things, huh?We wrapped up fast—too fast, if