Semua Bab When Love Crosses the Line: Bab 61 - Bab 70

Amara sat curled on the edge of Liam’s navy sofa, her body leaning into the cushions as if they could absorb the heaviness weighing down her chest. The city lights filtered through the sheer curtains of his flat, casting fractured patterns across the room. Liam had lit a single lamp in the corner, but the glow only deepened the shadows stretching between them. She stirred her tea absentmindedly, the clink of the spoon punctuating the silence. It was the kind of silence that wasn’t peaceful, the kind that hummed with everything unsaid.Liam leaned against the kitchen counter, arms folded across his chest. His gaze rested on her, not accusing, but searching. “You’re quiet,” he said finally. His voice was low, careful.Amara forced a small smile. “Just tired.”But the curve of her lips didn’t reach her eyes, and Liam noticed. He always noticed. He crossed the room, his steps unhurried but heavy with intent. Sitting down beside her, he angled his body toward hers, his dark eyes pinning her

Liam noticed the flowers in her office the moment he walked in. A perfect bouquet of white lilies, arranged in a crystal vase, sat right on her desk as though it belonged there. His jaw tightened, the muscles ticking as his eyes moved from the flowers to Amara, who was sitting at her desk pretending to be buried in files.He didn’t buy it.“Who sent those?” he asked, voice deceptively calm.Amara’s head snapped up, her heart racing. She had hoped he wouldn’t notice, or at least wouldn’t comment—but Liam wasn’t the type to ignore anything that gnawed at him.“It’s nothing,” she said quickly, too quickly. “Just flowers. You don’t need to”“Nothing?” Liam’s tone sharpened like glass, cutting through her excuse. He stepped closer to the desk, glaring at the arrangement as though it were a threat. “Amara, that man is everywhere. And you keep letting him in.”Her chest tightened. She set her pen down with trembling fingers. “I didn’t let him in. He showed up. I told him to leave.”“But you

Amara avoided both men for a week. The silence around her life was deafening, and yet it was the only armor she had left. She threw herself into work, meetings, and endless reports, hoping the relentless demands of her office could numb the chaos tearing her heart apart. She filled her evenings with prayer, whispering through tears that God would steady her steps and give her the clarity she so desperately needed. But even prayer seemed to hang heavy in the air, unanswered, stretching her faith thin.Loneliness seeped through every crack. It clung to her skin like the dampness of a rainy London evening, creeping into her bones, refusing to let go. Her friends tried to pull her out of it, calling her to dinners or to catch a film at the cinema, but she politely declined each invitation. She had nothing left to give them, not her laughter, not her presence, not even a fake smile.Each night she lay in bed staring at the ceiling, her body weary but her mind restless. She would remember L

The night was colder than usual, and the wind cut through Amara’s coat as though it wanted to chase her back home. Yet nothing, neither the sharpness of the air nor the heaviness in her chest, could stop her feet from moving forward. Every step toward Liam’s apartment felt like crossing a battlefield, like walking into a place where defeat and victory waited together, uncertain of which would claim her.It had been weeks since she had last seen him. Weeks of silence, of unanswered texts, of nights where she tossed in bed replaying every word, every fight, every moment of laughter they had shared. Her father’s words still rang in her head, Love is powerful, but so is family. It had forced her to confront the cost of her choices. And tonight, she was here to give her answer.By the time she reached Liam’s building, her hands were trembling. She stood outside the tall glass door for nearly a full minute, her reflection staring back at her. She hardly recognized herself, eyes rimmed with

The scent of roasted meats, spiced stews, and fresh bread mingled in the air, wrapping the Collins family home in its usual warmth. The dining room was alive with laughter and conversation, relatives catching up after months apart, the kind of chatter that carried years of shared history. Yet amid the normalcy, Amara felt a storm churning inside her chest, a mixture of anxiety and determination that made her pulse quicken.She had spent weeks preparing herself for this evening, not for the food, not for the pleasantries, but for the inevitable confrontation with the one person who refused to see her choices as her own: her mother.Her mother, Miriam Collins, had been the orchestrator of plans, a master of subtle manipulations and pointed expectations. Ever since Amara had returned from her break with Liam, her mother’s disappointment had been palpable, a constant undertone in every conversation. And tonight, surrounded by cousins, aunts, uncles, and the occasional family friend, Amara