HIS LIABILITY のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 1 - チャプター 6

Later that evening, I called Susan and told her everything, every word exchanged, every look, every insult disguised as concern. When I mentioned how I spoke back to my father and his witches, she laughed. I snapped at her immediately. "This isn't funny." But the laughter faded, and worry crept in. Why did I say sure? Why didn't I just let them mock me and move on? Now I had trapped myself in a promise I didn't know how to keep. Susan listened quietly as I vented. "It's fine," she finally said. "Stop torturing yourself. Besides, you owe me. You promised to follow me to the club to make up for missing my promotion party. Dress up. I'll pick you up." "Susan, you're not listening," I muttered. "I'm in a mess." She chuckled. "You're always indoors. How do you expect life to happen to you from there? Live, Diane. Live." I rolled my eyes, but my lips curved into a reluctant smile. "Fine. Jonathan will be around soon anyway. Take him along. You know he has a soft spot for you, you're

I started doing my makeup with more care than necessary, as if precision could quiet the unrest inside me. My wardrobe suffered for it. clothes pulled out, rejected, discarded. Fabric brushed my fingers, none of it right, none of it strong enough. I needed something that looked effortless, something that lied convincingly. Then I saw it. The yellow floral dress rested at the back like it had been waiting, pearls sewn delicately along the neckline soft, deceptive. Innocence tailored to perfection. I slipped into it and nodded at my reflection. Perfect, I told myself, though my chest felt tight. I chose the burgundy sandals Susan had gifted me, the color deep and unapologetic, grounding me. My hair went into a ponytail before I deliberately ruined it, tugging strands loose into a messy bun. Controlled chaos. After one last look in the mirror steady eyes, neutral lips I went downstairs. Mom smiled first. Emily followed, her expression cautious, almost guilty. "I'm sorry, sis," Emil

Diane's POV (Real Time) The chant reached me before the kiss did. Kiss. Kiss. It rippled through the room light, playful, careless. I barely registered it at first. My attention was fixed on the stage, on the way Eddie stood beside Shine, on the tension locked into his shoulders. It wasn't nerves. It was control coiled and deliberate, like something waiting to be unleashed. Then he moved. Not hesitantly. Not reluctantly. He pulled her in. Time didn't slow. It fractured. My breath hitched painfully. For one humiliating second, I forgot how to look away. My eyes refused to blink as his hand settled at her waist firm, possessive drawing her closer until her body fit against his with practiced ease. And then he kissed her. Slowly. Deliberately. The room erupted cheers, whistles, applause but the sound collapsed inward, muffled and distant, as though I'd been dragged underwater. My ears rang. My chest tightened until breathing became something I had to conscious