An Almost Honest Affair のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 31 - チャプター 40

LiamRain streaked the windshield as he pulled into the hospital’s parking lot. His knuckles were white on the steering wheel, a dull ache sitting behind his ribs. The evening that had almost felt normal now seemed like a dream that had slipped through his fingers.He ran through the sliding doors. “Rosemary Lang,” he told the nurse at the desk. She pointed him down a corridor that smelled of disinfectant and damp paper.When he entered the small ward, she was already sitting up, an IV in her arm, looking far too composed for someone who’d supposedly fainted.“Liam.” Her voice cracked just enough to sound fragile. “I didn’t think you’d come.”“You collapsed,” he said, trying to slow his breathing. “Of course I came.”“I’m fine now. It was just exhaustion. I didn’t want to be a burden.” She looked down, twisting the sheet between her fingers.He studied her face. She seemed thinner, paler, but the look in her eyes the calculation behind the tremble was familiar. “You should have called

The alarm went off before the sun was even fully up, slicing through the quiet with a soft, insistent beep.Mia blinked awake, her chest heavy, her head pounding. Another day. Another reason to pretend everything was fine.She sat up, brushing a hand through her hair, when her eyes caught the folded piece of paper on the nightstand.Liam’s handwriting.She hesitated, then picked it up.“Didn’t want to wake you. Had an early meeting. Eat something before work.– L.”For a second, her chest tightened. Something about the simple note the casual thoughtfulness made it worse.Because that was Liam. Always halfway there. Always meaning well but never quite showing up.She crumpled the note in her fist and tossed it into the trash.The paper hit the bin with a soft thud final, sharp.When she opened the door, the faint smell of pancakes drifted from the kitchen. Rosemary stood by the counter, stirring something, her hair loose, voice cheerful in that fake, honey-dipped tone she wore so well.

The call came when Mia was still trying to make coffee taste like it belonged in her mouth again. Her hands trembled as she picked up the phone, Daniel’s name showing on the display. She didn’t even realize she’d been biting the inside of her cheek until she tasted blood.“Dani?” she said when he picked up, trying for light and getting only a wire-thin laugh out of herself.“Hey, Sis,” he answered, voice too bright on purpose. “Just checking in. You okay? You sounded a bit off yesterday.”She closed her eyes, breathed once. “I’m fine.” She lied with such ease she surprised herself. “Just work. You know how it is.”He didn’t buy it. Daniel never did. “Don’t do that. Mom and Dad are in town next week, they're back from their vacation. Dad wants to talk about that project you pitched. He’s willing to invest in it."Really"?.Said he’d like to see you.”Mia’s stomach sank in a new way. Her parents. Her father’s careful, paternal worry. Her mother’s disappointing scowl silent but sharper

Sleep didn’t come that night.It hovered at the edges, teasing, cruel.Every time Mia closed her eyes, all she saw were faces Liam’s cold expression, Rosemary’s syrupy smile, Victor Grant’s calculating eyes.By morning, she’d given up trying.She dressed slow, . Gray skirt, white blouse, hair slicked into a bun so tight it pulled at her scalp and gave her her a numbing headache. If she couldn’t control the chaos inside, she’d control what the world saw outside.When she stepped out of the bedroom, the house was silent again. No Rosemary. No Liam. Just the faint scent of coffee and blooms dog shampoo On the dinning table breakfast sat, a plate of bacon and eggs plates, still warm. And beside them, a note in Liam’s handwriting.Had to leave early. Let’s talk tonight.Her chest clenched.She didn’t crumple this one. She just stared at it until the words blurred, until the ink started looking like every promise that never lasted.Then she left.At CrossTech, the day moved like a storm sh

The air in the penthouse had changed.For weeks, it had been tense and sharp the kind of silence that bruised.But that morning, sunlight found its way through the glass walls, soft and warm, spilling over the table where Liam sat with two mugs of coffee waiting.When Mia walked in, her hair loose and eyes tired, he looked up.For once, there was no argument in his gaze. Just… something softer.“I made coffee,” he said quietly.She hesitated, then sat. “Trying to bribe me?”He smiled small, careful. “Maybe just peace offering.”For a while, neither spoke. The clink of the spoon against ceramic was the only sound between them. Then Liam exhaled, his voice low.“Mia, I hate what we’ve become , I know I've apologized and we're good now She looked up and raised an eyebrow. "Sort of"Okay sort of, he corrected. But I want something more for us , he took a deep breath and looked at her as if searching for a reaction on her face before he continued.Remember what I told you last time"Mmm r