All Chapters of Beyond Our Broken Dreams: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

Liam fell silent.He stared at the charred body on the stretcher.The woman who had once been warm, gentle, and alive, the woman who had once shared his bed, was now reduced to this.His stomach suddenly turned.He looked away.The firefighters loaded the stretcher into an ambulance while the medical examiner performed a preliminary examination at the scene.“The deceased is female, and her age and build are consistent with Ms. Tanya Spencer. The preliminary cause of death appears to be asphyxiation from smoke inhalation. The body is severely burned, so DNA testing will be required for a final identification. But based on the scene and the personal effects recovered...”Preston didn't hear the rest.He simply watched as the ambulance doors closed and the vehicle slowly pulled away.The scene gradually quieted.Only the sound of water from the fire trucks and crews clearing the wreckage remained.Liam was the first to speak.He tugged at the corner of his mouth as though try

Preston was silent for a long time.So long that Sylvia's smile began to falter.Then he raised a hand and gently took hold of the arms wrapped around his waist.Slowly, but firmly, he removed them.“Sylvia.”His voice was low, carrying an exhaustion she couldn't quite understand.“Go home for now.”Sylvia froze.She took a step back and stared at him in disbelief.“Why? Preston, what do you mean? We...”“I need time.”Preston cut her off.He rose and walked over to the floor-to-ceiling windows, turning his back to her.Under the dim light, his figure looked unusually distant and alone.“I just need some time.”His voice was barely more than a sigh.Sylvia stood there staring at his cold back.The gentle smile vanished from her face.Shock and hurt took its place, along with a flicker of panic and anger she couldn't quite hide.She bit her lip.In the end, she said nothing.She turned and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.The sound echoed through the empt

Liam remembered this place.Two years ago, on Tanya's birthday.That day, she'd worn a pale blue dress and only a little makeup. Under the restaurant's soft lighting, she'd looked especially gentle and beautiful.She'd ordered a soufflé.She'd told him it was her favorite dessert.At the time, Liam had scoffed at it.Too sweet.Too rich.But now...His car slowly pulled to a stop outside the restaurant.Liam sat behind the wheel, staring at the familiar carved wooden door.Then, almost without thinking, he got out and went inside.The restaurant wasn't crowded.The lighting was still just as warm and soft as he remembered.He took a seat by the window.The same seat Tanya had used that night.A server handed him a menu.Liam didn't even look at it.“I'll have the soufflé.”“Of course, sir. It'll be out shortly.”The wait wasn't long.But to Liam, it felt strangely unbearable.He stared through the window at the people passing along the street.His thoughts were a

“She grabbed my sleeve and asked me, ‘Mrs. Turner, is my baby gone?’”Mrs. Turner was sobbing so hard she could barely speak.“I was terrified. I didn't know what to do. I just nodded.”Her shoulders shook violently.“And then she stopped crying.”Mrs. Turner's voice cracked.“She just stared at me. Her eyes were completely empty, like there was nothing left inside her. Then they took her to the hospital. "The doctor said her uterus was badly damaged, and she would most likely never be able to have children again. She didn’t want you to worry, so she made me keep it from you.”Every trace of color had drained from Preston's face.He remembered that day.He'd gotten a call telling him Tanya had fallen down the stairs and lost the baby.By the time he reached the hospital, she was lying in bed, her face white as snow, staring blankly out the window.When she saw him walk in, she'd forced a weak smile.Her voice had been soft and hoarse from crying.“Preston, don't be sad.

Preston's entire body went rigid.Very slowly, he turned his head toward Liam, who was lying beside him.Liam looked back.Their eyes met.For once, there was none of Liam's usual arrogance or mockery in his expression.Only a bottomless emptiness that seemed to frighten even him.And a faint sheen of tears in his eyes.“What I'm saying is,” Liam said slowly, every word clear despite how quietly he spoke, “Preston, I think I fell for Tanya.”His lips twisted bitterly.“Five years of sleeping with her, and somewhere along the way, I caught feelings.”Preston's pupils contracted.It felt as though something had exploded inside his head.His ears rang.His mind went completely blank.Then, in the next instant, a violent rage unlike anything he'd ever felt before crashed over him, mixed with a nearly overwhelming sense of panic.“What the fuck did you just say?!”Preston surged upright, grabbed Liam by the collar, and slammed him hard against the cold floor.Liam's head st