Chapter 2

"I was thinking," Liam continued, filling the silence. "We should all go out to dinner tonight. You, me, Ben, and Chloe. To celebrate everyone being safe."

The suggestion was so absurd I almost laughed. Celebrate? With the very person he chose over me?

"Chloe is feeling much better," he added, as if that was supposed to convince me.

I felt a wave of exhaustion. Arguing with him was like punching water. It was pointless.

"Fine," I said. The word was flat, devoid of any emotion.

"Great. I'll pick you up at seven."

"Don't bother," I said quickly. "Just send me the address. I'll meet you there."

There was a pause. "Are you sure? I can come get you."

His voice held a hint of something soft, something that sounded like care. It was a familiar trick, a small crumb of warmth to keep me hooked. For a second, it almost worked.

Then I remembered the smoke and the fear.

"I'm sure," I said, my voice firm again. "I don't want you to."

"Okay," he said, and I could hear the slight edge in his voice. He wasn't used to me refusing his help. "How did you know I sent the flowers, by the way? I didn't put a card."

"You always send lilies, Liam."

"Right," he said. "Ava, how did you get my new address?" I asked, changing the subject.

There was a brief silence on his end. "I have my ways."

"You asked Sarah, didn't you?"

"She was worried about you," he said, not confirming or denying it. "We all are."

I ended the call and tossed my phone onto my desk. I knew Sarah would have caved. She had a soft spot for Liam, believing he was a good man who was just emotionally clueless. Maybe he was. But I was done being his teacher.

When I walked into the restaurant that night, the three of them were already seated at a table. Chloe looked up and her eyes widened in surprise when she saw me standing next to Liam.

"Ava! You came!" she said, her voice a little too bright.

Ben just nodded at me, looking uncomfortable. Liam, however, acted as if everything was perfectly normal. He pulled out a chair for me, his hand resting briefly on my back. It was a familiar, possessive gesture. I wanted to shrug it off, but I was too tired to make a scene.

As we sat, I noticed something. There were only three sets of silverware on the table. Liam had to signal a waiter to bring another one for me. It was a small thing, but it felt significant. They hadn't expected me to come. Or maybe, Liam hadn't told them he invited me.

Liam immediately started playing the role of the perfect host, ordering appetizers for the table, making sure everyone's water glass was full. He put a piece of grilled shrimp on my plate, then he put one on Chloe's.

It was a habit of his, serving me food. Seeing him do the same for her, so naturally, made my stomach churn with a dull, familiar jealousy.

Chloe noticed me watching. She smiled sweetly and picked up the shrimp with her chopsticks.

"Liam has always taken such good care of me," she said, looking at me directly. "Ever since we were kids. That night of the fire, I was so scared. My ankle was throbbing, and I thought I was going to be trapped. But Liam... he was my hero."

Her words were a clear provocation. She was twisting the knife, reminding me of my place.

I picked up my water glass and took a slow sip, keeping my face impassive. "I'm glad you're okay, Chloe."

I could feel Liam's eyes on me, probably expecting me to cause a scene. I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction.

"You must have been terrified too, Ava," Chloe pressed on, her voice dripping with fake sympathy. "Waking up to all that smoke."

My mind flashed back to the hallway, the suffocating grayness, the feeling of being utterly alone. My grip on the glass tightened. The memory was a raw, open wound.

"It wasn't pleasant," I said, my voice tight.

"Liam," Chloe said, turning to him. "You still haven't properly apologized to Ava, have you? You were so worried about me, you probably forgot your manners."

The way she said it was masterful. She was positioning herself as the magnanimous one, the one encouraging him to do the right thing, while simultaneously highlighting his devotion to her.

Liam looked uncomfortable. He cleared his throat and turned to me. His eyes, usually so confident, were hesitant.

"Ava, I... I'm sorry," he said, his voice low. "I shouldn't have left you like that."

It was the first time he had ever apologized to me so directly, without a gift as a buffer. But hearing it now, in front of them, felt humiliating. It wasn't a real apology. It was a performance for Chloe's benefit. I felt like a child being placated.

My anger, which I had been carefully suppressing all night, finally boiled over. I picked up the shrimp he had placed on my plate and deliberately dropped it onto the clean tablecloth.

It left a small, greasy stain.

"Ava," Liam said, his voice laced with warning. "What are you doing?"

"I don't like shrimp," I said coolly.

"You love shrimp," he shot back, his jaw tight. It was a statement of fact. He knew my tastes, my habits. He thought that knowledge gave him ownership.

"My tastes have changed," I said, looking him straight in the eye. I was pushing back, reclaiming a small piece of myself.

Liam sighed, a sound of deep frustration. "Look, I know you're upset. But Chloe and I are just friends. We have been since we were five. You know that."

"Yes, we're practically like brother and sister!" Chloe chimed in, placing a hand on Liam's arm. Her touch was light, but it was a clear claim. "Don't misunderstand, Ava. I would never want to come between you two."

The hypocrisy was suffocating.

"Oh, I'm not misunderstanding anything," I said, a bitter smile playing on my lips. "It's all crystal clear."

I pushed my chair back, the legs scraping loudly against the floor. Every head in our section of the restaurant turned to look.

"I have to go," I said.

I didn't wait for a response. I turned and walked out of the restaurant, leaving them sitting there with the stained tablecloth and the echo of my defiance. I needed to get away before I suffocated.