Chapter 4

I threw myself into work, using long hours and complex marketing strategies as a shield against my own thoughts. Liam continued his campaign. Flowers arrived daily, gourmet lunch was delivered to my desk, his driver was mysteriously waiting for me every evening.

I refused it all. I told the receptionist to reject the flowers. I gave the food to the security guard. I took the subway home, even if it meant waiting an extra twenty minutes.

I started to enjoy my quiet, empty apartment. I could eat cereal for dinner without judgment. I could watch terrible reality TV for hours. I could breathe. For the first time in a long time, my space felt entirely my own.

One afternoon, Ben Carter called.

"Ava," he started, his voice placating. "Liam's a mess. He's not eating, he's not sleeping. He's just... lost without you."

"That's not my problem, Ben," I said, my tone flat.

"Come on, just talk to him. He's at The Belmont tonight. Just come have one drink. Let him apologize properly."

"He already had his chance to apologize."

"Please, Ava. As a friend. I'm worried about him."

Against my better judgment, I agreed. A part of me, a small, foolish part, wanted to believe that maybe this time would be different. Maybe without Chloe there, he could be honest.

I arrived at the dimly lit bar and saw them in a corner booth before they saw me. Liam, Ben, and Chloe. My heart sank. Of course, she was here.

I hovered near the bar, hidden by the crowd, and I could overhear their conversation.

"She's just being overly sensitive," Chloe was saying, swirling the wine in her glass. "She'll come around. She always does."

Ben nodded in agreement. "She's crazy about him. She just needs to blow off some steam."

My hands clenched into fists. They were discussing me like I was a faulty appliance that just needed a little time to reset.

Then Chloe leaned in closer to Liam, her voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Do you remember in college, how you tried so hard to get me to go out with you? All those ridiculous poems you wrote."

Liam looked mortified. "Chloe, don't."

"What? It's cute," she laughed. "It's a shame I was so hung up on that stupid art major. We would have been good together."

Ben snickered. "Yeah, man, you were relentless. I thought you were going to follow her to her study abroad program in Italy."

The blood drained from my face. It all clicked into place. The strange gifts he'd buy that weren't my style. The trips he planned to places I had no interest in but that Chloe had always talked about visiting. The way his eyes would follow her whenever she was in a room.

I had pursued him, yes. But I always had a nagging feeling that his agreement to date me was too sudden, too out of character. Now I knew why. He had just been rejected by Chloe. I wasn't his first choice. I was his consolation prize.

All those years, I had believed the rumors about them were just rumors. I had defended him, trusted him. I had made myself believe his cool detachment was just his personality. It wasn't. It was just a lack of interest. The warmth, the effort, the ridiculous poems-they had all been for her.

"Ava's a good girl, though," Chloe said, patting Liam's hand. "A bit... simple, but she's stable. Good for you."

"She's not simple," Liam said, but his defense was weak, tired.

"And so controlling," Ben added, shaking his head. "The way she freaked out about the fire. It was an emergency. You had to make a call."

That was it. I couldn't listen anymore.

I stepped out from behind the pillar and walked towards their table.

Three pairs of eyes snapped up to me. Their faces were a perfect picture of shock.

"Controlling?" I said, my voice dangerously calm. I looked directly at Ben. "Is that what you think? I'd love to hear more about my personality flaws. Please, enlighten me."

Ben's face turned beet red. "Ava, I... I didn't mean..."

"Liam," I said, turning to him, my voice dripping with ice. "Stop me. I'm being controlling again."

"Ava, please," he said, standing up. "Let's not do this here."

"Oh, I think this is the perfect place," I said, my eyes sweeping over the three of them. "A little reunion. The man who abandoned me, the woman he's secretly in love with, and the best friend who thinks I'm a hysterical bitch."

"That's not fair," Chloe said, her eyes wide with feigned innocence.

"Fair?" I laughed, a sharp, broken sound. "You want to talk about fair? Let's talk about how Liam pursued you for years. Let's talk about how I was just the girl he settled for after you turned him down."

Liam's face went pale. "That's not true."

"Isn't it?" I challenged, my voice rising. "Tell me it's not true, Liam. Look me in the eye and tell me you were never in love with her."

He looked from me to Chloe, his jaw working. He couldn't say it. In his silence, I had my answer.

The anger and humiliation and years of suppressed hurt coalesced into a single, decisive action. I picked up my glass of water from the bar and threw it in his face.

The entire bar went silent. Water dripped from his hair, down his stunned face.

"We are over, Liam," I said, each word a vow. "And this time, it's not a negotiation. It's a statement of fact."

I didn't spare a glance for Chloe's shocked face or Ben's open-mouthed stare.

"It was never about the fire," I said, my voice finally breaking. "The fire was just the moment I finally opened my eyes. It's about the years of lies. It's about you letting me believe I was loved, when I was just... convenient."

People were staring, whispering. I didn't care. For the first time, I felt free. I turned around and walked out of the bar, leaving my old life in a puddle on the floor.