“Just got out of the shower.”
“Did you wash your hair? Don’t blow–dry it by yourself. I worry when Liam’s not there.”
I froze. Two years of living alone, and I’d almost forgotten. I’d once gotten my hair tangled in a hairdryer. After that, Liam always dried my hair, no matter how late or tired he was.
Mom’s voice sounded unusually cheerful.
“Honey, will you come home tomorrow? I’ll have Liam pick you up.” Before I could answer, she continued, “Liam’s bringing his girlfriend home tomorrow. We’ll have dinner, all of us. It’ll be nice. I miss you so much.”
A thunderbolt struck. My senses went numb, as
<
if the lightning had hit me directly.
“Chloe?”
I cleared my throat, feigning excitement. “No
need to bother Liam. He’s bringing his
girlfriend. I can come by myself.”
That night, my fever spiked. I didn’t want to
face Liam and his girlfriend so soon. I took
some Tylenol and waited until late evening
before heading home.
Mom greeted me at the door, engulfing me in a
hug. “Honey, you’ve lost so much weight!” I
quickly reassured her, not wanting her to notice
my fever.
She led me to the dining room, where Liam and
his girlfriend, Amelia, were waiting. Mom had
told me they’d known each other in college,
reconnected after graduation, and things just
clicked. Amelia was smart and beautiful, the
<
type Liam would naturally gravitate towards.
“Hi Liam, hi Amelia,” I greeted them cheerfully, startling them both. Mom patted my shoulder, glancing at Amelia’s flushed face. “Don’t mind her, Amelia. She’s a bit clumsy with words. But it’ll be ‘sister–in–law‘ soon enough… haha.” Amelia waved it off, while Liam frowned at me. What had I done now? It’s not like the title wasn’t going to change eventually.
The table was laden with my favorite dishes, but I had no appetite. After dinner, I excused myself and went upstairs to pack a few things. My bedroom had a large walk–in closet filled
with birthday gifts, including a tiara Liam had
custom–made for me when I was twelve, during
my princess phase. He’d given it to me with the
casual air of someone who’d picked up a
trinket from a street vendor. It was covered in
what I’d long thought were rhinestones, only to
later discover they were real diamonds. None of
it belonged to me anymore. It belonged to
<
Liam’s “little sister,” and I wasn’t her anymore.
I dragged a suitcase downstairs. Mom panicked. “Can’t you stay tonight, honey?”
“I have stuff to do at school.”
“Let Liam drive you! Liam! Is it so hard to drive your sister? Why are you always so reluctant? Amelia, you keep an eye on him. If he’s like this, scold him! And if he doesn’t change, tell me. This kind of man… honestly…”
Liam stood there silently, taking the verbal beating. The charismatic CEO, the college
heartthrob, reduced to a scolded child in his
own home. He nodded, grabbed my suitcase,
and glanced at me. “Let’s go.”
As he pulled up to my rundown apartment
complex, he finally spoke. “What about that
condo Mom bought you?”
く
Even then, a foolish part of me thought, He cares. “My… boyfriend lives here.” I mumbled,
scrambling out of the car. Liam was quicker. He
locked the doors before I could fully exit.
“Chloe, you better explain yourself.”
Amelia, startled by his coldness, pleaded softly,
“Don’t be so harsh with Chloe.”
Watching their affectionate exchange made me
sick to my stomach. Would Liam treat Amelia
the way he used to treat me? No. They were a
couple. He’d be a hundred times better to her.
“Explain what? You can date, why can’t I?”
“But you didn’t tell me, or Mom and Dad.”
“Did you tell them when you started dating? I
don’t have to report everything to you.”
Something in my words seemed to set him off.
His face hardened. “Say that again.”
<
82
My head spun, a coughing fit wracking my body, tears streaming down my face. I didn’t understand him. He’d pushed me away, yet now he was angry. “I know… you think he’s poor, beneath you, not good enough,” I wiped my tears. “But I’m not exactly… high-
maintenance… I just… I just wanted someone who’s good to me, who loves me. That’s all.”
“So, if he loves you so much, where is he?” Liam asked, a gust of wind swirling fallen leaves around us.
“I told him not to come. It’s freezing out here, he’d catch a cold.” I practically flew out of the car, not even looking back at Liam. He probably didn’t want to see me anyway. I wrestled my suitcase from the trunk, and Amelia came around from the passenger side. She touched my forehead with surprising familiarity. “I knew you had a fever! I could tell back at the house. Why didn’t you say anything?”
