Chapter 10
Jameson took my hand gently, leading me away from the scene. I didn’t glance back at Liam, who was left behind, caught in a chaotic swirl of crying and laughing.
Liam retreated to Oklahoma, distancing himself from everything he handed over the company to Oliver and took refuge in Ava’s house, where he drank himself into a stupor every day, as though Ava had never left. Evelyn came several times to find him, but he refused to open the door.
The final time, Liam was so drunk that he opened the door to Evelyn by mistake. Seizing the opportunity, Evelyn
manipulated the situation, and they slept together. When Liam woke up, Evelyn demanded that he take responsibility, forcing him to get a marriage certificate.
On the day of the wedding, Liam’s mind drifted to thoughts of Ava – the girl with a gentle smile and a heart full of patience.
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Why had everything turned out this way? Why had Ava left him? Why had they separated just when they were on the verge of marriage?
–
“Liam, Liam,” Evelyn whispered, holding his hand, urging him. “Say it say you‘ re willing.”
It was in that moment that Liam finally understood. He stared at the woman in front of him with bloodshot eyes, realization dawning on him. It was her, Evelyn, who had been the one to tear him away from Ava. She lured him away when Ava had to undergo surgery to remove part of her stomach. It was her words that poisoned his mind, telling him that Ava was manipulative, that if he returned to her, she would control him.
When Liam saw the tubes in Ava, he had exploded. He‘ d convinced himself that she was lying, that it was only a minor stomachache. How foolish he had been.
Regret flooded him as the truth settled in.
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an
He had pulled the tube out of Ava, dragged her away, and demanded an apology apology for something he had never believed. He had failed her when she needed him most. How deeply it must have
hurt her.
Liam turned his gaze back to Evelyn with fury in his eyes. The realization of the damage she had caused consumed him. He reached for the cake knife, trembling, and stabbed it into Evelyn‘ s stomach. The room was filled with a scream of horror.
Before Evelyn could react, he stabbed her again, his voice breaking through the chaos. “Go to hell! It’s because of you that I lost Ava. Why are you marrying me?”
When Evelyn fell to the ground, motionless, Liam dropped the knife, his expression vacant. In a daze, he stumbled off the stage. At the end of the red carpet, he thought he saw Ava – he smiled, and for a moment, his steps quickened. “Ava, I‘ m here. We can finally be together.”
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But when he reached out, his hand grasped. only air. Desperation seized him as he screamed, “Ava, where are you?”
It wasn’t until the police arrived that his frantic outburst subsided.
The incident sent shockwaves through Oklahoma. Evelyn died at the scene, and Liam was taken into custody, his mind. unraveling.
The news reached me quickly, and I found myself sighing, overwhelmed by the turn of events. Jameson, hearing the commotion, came over and wrapped me in his arms.
“What’s wrong, baby?” he asked softly.
I lifted my hands to circle his neck, burying my face against him. “Nothing. I just feel like everything is so unpredictable.”
He chuckled, his voice low. “That’s why we have to enjoy life while we can.”
His smile was wickedly charming as he carried me back to the room. In the quiet
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darkness, I finally found my light–warm, steady, and unwavering.
