Chapter 66
Ugh. No. That was just the tequila talking.
Right?
Anyway. This is definitely a sober, tomorrow problem.
I press the rim of my next drink to my lips, Liam already kind of forgotten, but the room tilts, and I giggle – actually giggle – because wow, okay, maybe I had a little too much.
A hand wraps around my wrist before I can take another sip.
I barely stop myself from flinching. That slight touch feels so..
wrong.
“Drowning your sorrows?”
That voice. I know that voice.
My brows furrow. My thoughts are slow, messy. Like my brain is wading through syrup.
Is it Liam?
No. Not possible. I think.
He wouldn’t be here.
And yet-
I blink up at him. He’s real. Standing right in front of me, watching me with that unreadable look.
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Then I blink again and he’s smiling. Once more and his blond hair is brown. The last time his smile is predatory.
I shake my head, squeezing my eyes shut for a second. When I open them, everything looks normal again.
Too much tequila. That’s all.
I must have had more to drink than I thought.
My breath catches, but I quickly scowl, yanking my wrist from his hold. “What do you care?” I mumble, swaying slightly as I bring the glass to my lips again. “You’ve already made it clear I don’t mean anything to you.”
He doesn’t say anything for a while and I look back at him, but my vision’s a bit blurred. “You know that’s not true.”
1 scoff, swirling the drink again. My limbs feel heavy, my head light. “Oh yeah? Because it sure sounded true when you basically called me desperate for my ex.”
A hand brushes my wrist.
The touch is rough and warning alarms go off in my head, but they’re sloppy at best.
I flinch. “Don’t touch me,” I snap. “You don’t get to act like you care, Liam. Not after-” My voice cracks, and I hate it. I hate him.
The hand pulls back.
“I never wanted to hurt you,” he drawls and I try not to think too deeply about how weird all of this is.
I squeeze my eyes shut. “Then why do you always do it?”
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A beat of silence.
Then-
“Because you make it too easy, princess.”
My stomach drops.
My heart slams against my ribs.
For some reason, all the alcohol leaves my veins and I can finally think clearly.
That’s not Liam’s voice.
My breath stutters as I force my head up now that my vision isn‘ t so blurred anymore.
And sure enough, it’s not Liam.
It’s Stone.
Trigger Warning: Sexual Assault
This chapter includes a scene involving non–explicit, non- consensual sexual activities. I’ve done my best to handle it with care, but the subject matter is still difficult. Please prioritise your well–being and read only if you feel safe doing so.
EMILIA
Stone reaches out, fingertips grazing the air between us, but I jerk away before he can touch me.
Something is wrong.
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I suddenly realise the bartender is gone. It’s just the two of us. The air feels thick, the silence pressing in.
“What the fuck are you doing?!” My voice comes out sharper than I expect, slicing through the quiet between us. Outside, I can still hear the sounds of music and laughter, but it’s so loud I highly doubt anyone can hear a thing happening in here.
I stumble off my stool, my legs wobbling beneath me. My head is fuzzy, but not enough to miss the way his smile lingers – like he expected this.
Like he was waiting for this moment.
Every single alarm bell in my head goes off and this time I don’t ignore it.
I try to move past him, but my balance betrays me. He shifts forward, closing the distance.
His smile doesn’t reach his eyes anymore.
“I’m your boyfriend,” he says, like it’s obvious. Like he expects me to believe it’s true. “What do you mean, ‘what am I doing?“”
My stomach twists. My pulse pounds in my ears.
I step back. He steps forward.
Again.
And again.
Until my back nearly brushes the wall.
“Oh,” he muses, tilting his head. “You’re not that drunk, after all.
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What a shame.”
His smile fades, leaving something colder behind.
“I was curious what pretty little lies you’d want to hear before falling into my bed.”
My breath catches. My skin goes cold.
Every instinct in me screams to run.
“Don’t even think about it, princess,” he clicks his tongue softly, the predatory smile I saw in my drunken haze is back. “It only took a couple hundred dollars to pay off the bartender and no one can hear us from outside, don’t bother screaming for your boy toy.”
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