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CHAPTER 73
LIANA’S POV
After I got out of the room and took a long, hot bath that did absolutely nothing to calm the ache in my chest, I changed into something more comfortable and came downstairs, still trying not to think as if it would help about the way Killian had looked at me before he left. I didn’t know what I was expecting to see when I walked into the living room while holding my breath, but the moment I did, my stepmom glanced up from where she was setting the table and gave me that look, that mom look that says, “I know something’s wrong even if you try to pretend otherwise.”
“Did you and Killian fight?” she asked as casually as she could, but I could already hear the concern under her
voice.
I opened my mouth to say yes, to admit that it wasn’t just a fight but a full–blown emotional disaster that ended with me saying things I didn’t fully mean, but before I could say anything, she added, “Because he stepped out angrily… like, really angrily.”
I paused, caught off guard. “He did?”
She nodded slowly, her brows slightly pinched. “He looked really tense. Didn’t say a word to anyone. Just grabbed his keys and left.”
Something inside me twisted. I didn’t think he’d be that upset. I mean, yes, I knew I hurt him with what I I said, but he was always so good at hiding his feelings behind that cold, confident exterior. I didn’t know it would hit him that hard.
But then again, maybe I did. Maybe I’d just been trying not to acknowledge it.
I shook my head slowly. “Don’t worry about it,” I said, forcing a small smile. “It’s nothing serious.”
She didn’t push further. She just sighed, nodded, and then said softly, “Food is ready. I know you must be hungry. Ryan! Come down, food is ready!”
I took a seat at the table, trying to gather myself, trying not to think as if I could help it about the way Killian’s face had looked when I told him we could never be together, trying not to remember how his voice cracked when he tried to hide the hurt.
Ryan came rushing down the stairs like a little ball of sunshine, he spotted the food and let out a happy squeal.
“Yay! My favorite!” he shouted and hopped into the seat beside me.
I smiled and helped him with his plate, cutting up the meat while humming softly the way he liked it. He was humming some silly superhero theme song under his breath while chewing like he hadn’t eaten in days.
Then, completely out of nowhere, he said it.
“Daddy was crying when he came to my room.”
Everything in me just… stopped. My hand froze. My throat tightened.
My stepmom looked up at him sharply, then turned to look at me.
“What do you mean, baby?” I asked, trying to keep my voice as calm as possible, even though my heart had already fallen to the pit of my stomach.
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Ryan shrugged, still chewing. “He came into my room, sat with me for a while, and his eyes were red. Then water came out. I asked him why he was crying, but he didn’t answer. He just kissed me a lot.”
I blinked fast, trying to act like that wasn’t the most painful thing I’d ever heard.
My stepmom let out a soft sigh, her eyes still on me. I didn’t look at her. I couldn’t. Because if I did, I’d break.
He cried? Killian cried?
The same Killian who always held everything in, who never showed weakness, who acted like nothing and no one could break him? He cried?
Because of me?
I swallowed hard, trying to keep it together as if my life depended on it, but the guilt came flooding in like a damn tidal wave, soaking me in this thick, choking shame.
Maybe I went too far.
Maybe I hurt him more than I thought.
He didn’t deserve that. He’d done everything to prove himself, to be here, to love me and Ryan. And what did I do? I kept pushing him away, saying things I knew would cut deep. I told him we could never work, that choosing me over Cynthia was a mistake. I practically shoved him back into the arms of the woman who nearly destroyed my life, all because I was scared, because I didn’t think I was worthy, because it was easier to push him away than to admit that I wanted him, too.
I thought I was protecting myself. But maybe all I did was hurt the only man who ever truly loved me.
My chest tightened, and I couldn’t breathe properly.
I looked down at my plate. I wasn’t hungry anymore.
It was a little past 5pm, and I was curled up on my bed, holding my phone with both hands and staring at Killian’s name on the screen. I didn’t know why I was suddenly nervous to call him. I wanted to apologize. I just… didn’t know how to start. I sighed, tapped the call button, and waited.
But before it could ring, there was a knock on my door.
“Who is it?” I called.
“It’s me,” my dad’s voice came through. It sounded quite pissed.
I frowned as if sensing something deeper and got up quickly. The moment I opened the door, he walked in, his face filled with so much rage that it scared me for a second. My stepmom was right behind him, and she looked quite pale, worried, like she’d been crying for a while. My stomach dropped.
“What happened?” I asked, looking between them.
My dad didn’t even waste time. “It’s good you’re here, Liana,” he said. “There’s a big problem! That Killian just put you in a whole lot of danger through that article!”
“What article?” I blinked, confused.
He scoffed and pulled out his phone. “So you don’t even know what’s happening on the internet? You’re all over it! It’s everywhere!”
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He shoved the phone at me. I took it and read the headline out loud, my breath catching: “Billionaire Killian Wolfe Accused of Incestuous Relationship With His Sister“.
My hand flew to my mouth. “Oh my God.”
My dad was shaking now. Shaking with fury, but underneath that, I could see something else… fear. Real fear. This wasn’t about the article. It was something more.
“I tried to protect you from this,” he snapped. “I kept you away from all this werewolf madness. I kept you hidden far from the spotlight. But now look… Do you know you have your mother’s face? And now…. now that face is all over the internet. They’ll come for you. Don’t you get it?”
“Dad… I don’t understand what you’re saying. Who’s they? You’re scaring me,” I said, my voice trembling.
My dad was pacing back and forth as if trying to outrun his thoughts. “I tried… for years, I tried. But that Killian, he dragged you into the mud. He brought your name into this. He didn’t protect you. He exposed you. Now they’ll find you.”
“Dad, who is they?! What are you talking about?!” I cried, my voice cracking.
TOE
He didn’t answer. He just kept saying, “They’ll come for you. They’ll come.”
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My heart was beating too fast, as if it knew something was wrong. “You’re scaring me. What the hell are you hiding from me? You need to tell me! You’ve been hiding shit from me my whole life. I’m not a child anymore. I can handle whatever it is you’re hiding. If you love me, then stop keeping me in the darin dark!”
“I’m protecting you,” he said tightly. “You’ll understand soon.”
I lost it. I shoved the phone back in his chest. “To hell with your protection! I didn’t ask for it! I didn’t ask for you to keep me in the dark all in the name of protection! If you really are protecting me, then at least tell me what the fuck I’m being protected from!”
I turned and stormed out of the room.
“Liana-”
NIT
I ignored his call and walked down the stairs as if I could outrun the truth.
“Liana! Liana, come back here!” my stepmom called after me, but I didn’t stop. I was too angry. Too confused. My head felt like it was going to explode. I didn’t even know what I was thinking as I pulled open the front door and stepped outside.
I couldn’t breathe properly as if the air itself was too heavy inside that house anymore. It was like I was being choked. I was tired of living in the dark. Why was dad acting like this? What the hell did my late mother have to do with anything? What was he hiding? Why was he so damn scared?
I walked aimlessly around the neighborhood, trying to clear my head while fighting the mess of thoughts. I needed air. Just some fresh air to stop myself from crying or throwing something. My mind was spiraling in a million directions. One second it was Killian, then the article, now my dad losing his mind and talking about people coming for me like we were in some crime thriller.
Just as I rounded a corner, something felt… off. I slowed my steps and looked around. A strange feeling crept over my neck, like someone was watching.
I quickened my steps.
I heard footsteps. Behind me. Matching mine.
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I turned to look, but no one was in sight.
My heart thudded in my chest. I started walking faster.
The footsteps followed.
I broke into a run.
“Help! Help-” I screamed, but before I could even finish, someone grabbed me from behind.
I screamed, kicked, scratched, but it was too fast. Too planned. A sack was thrown over my head, and strong arms dragged me backwards just as a black van pulled up.
I fought. God, I fought. But they were stronger.
The last thing I felt was cold metal against my legs as they threw me inside.
And then the doors slammed shut.
Darkness.
Total darkness…
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WI
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