Chapter 3

Ashley POV

Serena glanced at me timidly, biting her lip. "The hotel bed was too hard, and I was scared being alone... Liam, am I disturbing you two?"

"No," Liam answered definitively. Then he turned to me and said in an undeniable, commanding tone, "Serena just got back, and she's emotionally unstable. She'll be staying here for a while. Go tidy up the guest room."

From the first day Serena moved in, this house stopped being mine.

There was a pink toiletries set on the bathroom counter, Serena's stuffed animals piled on the sofa, and even my desk, which I usually used for lesson planning, was now covered with her various cosmetics.

I didn't make a fuss. I acted like a dutiful invisible person, leaving for my tutoring jobs on time every day and returning late at night under the moonlight.

I thought that if I just yielded, I could maintain surface peace. But I underestimated Serena's tactics and overestimated Liam's bottom line.

One weekend night, I was suddenly hit with a severe stomachache.

It felt like a meat grinder violently churning inside my stomach. I was in so much pain that I broke out in a cold sweat, curled up in bed, my breathing shaky.

I fumbled for my phone and called Liam.

The phone rang for a long time before he picked up. Liam's extremely impatient voice came through. "What is it?"

"Liam... my stomachache is acting up, it really hurts. Can you come back and take me to the hospital?" My voice was so weak it was almost inaudible.

There was silence on the other end for two seconds. Apparently, he heard the pain in my voice, and Liam finally relented. "Alright, I'll be right back. Get dressed first."

I hung up, forced myself to get up, put on a thick coat, and sat on the living room sofa, waiting for him.

The cramping pain in my stomach came in waves. I bit down hard, staring at the clock on the wall.

Twenty minutes later, the lock clicked.

Liam strode in. Seeing my pale face, his brows furrowed slightly. "Why are you in so much pain? Let's go, the car's downstairs."

He actually reached out to help me. Leaning on his warm arm, my nose stung, and that little spark of hope in my heart, which was almost extinguished, seemed to reignite.

Just as we reached the front door, and Liam had picked up his car keys, the guest bedroom door on the second floor suddenly burst open.

Serena ran out barefoot, her face ashen, trembling all over, and threw herself into Liam's arms.

"Liam! I'm scared! There's thunder outside, I'm so scared!" She clutched Liam's shirt, crying uncontrollably. "Please don't leave? Please don't abandon me!"

Liam stiffened, instinctively letting go of my hand and instead wrapping Serena tightly in his arms.

"Don't be scared, Serena, I'm right here. It's just thunder, it's okay." He patted Serena's back gently, his voice dripping with tenderness.

I lost my support and stumbled, my back hitting the cabinet by the door with a heavy thud.

A dull ache spread, but it was nothing compared to the cramping in my stomach, or the tearing pain in my heart.

I looked at the two of them, tightly embracing, as if they were the loving couple, and I was just the villainous female antagonist ruining their moment.

"Liam," I took a deep breath, my voice trembling from the pain. "I'm really hurting."

Liam's movements paused. He turned to look at me. In his deep-set eyes, there was no sympathy, only the cold calculation of weighing pros and cons.

"Ashley, Serena had a very unhappy marriage abroad. She's been severely traumatized and has serious PTSD from thunder," Liam said, frowning, his voice carrying a sense of righteous accusation. "You just have a stomachache. Go to the hospital in a cab by yourself. I'll stay here with her."

You just have a stomachache.

That sentence was like a resounding slap across my face, shattering the pitiful hope in my heart.

I looked at Liam and suddenly laughed. It was a laugh uglier than any cry.

"Alright." I didn't argue, didn't become hysterical. I just turned around, pushed open the door, and walked out into the stormy, thundering rain.

I don't know how I managed to get a cab, or how I registered and got an IV.

The cold IV fluid dripped into my veins. I lay on the emergency room bed, staring at the sterile white ceiling, took out my phone, and noted in my memo:

"My stomachache was unbearable, but he made me go to the hospital alone in the pouring rain to comfort Serena who was afraid of thunder. Minus ten points."

Only ten points left.

Just then, a commotion erupted outside the emergency room.

"Doctor! Come quick and see her! She's bleeding!"

The voice was too familiar. I turned my head, and through the half-open curtain, I saw Liam.

He was soaking wet, cradling an equally drenched Serena in his arms, his face showing a mix of panic and urgency I had never seen before.

A doctor rushed over to examine her. A few seconds later, the doctor's voice was a little helpless. "Sir, this lady just accidentally cut her finger while cutting fruit. The wound is very shallow, doesn't even need stitches. A band-aid will be fine."

"What do you know! Her blood doesn't clot well. What if it gets infected? Call your best surgeon!" Liam roared furiously.

I lay behind the curtain, silently watching the scene unfold.

Turns out, he wasn't afraid of the heavy rain, or the thunder. He just... didn't care about me.

I closed my eyes, and a hot tear slid down my temple.

Just then, Liam seemed to sense something. He suddenly turned his head, his gaze directly meeting my dead eyes.