Liam couldn't care less about the kid, but what about Chloe?

Charlotte wasn't boiling with rage about Chloe anymore, but she was still dying to know how things turned out for her. The next day, Charlotte hit up Vincent to reach out to Daniel.

She wanted a peek at Chloe's situation.

Daniel agreed in a heartbeat and had a car for Charlotte in no time.

And, of course, Liam was in the ride too.

Spotting him, Charlotte dragged her feet, not too eager to close the gap.

Liam just bit his lip and looked away. "Just happened to be heading the same way," he muttered.

"Pretty weak excuse," Charlotte scoffed.

She had a backup car tailing Liam's, just in case.

Liam was obviously playing the Chloe card to snag some face time with her. If Charlotte bailed on seeing him, no Chloe. So, she bit the bullet.

They pulled up to the same old beat-up house. The moment Charlotte stepped out, the air was pierced with screaming.

"Best keep it to the window. Inside's a no-go zone, she's wild," Liam warned, getting out of his car too.

Charlotte inched away without making it obvious.

Liam noticed, his jaw tightening before he forced himself to relax.

"Stop dodging me, Charlotte."

It was like he was desperate

hold onto her, all those years of pain and longing crashing over him.

The one he'd longed for day and night was right there, the one who'd pulled him from torment and yet pushed him into deeper despair.

"Just do what makes you happy, I'll deal with whatever you throw at me."

"But don't hide away from me."

"Even if you're gonna kill me, you have to do it in front of me. Let me see you."

Charlotte stopped dead in her tracks and spun around, "You lost your mind?"

Liam just shook his head coolly, "Nope."

"You sure? 'Cause you sound bonkers!" Charlotte couldn't deal with his drama.

She found a rock to stand on and peered through the window.

The scene inside threw her for a loop.

What had become of Chloe?

She used to be cruel and cunning.

Always so polished and untouchable.

But what was Chloe now?

Dressed in rags, and smeared with dirt, she was thrashing around the room like some caged beast, spewing nonsense.

Chloe right then was a shadow of a person.

"Why's she like this?" Charlotte whispered, staring in disbelief.

Liam stood just behind her, carefully not touching but close enough to catch her if she stumbled.

When she asked her question, there was a pause. Liam's voice was quiet when he finally spoke. "You don't need to know it"

Charlotte always pegged him as the weak type.

But, nah, he wasn't all that soft.

"I'm not exactly Mr. Patience with everyone else."

"You just gotta get that Chloe's in a world of hurt, way worse than being dead."

"That's your big explanation?" Charlotte asked, turning to look at him.

Liam thought for a second, then shook his head.

"This is just what I had to do eventually. It got delayed for various reasons. The real deal I owe you isn't this."

"What's the real deal then?"

"You'll see."

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Liam looked like he had a storm going on inside him, and Charlotte didn't want to dive into that mess.

After checking on Chloe, Charlotte was ready to bolt. This kind of crazy didn't seem put on, but still, it felt off.Content © copyrighted by .

Chloe's mess-ups were too big to just be wiped away with the 'she was crazy' excuse. Wasn't that letting her off way too easy?

Trying to hop off the rock, Charlotte's foot slipped, and she was going back fast.

She braced for a hard landing, but instead, she crashed into something solid.

"Hiss..." That was Liam catching his breath.

It took a second for Charlotte to catch on - she'd landed on Liam, right where he was hurt.

She got up quickly, missing the hand Liam had out like he wanted to keep her close.

"Your shoulder still busted?" she tossed out, trying to shake off the weird moment.

Liam gave a little nod, wincing as he did, which just annoyed Charlotte even more. She didn't want any ties to Liam.

"Get Daniel to take you to the hospital. Have them fix you up and put it on Vincent's account."

Liam just laughed, kind of sad. "Got to keep it all business, huh?"

"Better to keep the lines clear, less hassle later."

"Come on...Hiss.."

Liam winced, squatting down slowly, his face scrunching up with the effort. It was clear he was in some serious pain. "You know I can't stay mad at you, Charlotte," he said, his voice barely above a whisper. "How could I ever be?"

He paused, his voice wobbling a bit, "Charlotte, how could you?"

Charlotte's exit halted at his words.

"Four years, Four years!"

"I kept telling them you weren't dead, but no one would believe me."

"I figured you wouldn't visit my dreams because you were somewhere out there, holding a grudge against me."

Just a heads up: is the only place to read the complete version of this book for free. Don't miss out on the next chapter-visit us now and continue your journey! "I'd lie awake all night, replaying what you said in the car."

"You said you hated me, but you couldn't stand the thought of me dead."

"But Charlotte, how can you stand seeing me like this?"

"I wish I had been the one to die that day."

"I've blamed myself over and over, wondering why I couldn't save you."

"I've questioned if I'm just cowardly and selfish, selfish enough to watch you die."

"I'm caught in this massive vortex, struggling, but I can't break free."

"Charlotte, if it had been me that day... would you have let go of your anger with my death?"

"Would you look at my grave and manage a smile?"

"Instead of treating me like I'm some kind of monster."

"Charlotte."

"Do I deserve to die?" Liam asked.

Charlotte was quiet.

The person who is supposed to die is Chloe.

But seeing Liam there, all twisted up in pain, she got hit with the thought that maybe she wasn't the only one who got dealt a bad hand from that crash four years ago.

Liam was the one who threw himself over her and took the brunt of it so she'd come out with barely a scratch.

She couldn't just pretend he hadn't been there for her, or that he didn't have her back when everything went south.

If they could freeze this moment, maybe there was a chance to fix what got broken.

Except for Liam, he let Chloe walk away scot-free.

"You don't deserve to die."

She dropped down to his level, their eyes locking, "Liam, the thing is... you just... don't deserve to be loved."