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“Hey.”
“I’m sorry, Chase. Sorry for what I said when you came to my house.”
“Sorry for which part?”
“For saying you should be locked up. I took it too far, but I’m not sorry for trying to make you see what a mistake you’re making.”
The hope I had is quickly washed away with those words. From the anguish in his eyes, I can see this is something we will never get past.
“You’re entitled to your opinion. But I’m a grown man, Liam. I know what I’m doing.”
Liam strides towards me and gently grabs onto my shoulders.
“Chase, you’re struggling to see what’s happening right in front of you and it kills me. Noah has completely changed you, taken over your life and thoughts, Chase.”
“I can still think for myself.”
“Can you? Because if you were a patient of mine right now I would say that abandonment issues you suffered from your parents, have surfaced since you met him. It’s fucking sick to watch.”
“I don’t have abandonment issues.”
“You may have thought you didn’t, but Noah has triggered them. Why can’t you see it? You are willing to lose everyone in your life for him, and why? Because you are so scared to lose someone who has given you everything you didn’t know you wanted. He saw this, Chase. Noah has forced himself into your life and manipulated you. You know this. Iknowyou know this.”
I try to hold myself steady with Liam’s assessment of me. He’s right, part of me does know this, but it makes no difference. A life without Noah would be a life not worth living.
“Noah wants me, Liam. He is everything I need and I wish you could see that. I love him.”
“But he’llneverlove you.”
The sting in my eyes intensifies. He doesn’t get it, he doesn’t know Noah. I remove his hands from my shoulders and take a step back.
“He shows me every day what I am to him, unlike anyone else I’ve ever known. I’m not going to keep trying to justify this to you when you clearly don’t want to listen.”
Liam looks up to the ceiling and takes in a deep breath.
“I meant what I said before. You need help, Chase. I can’t stand around and watch this. It’s breaking my heart.”
“Nobody was asking you to.”
Liam nods his head, accepting that this back and forth is getting us nowhere. His eyes are so tired and sad, and part of me wants to reach for him. To comfort him. But I can’t.
“Then I guess this is goodbye. Look after yourself, Chase.”
“You too, Liam.”
Without looking back, Liam leaves my office and takes the last part of the old me with him.
As Noah putsthe last of my bags into his car, I look up at my house expecting to feel sad to be leaving. But instead alI I feel is excitement, like a weight has been lifted from my chest. We’re flying out to visit my brother today, before we head to Italy. A fresh start with Noah by my side is all I could have ever dreamed of. Arms circle my waist from behind and I lean into his body.
“Ready to go, baby?”
“So ready,” I say as I turn in his arms and look at my future.
EPILOGUE
TWO MONTHS LATER…
CHASE
