Page 80 of Landing Liam

I step back, folding my arms across my chest. “Good,” I say flatly. “How about you?”

“You should feel great,” he says with a grin. “You won. You’re still on top, man. That’s all that matters, right?”

I nod slowly, the muscles in my jaw tightening. “Yeah… except for one thing.”

Zach raises an eyebrow, his grin faltering slightly. “Oh? What’s that?”

“Someone’s been lying about me,” I say. “Spreading rumors, trying to ruin my reputation. That kind of thing really pisses me off.”

He hesitates for a fraction of a second, but recovers quickly. “Lying? About what? You mean the doping stuff? Don’t let that garbage get to you, man. People love to hate on winners.”

I stare at him, my expression unyielding, and pull a folded piece of paper from my back pocket. “Take a look,” I say, handing it over.

Zach’s smile wavers as he takes the paper from my hand. He unfolds it, his eyes scanning the words on the page. It’s my drug test results—proof that I’m clean, that I’ve always been clean. I watch his face closely, noting the subtle tightening of his jaw and the way his lips press into a thin line.

When he finally looks up, his expression is carefully neutral, but I see the flicker of something else in his eyes—panic, maybe. Guilt. “Well, uh, that’s great news, man,” he says, forcing a grin. “I knew you were clean. Always knew it.”

“Did you?” I ask, low and sharp. “Because, funny thing… my family did some digging. Turns out, the rumors started around the same time you and Lyla got cozy on social media.”

Zach’s grin falters completely, his face paling. “What are you talking about? I don’t know anything about that.”

“Don’t you?” I step closer, my voice rising slightly. “Because it sure as hell looks like someone close to me—someone I trusted—was feeding stories to the press. Stories about my personal life, my training, my struggles. And let me tell you, Zach, that narrows the list down to a pretty damn small circle.”

He takes a step back, holding up his hands. “Whoa, whoa. You’re not seriously accusing me of… whatever this is. I’m your trainer, man. I’ve been with you through everything.”

“Yeah, you have,” I say. “Which is why it hurts even more that you might be the one stabbing me in the back.”

Zach’s eyes dart around the room, as if looking for an escape route. “Look, I don’t know where you’re getting this, but I’d never do that to you. You’ve got this all wrong.”

“Do I?” I ask, my tone icy. “Because I’ve got proof, Zach. Proof that someone close to me is leaking information. And if it’s not you, you better start talking. Because the clock’s ticking, and I’m done playing nice.”

Zach’s shoulders slump, and he exhales sharply, as if the weight of the confrontation has finally broken him. “Fine,” he mutters, his voice low. “I might know something about it.”

Disgust rises in my chest like bile. I take a step closer, my hands clenching into fists at my sides. “Talk. Now,” I demand, my tone cold and unrelenting.

He hesitates, his eyes darting away from mine. “It all started when you broke up with Lyla,” he admits quietly.

I let out a bitter laugh, shaking my head as the anger churns inside me. “Of course it did,” I say, the words dripping with sarcasm. “Lyla’s starting to feel like the worst mistake I’ve ever made.”

Zach looks down at the floor, unable to meet my gaze. “She was pissed, man. She felt like you humiliated her. She started venting to me when we’d run into each other in town, asking me for details about your routine, your struggles… your life. At first, it seemed harmless. Just her trying to process the breakup.”

I cross my arms over my chest, narrowing my eyes at him. “And when did it stop being harmless, Zach? When did you decide to use everything I trusted you with against me?”

He flinches at my words, his shoulders hunching as if trying to shield himself from the weight of his guilt. “It wasn’t like that,” he insists, his voice rising defensively. “She… she offered me money. A lot of money. Said she wanted to set the record straight and expose the ‘real you.’”

I take a step closer, my glare cutting into him like a knife. “And you just went along with it? For what? A payday? You sold me out for some cash?”

“It’s complicated,” he snaps, his voice cracking under the pressure. “It was about… My mom’s medical bills… they’re expensive. She can’t afford them and living on this mountain is expensive. I… I felt like I had no choice, so I sold a false story or two about you to get some extra cash to make her life easier.”

His confession lands like a punch to the gut. I stare at him, my heart pounding as the betrayal sinks in. “I trusted you and you sold me out.”

“I didn’t think it would get this far,” Zach stammers, his hands trembling as he gestures wildly. “I didn’t think it would blow up like this. Lyla… she just kept pushing for more and I didn’t know how to stop.”

My chest tightens, the mix of anger and hurt almost suffocating. “You didn’t know how to stop it?” I repeat, my voice rising. “You stop it by saying no, Zach. You stop it by not betraying the one person who’s had your back through everything.”

He looks up at me, his face pale and drawn. “I’m sorry, Liam. I messed up. I know I did. But… you’ve got to believe me, man. I never wanted it to come to this.”

I stare at him, my emotions a chaotic swirl of fury and disappointment. “If you had money issues or needed help with your mom’s medical bills,” I say firmly, “you should have come to me. I would have helped.”