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Anne and Maddie seemed to realize that something was wrong, and neither of them said anything. Though the music usually played was changed to a sadder playlist that was oddly comforting, I knew it must have been Anne that changed it. I appreciated the melancholy tones as I reviewed everything that had happened in my head.
“Morning, ladies!” Called the familiar voice that sent dread curling in my stomach. I dropped my piping bag and gripped the counter to control myself before I lost my balance. I felt like the floor had been ripped out from under me, all because I’d heard his voice.
“Hi,” said Maddie, followed by a greeting from Anne.
“Something wrong?” He asked. He made rustling noises as he did whatever he was doing. I refused to look. Not yet.
Neither of them responded, and I took deep breaths to prevent myself from tearing up. I wouldn’t cry right now. He didn’t deserve the tears.
“You rushed out this morning,” Liam said quietly from behind me. I’d been so caught up in my thoughts that I hadn’t realized he closed the distance between us.
I locked my jaw, rehearsing all of the things I wanted to say. There was so much, and I needed to make sure that I got my thoughts out correctly. My knuckles were turning white from how harshly I gripped the counter.
“Baby?” He questioned, wrapping an arm around the front of my chest. Before he could pull me to him, I spun and pushed away from him. He was wet from the rain as well, his auburn hair falling over his forehead and dripping.
“Howdareyou,” I said lowly, glowering at him. I balled my hands into fists to control some of the frustration inside my body.
His eyebrows shot up before furrowing in confusion. Liam reached for me, and I flinched away. “What’s wrong? I don’t—”
I laughed, cutting him off. But the sound was hollow, humorless, and I could see that it only confused him further. So he was going to play stupid?
“For weeks, you’ve been playing agame! Playing me! Pretending that you were supporting me! And you walk in here as though you’re not a snake waiting to strike!” My voice raised quickly, and I knew I was yelling. But I couldn’t control it. All of the damaged feelings and sense of betrayal were forcing everything out.
Anne and Maddie stopped what they were doing, looking at me for a moment. When my eyes flicked over to them, Anne grabbed Maddie’s hand and pulled her into the lobby, as if they couldn’t hear beyond the swinging doors.
“What are you talking about? I’ve only—”
“Don’t stand there and lie to me, Liam! I can’t believe you think I’m that stupid! But I guess you can, because you’ve fooled me this entire time.” I shook my head, tears falling despite my efforts to prevent them. He opened his mouth to speak, but I cut him off by pointing to the door. “Out.”
“Emma! I don’t know what you’re talking about. Please, just explain.”
“I said get out, Liam. You’re not welcome here anymore.” My tone was calm, but the rage in my veins continued to boil. I couldn’t handle even looking at him right now; the pain was too great.
He took a step closer to me, reaching for my hand, but I backed away quickly, stopping his movement. “Emma, please.”
Liam’s eyes held hurt, and his expression was dumbfounded. I wondered if he ever considered acting because he was too good at it. He hid so much from me this entire time, and I was the fool. I let him play with my heartstrings like a puppeteer. And he continued to stand there and pretend to be innocent.
“Get. Out.” I said louder, my voice scratchy and low. I was done with this, ready to flee.
Liam’s head dropped, defeated. My eyes stayed on him as he slowly walked to the door, pulling it open. He looked at me one last time, and his gaze met my watery one. I kept my expression still as he shook his head slightly.
For minutes after he left, I didn’t move. I couldn’t move. My limbs were numb, leaving the only feeling I had in my whole body to be in my chest. The pain was unmatched.
Eight years ago, I thought I’d known heartbreak. The man that I’d spent years with was torn from me by our families. Now, that same man was torn from me, but this time it was from my own stupidity for trusting that he was the same person he had been before. For believing that his intentions were pure, and falling for the ruse, he conspired. For hoping in the love that we once had.
Anne and Maddie eventually came back in, saying nothing as they wrapped their arms around me. I was too weak to hold back the tears, so I let them fall. Once they assured me that they could take care of all of the orders, I grabbed my bag and walked home.
#
It was a blessing that I’d been actually making some money at the bakery for a while. Because the plane ticket to New York City was more expensive than I would have expected. At this point, though, I would have paid double what I actually did pay. Desperation made me do things like that.
Not wanting to wait around until this afternoon, I went ahead and called an Uber to take me to the airport. I didn’t care if I would have to sit in the airport for six hours. At least I was somewhere that no one could reach me. Especially Liam.
I called Scarlett as soon as I had my wits about me, begging her to let me come stay with her. Isabella lived too close, otherwise, I would have gone directly to her house. But I couldn’t be on this island anymore. I couldn’t even be in this state.
I haphazardly shoved clothes and shoes into my largest suitcase, not caring about pairing outfits or worrying about what I would do in New York. It was different for me, because I usually put a lot of thought into packing and into outfits. The hurt was too much for me to put any kind of mental effort into anything else.
Once I got to the airport, I put my AirPods in and tried listening to an audiobook. It was about a girl who fell in love with her best friend’s twin brother, but honestly, I had heard none of it. While it played, I sat curled on a sofa chair at the airport, staring off into the distance. People moved around me, some rushed and some in no hurry. I could faintly hear mothers wrangling their children, men on business calls, or couples happily chatting over the audiobook, so I turned my volume up to a painful level. I didn’t need to hear anyone else’s happiness or business right now.
