bChapter /bb57 /b

Liam doren t stop moving, doesn’t loosen his grip, doesn’t even look back. He bjust /bpulls me through the chaos like hes the only thing keeping me grounded. And maybe he is. The cameras sh, reporters shout, but all I can focus on is the warmth of his hand wrapped around mine.

We break through the crowd, and only then does he slow down. But his grip? Still firm. Like he’s afraid if he lets gob, /bI’ll disappear.

He turns to me, his jaw tight, his chest rising and falling like he’s barely holding himself together. “If something bis /bever not okay,” he starts, voice low but edged with anger. Then he looks at me, and the anger melts into something else- something raw. “Tell me.”

I open bmy /bmouth, but nothinges out.

Liam shakes his head, his fingers tightening around mine. “You’re not going on this cruise alone, Emilia. I’m here. With you. So when something makes you ufortable, when you don’t like something–what’s the first thing you should

do?*

My heart is still thump, thump, thumping in my chest. Too fast. Too loud. “Liam—*

“That’s not an answer. His voice is firm, but his thumb brushes over my knuckles, gentle. “What’s the bfirst /bthing you

should do? Answer me.”

I swallow hard and lower my head. “Tell you.”

His grip softens, “Good.”

His voice drops even lower, but the promise in it is unshakable. “If you don’t want to bsee /breportersb, /bI’ll get rid of them.

If my presence annoys you, I’ll step back. But if some asshole tries to tear you down—if his words make you feel like anything less than the incredible woman you are–then I’ll make sure he regrets it.”

The way he says it? Like it’s not even a question. Like it’s a fact.

Like there’s nothing in this world he wouldn’t do to protect me.

I know that can’t be true. I know Liam can’t protect me from everything. I know everything he does now is a nothing more than a contractual obligation. But still, my heart won’t slow down.

I nod, but it’s not enough for him. His eyes are locked on me, intense and unrelenting.

“Use your words, Emilia. His voice is low, steady, but I can hear the frustration beneath it. Not at me–never at me.

But at the situationb, /bat the way I was just humiliated. “Do you understand meb?/bb” /b

I swallow, my throat dry. “Yes. I do.

Liam exhales, his grip on my hand finally loosening–but his free handes up, brushing a strand of hair behind bmy /bear. His touch is so careful, so deliberate, it makes my stomach flip.

“Good. His voice is softer now, but there’s still an edge to it. A promise. “bI /bgot a good look at his bface/bb. /bbHe’ll /bbbe /blucky he ever gets to work again after that stunt he bjust /bpulled.”

b1/2 /b

Chapter $7

i wow up at him, bird cabling them.

My heart i

this time? It has melong to do

Lian’s suice is now, almost desperate. “It’s my fucking fault things got to this pod Les His grip on my hand tightens, like het afraid I’ll clip away if he lets go.

I chake my head, but he doesnt let me speak.

I know you said you didn’t want to hear it,” he continues, his eyes dark with something I can’t quite ce. Regret? Guilt? Something deeper? ‘But I’m to, so sorry. And I won’t let things stay this way.

His thumb brushes over my knuckles, slow and deliberate. ‘So just squeeze my hand whenever things get too hard, and I’ll take care of IL”

I feel it then–the way he’s holding himself together bjust /bfor me. The way bhis /bwhole body is tense, like he’s barely keeping his anger in check. Like he’d do anything if it meant I wouldn’t have to hurtb. /b

My chest tightens, my heart hammering

It’s not fair. It really isn’t. This is nothing more than a game of pretend to Liam, but bmy /bheart doesn’t get the memo It’s already rewriting the rules, already treating his words like they mean something more.

I don’t know what to say. So I do the only bthing /bI canb. /b

I squeeze his hand.

His fingers tighten around mine, just for a second, like he felt it too. Like maybe–just maybe–this isn’t all pretend to him either.

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