Liam’s POV

    Emily approached, her steps hitting the terrace floor firmly. Now we were only a foot apart, and I could see her eyes wet with anger. “Then, it was my fault, wasn’t it? Wrong for trusting? Wrong ifor /ithinking we

    had a future?b” /b1

    I didn’t answer right away. Her words were like a dagger, stabbing deep. I knew, deep down, Emily was hoping I’d deny it, hoping I’d take it back. But I couldn’t make a promise I couldn’t keep.

    b“/bIt’s not byour /bfault,” I finally said, my voice almost cracking. “You just loved the wrong person. It’s my fault, Emily. Because I wasn’t firm from the start. Because I let everything slip away, leaving you hoping

    for more.”

    Emily sobbed, her hands shaking as she wiped away her tears. “I can’t ept an answer like this, Liam. You can’t just say ‘sorry‘ and then push me away. I’ve given you too much. I’ve left too much for you.”

    I closed my eyes briefly, holding back the growing guilt. “I’m not kicking you out tonight. bIf /byou need ia /ice to calm down, go ahead. But don’t expect me to change my mind. That’s not going to happen.” (1)

    Emily’s face tensed, her lips trembling with emotion. She finally slumped onto a chair on the porch, covering her face with her hands. She burst into tears, this time uncontrobly. Her voice echoed softly, piercing her chest.

    I stood there, frozen, unsure of what to do. I felt an urge to grab her shoulders, tofort her, but I knew that would only make things worse. So I chose to stand still, letting her vent her pain.

    “Why did you let Sienna stay here again, Liam?”

    “Because she’s the mother of my child, Emily!” My voice rose, unable to hold back any longer. “Because after everything that happened, I realized you weren’t the one I’d been looking for all this time. You weren’t the one who was always here when everything fell apart. Sienna never left Noah, and I finally

    understood that home isn’t just about temporaryfort. Home is about who stays there when

    everything hurts!”

    Emily froze, her eyes wide, as if it was the first time she’d heard me speak so honestly.

    I looked down for a moment, caught my breath, then looked at her again, this time without trembling.”

    Don’t interfere anymore,” I said quietly, but my tone was sharp. “Don’t interfere with what I’m trying to fix.

    01

    Emily bit her lip, her eyes trembling, a mixture of anger and heartbreak. “You hurt me,” she said softly, her

    voice dropping to almost the tone of a lost child. “You really hurt me, Liam.”

    I closed my eyes and rubbed my face. “I know. And I’m sorry for that. But I can’t pretend anymore, Emily. What we had before was just an escape. I hesitated, I was weak, and I chose the wrong path. But now I

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    don’t want to make the same mistake again.”

    Emily took a deep breath, as if trying to swallow the bitter truth. She stepped back, staring at me as if still hoping I’d pull her back. But I didn’t say anything.

    She smiled wryly, a smile full of hurt. “So that’s it, Liam? You think you can just cover it all up like thisb?/bb” /b

    I shook my head slowly. “I’m not hiding anything, Emily. I’m just stopping myself from adding to the pain.”

    Emily nced briefly at her car parked on the side of the road. Her hands were clutching her bag, her face full of anger mixed with resignation.

    “I thought you’d keep thinking about me. Looking for me, missing me,” she said softly, almost whispering, as if talking to herself, not to me.

    I remained silent. There were no words that could fix this without making it even worse.

    Finally, Emily took a deep breath and looked up at me for thest time that night. “I’m leaving,i” /ishe said simply. “But don’t me me if Ie back one day, Liam. Our world is small, and I’m not sure feelings like this can just die.”

    I stared at her for a long moment, but only one word came out. “I’m sorry.”

    She smiled bitterly and walked to her car. The door mmed shut, the engine started, and soon, the sound of the tires faded around the corner.

    I stood frozen on the porch, staring at the now empty street after Emily’s headlights disappeared from view. The roar of the engine still echoed in my ears, leaving a silence far more tense than the argument had just begun. The night seemed to close in again, leaving only a cool, gentle breeze.

    The night breeze touched my skin, but all I felt were remnants of anger, guilt, and a strange relief.

    I raised my hand and rubbed my face roughly, trying to shake off the mounting guilt. But of course, it wasn’t that easy. Emily’s words, the look in her eyes, even her final, bitter smile lingered. It was as if she

    were a reminder that our story would never truly be over, even if I had chosen my own path.

    I turned toward the door, the small light in the living room was still on. I walked in slowly.

    Sienna sat silently on the sofa, her hands sped in herp, her eyes nkly staring at the floor as if at war with her own thoughts.

    I stood for a few seconds, observing, trying to calm the pounding in my chest. It felt like I’d just emerged from a battlefield, not armed, but torn apart.

    “Where’s Emily?” she finally asked, her voice low and even, but I could hear the faint rumbling beneath it fear, anger, confusion, all mixed together.

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    I should have answered. I should have exined, soothed her with words. But when I saw her face, so tired yet so resolute, all words seemed smallpared to what I wanted ito /iconvey.

    I stepped closer, wordlessly, and took her body in my arms.

    My hug tightened, almost like an apology I hadn’t had the chance to say, almost like a promise that had

    been dyed.

    My head fell on her shoulder, my breath deep. “I won’t let anyone break us apart again,” I whispered, my

    voice almost trembling.

    Sienna was silent, but I felt her body slowly rx in my embrace. Her previously stiff fingers began to grip my back, hesitant but real.

    The night felt a little calmer then. There was no guarantee tomorrow would be easy, no certainty that the storm had passed. But in that embrace, I knew we were starting over, together.

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