Liam couldn't shake the feeling that something was off as soon as he stepped outside. He spent the entire day in a villa, and while everyone was laughing and talking around him, his mind was elsewhere.

His friends caught on to his troubled expression and came over, placing a bottle of beer in his left hand. 

"Liam, we threw this party to celebrate your recovery. Why are you so down? Is Maeve's surprise the only thing on your mind? It's like we don't even exist to you."

Watching their sly looks and silly faces, Liam remembered the call from earlier and realized three hours had already flown by.

He reached for the phone in his pocket to call Stephanie, only to find it dead. The battery was drained, and no matter how many times he hit the power button, it wouldn't turn on.

With no other option, he handed his phone to someone nearby to get it charged and sat patiently for another ten mi

Once the crowd cleared out, Maeve tossed the battered bouquet aside and pulled the injured guy into her arms, her face full of worry.

"Jules, are you alright? Talk to me, please. Don't freak me out."

The crowd was stunned by what she was doing, and they instinctively looked toward Liam.

Liam clenched his bleeding hand, gritting his teeth as he watched the scene unfold, his whole body stiff with the heavy, suffocating tension.

Ivan Siegel couldn't hold back his anger and started yelling, "Maeve, are you seriously a bitch? Liam does whatever you say and is all in for you, but you keep leading him on, and now you're even hooking up with another guy! What do you take Liam for?"

Julian Hawke, the guy resting in Maeve's arms, coughed and weakly assured her he was fine. Only then did she let out a sigh of relief.

She choked back the sobs and looked up at Ivan, her eyes full of hatred and 

Liam's head was heavy and foggy, still hungover from the night before. He dragged himself out of bed and freshened up.

Later, he smelled something mouth-watering coming from the living room and saw Stephanie had spread out a feast on the table.

He checked the calendar, saw it was just a regular day, and couldn't help but ask, "Why the sudden feast?"

Setting the table, Stephanie said quietly, "Just a little celebration."

Celebration?

Liam was unsure if she meant celebrating the fact that his injury was almost healed. That was the one thing that seemed worth celebrating to him.

But when he saw the table full of rich, savory dishes, he recalled the doctor telling him to stick to a bland diet. Something felt off, but he decided not to dwell on it.

He pulled out a chair and had just settled in when his phone rang.

It was Maeve.

Liam hesitated for a second, set the fork aside, and answered the call.

The call ended a few minutes later. He slowly got up and glanced at Stephanie, who was already seated and peeling a shrimp as if it didn't matter whether he would join her.

Liam knew she was celebrating for him and felt bad about leaving. So, he came up with an excuse.

"Steph, I've got something I need to take care of. I'll be out for a bit. Go ahead and eat. I'll take you out to celebrate when I return."

"No, it's fine. You handle what you need to." Stephanie shook her head, her gaze meeting his with a calmness like a quiet lake.

Liam's heart suddenly began pounding when their gazes met as if something was about to happen, but he couldn't quite tell what it was.

They stared at each other across the table for a long while before Liam turned and left. After the door closed, Stephanie looked at the empty seat across from her and smiled.

She was actually celebrating the freedom she'd found and the fact that she'd finally learned to love herself. She didn't need anyone else around.

After the meal, Stephanie cleaned up the kitchen, threw the last bits of trash downstairs, grabbed her suitcase from the closet, and left the apartment.

She caught a cab downstairs and headed to the tattoo parlor she'd been to. The owner recognized her and asked what she wanted to get tattooed this time.

Stephanie took in the familiar surroundings, her voice quiet but firm. "I'm not getting a new one. I want to have my last tattoo removed."

The owner caught the look on her face and seemed to get what was going on. A hint of regret crossed his face, and he tried to talk her out of it. "Tattoo removal can be painful, miss. Are you sure about this?"

Painful?

Stephanie had already been through the worst pain life could throw at her. What was a little physical discomfort compared to that?

She knew the removal of this tattoo, which held her past, would be painful and scar her, but it was the only way to move forward and heal.

Without saying a word, she sat in the same spot as before and pulled up her shirt to show her side.

A searing pain shot through Stephanie, and tears began to fall, mingling with her sweat as they trailed down her smiling face.

It seemed like forever, or maybe just a few seconds, but the owner was already done and handed her a tissue.

Stephanie took it to clean her face, thanked him, and grabbed her suitcase before walking out of the tattoo parlor.

She grabbed a cab, pulled out her phone to send Liam a breakup text, and wiped all his contacts from her phone. By the time she finished, the cab pulled up to her destination.

The blazing afternoon sun beat down on Stephanie. She took her train ticket out of her pocket, glanced back at the city one last time, and headed into the station without looking back.

Liam couldn't shake the feeling that something was off as soon as he stepped outside. He spent the entire day in a villa, and while everyone was laughing and talking around him, his mind was elsewhere.

His friends caught on to his troubled expression and came over, placing a bottle of beer in his left hand. 

"Liam, we threw this party to celebrate your recovery. Why are you so down? Is Maeve's surprise the only thing on your mind? It's like we don't even exist to you."

Watching their sly looks and silly faces, Liam remembered the call from earlier and realized three hours had already flown by.

He reached for the phone in his pocket to call Stephanie, only to find it dead. The battery was drained, and no matter how many times he hit the power button, it wouldn't turn on.

With no other option, he handed his phone to someone nearby to get it charged and sat patiently for another ten minutes. When he finally couldn't stand it any longer, he went to the balcony for fresh air.

The view

Chapter 10