After we broke up, I suddenly remembered all my pajamas were still at his place. I called Liam, asking him to send them over, but he told me to come get them myself. When I arrived at his door, he was only wrapped in a bath towel around his waist. Droplets of water from his hair trailed down his Adam’s apple and chest muscles. I was about to step inside when he suddenly pulled me into his arms. His bath towel fell to the floor, and I felt the hard press between his legs against my stomach. I couldn’t resist. We ended up having a wild night. The next morning, I woke up in his arms. We spoke almost simultaneously. “How about we start over?” I asked. “I’m sorry,” he said. “I’m getting married.” The morning light was a bit harsh, catching on Liam’s sculpted abs. My mind went blank. I thought I’d misheard him. “What did you say?” Liam looked calm. He leaned against the headboard, lit a cigarette. “All my friends are married. I’ve had my fun; it’s time to settle down.” Smoke billowed, making me cough uncontrollably. In the past, he would have immediately put out his cigarette and come to comfort me. But this time, Liam just casually grabbed some clothes off the floor and tossed them at me. “Get dressed. You should go.” “Oh, and take that half-box of condoms from the nightstand. I won’t be needing them anymore, anyway.” A soft, tender smile touched his lips, as if he’d just thought of something. “With any luck, I could be a dad by this time next year.” My heart felt a sharp, bitter pang. It was like being stabbed. I was about to say something when a knock suddenly sounded at the door. Liam glanced at his phone, muttering a curse under his breath. “Damn it, I forgot my fiancée, Chloe, is coming today.” He frantically put out his cigarette, rummaged through the closet for a white T-shirt, and pulled it on. “Stay in here and don’t make a sound.” I stood there, frozen. Watching his back as he turned and walked away without a backward glance to open the door. I sniffled, but my tears betrayed me, spilling down my cheeks. As if to force myself to give up hope. I inexplicably pulled the bedroom door open a crack. The girl at the door was elegant and spoke softly. When she and Liam were setting out breakfast, she’d blush even at a slight brush of hands. And Liam was no longer his usual arrogant jerk self. He spoke carefully, afraid of saying anything too harsh. It wasn’t until Chloe looked down, asking in a quiet voice, “I heard you had a girlfriend for three years.” Her voice grew softer. “What if she comes back for you someday? Will you leave me and get back together with her?” “After all…” “We’ve only known each other for less than a month, and you two had three years together.” “Who’s spreading that nonsense!” Liam’s face instantly darkened, his tone icy. “Is someone jealous that I found true love, deliberately telling you all that bullshit!” The next second, seeing Chloe’s teary eyes, he panicked. Liam sighed, rubbing his temples helplessly, then bent down and gently coaxed her. “Chloe, I’m not mad at you.” He let out a breath, as if suppressing his anger. “I didn’t mean to keep it from you.” “It’s just my ex, Stella, she was such a drama queen. Her temper was awful, like a firecracker, always exploding at the slightest touch.” “And, we broke up because she was unfaithful and cheated on me.” Chloe’s eyes widened, looking at him in disbelief. Seeing her reaction, Liam immediately added, “I just thought she was too embarrassing to mention to you.” “Think about it, why would I give up a perfect fiancée like you and go back to a rotten person like that? Have I lost my damn mind?” A few seconds of silence. Chloe let out a giggle, turning her head shyly. “I’m not as perfect as you say…” I softly closed the door. All the strength seemed to drain from my body. I sat on the cold floor, hugging my knees, letting the despair wash over me.
When Liam opened the door and walked in, I had cried myself to sleep. He didn’t even notice my state. He pulled out his phone, fiddled with it for a moment, and said lazily, “I transferred twenty dollars to you.” My eyes were swollen and sore, and my mind was still hazy. Then I heard him say casually, “Didn’t you run out of your streaming service membership? Get one yourself. I gave my account to Chloe.” “Don’t use such lame excuses to see me anymore. It’s getting boring.” I wanted to argue, but the lump in my throat choked my words. Liam stared at my red eyes, his gaze darkening slightly. “Crying?” He leaned closer, his warm breath fanning my face. The atmosphere became strangely unsettling. In that instant, all I could think about was how good he’d been to me for three years. In college, he was known as a playboy, but I was the only girlfriend he ever officially acknowledged. Though we’d broken up and gotten back together many times, he was never stingy with me and kept his distance from other women when we were together. His looks and family background were impeccable. Thinking of this, I was about to tentatively say, “Actually, I’m not completely against marriage.” “It was you who found the responsibility too much pressure, so I went along with you about not getting married.” Before the words could fully escape, a blinding flash of light hit my eyes. Liam’s beautiful, upturned eyes narrowed slightly, full of mockery. “First time I’ve seen you cry like this. Let me take a picture for old times’ sake.” He put away his phone, satisfied, and looked down at me, his voice laced with scorn. “Seriously, Stella. You didn’t shed a single tear when I broke my arm saving you in that car accident.” “So what are you crying for now?” Before I could answer, Liam reached out and, as he used to, habitually flicked my nose. “Don’t try to be like Chloe.” “When she cries, it’s elegant. You just look ridiculous.” “Go practice some more.” Looking at his arrogant and infuriating expression. I took a deep breath, swung my arm, and gave him a hard slap. Then, without another glance at him, I turned and slammed the door shut. Out of the hotel, I blocked him on all my social media and bought the earliest flight home. This Oceanview City, with Liam in it, was a place I never wanted to step foot in again.
During my time off. To keep myself from overthinking, I packed my schedule full. But I’d forgotten something. A university classmate’s wedding. Liam and I had already promised to be groomsman and bridesmaid. There was no choice. I had to brace myself and fly back to Oceanview City a day early, going to my friend’s house. My hand was just raised, ready to knock. Then I heard Liam’s lazy voice from inside: “Chloe’s a bit timid, so watch what you say later; don’t scare her.” Someone joked, “Are you and Stella really over for good?” “What happened this time?” Liam paused, then grunted a muffled “Yeah.” “It was exciting at first, but after a while, it was just… whatever.” “She was too controlling. Always trying to tell me what to do.” “No smoking, no drinking, no coming home late—no touching her without a condom, no matter how urgent.” The groom scoffed. “Then just marry her! I think she really liked you. She’d definitely say yes if you proposed.” My hand, poised to push the door open, froze in mid-air. Immediately after, I heard Liam say, word by word, “I just didn’t want to marry her, so I lied about being against marriage.” “Women like her are fine for fun, but for marriage, it has to be someone sweet and sensible like Chloe.” “You guys don’t even know, Chloe is incredibly compliant, she barely has a temper…” The latter half of his sentence stopped abruptly the moment I pushed the door open and our eyes met. Liam visibly flustered for a moment, but the next second he regained his composure, smiling as he greeted me, “You’re here.” Then he stood up, apologizing to everyone in the room, “It’s almost time. I need to check in, or my significant other will start worrying.” After he left, the atmosphere in the room became extremely awkward. Everyone joked and tried to change the subject. Only Caleb, Liam’s quietest friend, suddenly walked over and coldly dropped a line: “I told you two weren’t right for each other a long time ago.”
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