Chapter 36

VIVIANNE

The bed doesn’t feel so comfortable anymore, and I know it’s my own fault for letting myself sleep too long.

My body aches, like it’s ready to give up—and honestly, I don’t blame it. The sheets are twisted around my legs, damp with sweat.

It takes me too long to push myself upright, bracing myself for the day like I’m stepping into battle.

My phone starts going off the second I turn it on—dings echoing like warning bells in the quiet room. I wince at the sudden noise, the harsh blue glow of the screen hurting my eyes.

“Son of a—” I mutter, cutting myself off as I scroll through the messages. A few from work, some from Liam, and about a dozen from Jenna.

He must’ve found my letters.

With a sigh, I call my brother. I’m not sure what else to do.

“What do you want?” Marcus answers, as cheerful and irritating as ever. I hear dishes clinking and the faint bark of his dog.

“Hey, Marcus. I’m, uh…I’m coming home.”

“Okay, for how long?”

“No, Marcus—I mean for good.”

He laughs, like I just told the world’s most hilarious joke.

“I knew it. I knew you wouldn’t make it out there.”

I grit my teeth. I want to scream. Instead, I just say, “Thanks. I’ll be there soon.”

Another laugh.

I hold back the string of insults hovering on my tongue.

“Well, I guess come on home, little sister.”

I hang up, not bothering to say goodbye.

My bags are already packed. I just have a couple of stops to make before leaving town.

I sigh and toss my phone on the bed. ~Home~.

I lie back and pull the blanket over my face.

I’m running—and I know it.

Running from my feelings for Liam.

From the cruel things Beth said.

From Mr. Stryder.

I’m scared. I’m hurt. I’m tired.

And more than anything…I just want to go home.

***

The office is quiet when I stop by to drop off the check.

A few people wander around, dressed down like it’s a Sunday stroll.

My heart aches. I’m going to miss this place.

I head to the promotions office, and the woman I spoke to is behind her desk, eating a muffin.

She beams at me and stands to shake my hand.

“You must be Ms. Pierce,” she says, half-chewing.

I nod.

She hands me a form. I don’t read it before signing my name with fingers that feel slightly numb.

“Okay, and the check?”

“Right.” I pull it from my bag and hand it over.

She places it on a stack of papers and gives me a manila envelope.

I don’t bother opening it. I’ll save that for my last stop.

Outside, the city looks the same. Yellow cabs honk in the distance. Pedestrians brush past me on the sidewalk. But everything in me feels cracked.

I need something familiar. Something that hasn’t changed.

The Daily Grind smells like espresso and cinnamon.

I step inside and immediately feel like I’ve time-traveled. The warmth, the bustle, the chatter, the whirring of the coffee grinder—it all wraps around me like a memory.

For a second, I think I smell Liam. His cologne—warm spice and something sharp. I push the thought down.

While waiting for my coffee, I open the envelope.

Brochures spill out—hotels, activities, glossy travel guides stamped with golden sunsets and crystal-clear water.

It should have made me smile.

At the bottom, beneath the itinerary and flight vouchers for two, there’s something I didn’t expect: my check. Folded once, neatly, with my handwriting staring back at me. $25,000. Uncashed.

My throat tightens. The check flutters in my hand. I exhale slowly. I thought giving it back was the cleanest way to walk away.

But now it’s here, tucked in with the dream I bought for us.

Of course he’d do this.

I sink into a chair before my knees give out.

There’s no message. No response. No scribbled closure. Just returned. Like he’s saying: ~Keep it. Keep everything. I never wanted the money.~

I squeeze my eyes shut.

I remember writing down the bid. Feeling giddy. Planning outfits in my head.

Wondering what it would feel like to lie in the sun next to Liam, away from the world.

I shove everything back into the envelope, grab my coffee—hot, too sweet, comforting—and leave.

Everything in me begs me not to go.

But I don’t feel like I have a choice anymore. The feelings, the memories, the struggles. It’s all too much.

Maybe I’ll take the money Liam gave me and start fresh somewhere far away.

LIAM

Carol from the office called. All the gala checks cleared. The prizes handed out.

It was a welcome break from torturing myself with thoughts of Vivianne.

She’s still a storm in my head.

Since she ran out last night, she’s all I can think about.

The first time we met. Our nights of scarfing down Chinese food. The way she would fall asleep on my chest while watching a movie. The quiet ways she carved herself into my life.

The coffee shop feels suffocating—too hot, the scent of roasted beans now bitter.

I head to the park instead. The one where we took those ridiculous photos for the fluff piece.

Memories swarm me, and suddenly, I don’t feel like walking much.

I sit on a bench, cold metal pressing through my coat, watching people live their lives.

A couple pushes a stroller. A jogger blurs past.

And I’m sitting here. Letting her go.

But I can’t. Not like this.

I pull out my phone—not to text her, not yet.

I call someone I hoped I’d never need again.

There’s nothing I can do right now to fix things with her. But I can protect her.

“Cameron. I need everything you can find on my father. And fast. Not just his recent activities—I want his entire financial trail, every business dealing. I want it all.”

I told him to make it clear this isn’t business. It’s personal.

It’s war.

“Liam—”

“No. No hesitations. Just do it. If there’s anything that ties him to what he did to her, I want it documented. I want it in her hands.”

Once I’ve done that, I’ll go get her. And hope she’ll forgive me.

I need her. And I need her to understand that those words—they were never real. They were never meant for her.

Rage builds in me.

My father is going to pay for what he did. I’d burn the world for her.

And this is the first match.

But I have to wait.

This is chess, not checkers. One wrong move, and he takes the board.

What I really need—more than anything—is for her to come back to me.

To stand beside me while I take everything he’s ever loved.