Chapter 3

He didn't care to hear my explanation. His rage only escalated.

Seeing that he was completely unhinged, I backed into the apartment and slammed the door shut, locking it tight while Liam slammed his fists against the wood outside.

In our eight years together, I had always been gentle, compliant, and sweet. I had never seen this violent, terrifying side of him before.

A cold dread crept into my bones.

Liam raged in the hallway for what felt like an eternity. I leaned against the locked door, listening to him curse me out with the filthiest, most degrading insults imaginable.

Once the illusion of love was stripped away, the ugly truth was sickening to behold.

Eventually, the noise outside began to quiet down. When it stopped completely, Liam seemed to regain some semblance of sanity. His voice softened back to normal.

"Nora, baby, it’s not what you think. Let me explain."

"Nora, my mom forced me into it. But swear to God, we didn't sign the legal marriage license! It was just a ceremony to get her off my back, a formality!"

"Nora, we promised to stay together forever. Are you really going to break your promise over this?"

His voice grew louder with each plea, his entitlement practically dripping through the crack of the door. It made me see him with horrifying clarity.

Refusing to open up, I yelled through the panel:

"Did your mom hold a gun to your head? Did she tie you up and drag you down the aisle? You looked thrilled as hell at that altar!"

He simply wanted to have his cake and eat it too, hoarding every benefit he could get.

Even his brand-new bride had likely been played for a fool by him and his manipulative family.

After I yelled back, Liam tried to argue more, but I saw no point in continuing. I called building security to have him escorted off the premises.

Hiding behind the curtain, I watched from my window as Liam was dragged away, his face twisted in pure venom.

The second he was gone, I called a locksmith to change the deadbolt, determined to find a new lease and move out immediately.

Yet that very evening, Liam returned.

"Nora! Come down here!"

Hearing my name, I walked over to the window and looked down. Liam was standing in the courtyard, holding a giant bouquet of roses and staring up at my apartment.

When he saw my face, he perked up, grabbed a portable megaphone, and started bellowing into it.

"Nora, get your ass down here! I’m here to propose!"

"You threatened to dump me because you wanted a ring, right?! Fine! I'm here on bended knee! Are you satisfied now?!"

His loud voice echoed across the entire complex. One by one, nosy neighbors shoved their windows open to watch the drama unfold.

"Go down, girl!"

"Say yes! Just say yes!"

"Come on, sweetie, he clearly loves you to tolerate your little mood swings. Put him out of his misery and marry the guy!"

Listening to those strangers urge me to accept him made my blood boil. They didn't know a single detail of what happened, yet they felt entitled to lecture me with moral superiority.

Refusing to entertain the circus, I slammed my window shut. But seconds later, someone was violently banging on my door. Looking through the peephole, I saw several neighbors gathered outside, so I opened it.

"Look, young lady, whether you say yes or no, just go down and deal with him! If he keeps yelling through that megaphone all night, how are any of us supposed to sleep?"

"Exactly! Some of us have elderly parents and babies trying to rest. We don't have the energy to deal with your couple drama!"

A wall of irritated faces pressed against my doorway, forcing me downstairs. Before I could explain, someone literally grabbed my arm and dragged me out of the building.

Liam’s eyes lit up the moment he saw me.

I yanked my arm back and stepped away from him, determined to let the crowd see the monster for who he really was. "Since you already secretly married another woman, you should be at home playing husband with your wife instead of harassing me here!"

The second those words left my mouth, the cheering crowd instantly shut up. Murmurs broke out, and the hands that had shoved me downstairs pulled back in embarrassment.

I let out a breath and turned to walk back inside, but Liam lunged forward and grabbed my wrist.

"Nora, I know you're mad that I didn't marry you sooner, but you don't have to smear my reputation like this! If you don't believe me, we can head to City Hall right now to check my legal status!"

He sounded so self-righteous. But having seen his wedding photos and the radiant, blissful smile on his bride's face, his shamelessness made me want to vomit.

Was the wedding invitation fake?

Was the ceremony in front of hundreds of friends and family a hallucination?

I ripped my hand from his grip and glared at him. "Do you have any shame left at all?"

"I don't know how you tricked that poor girl into having a wedding without signing the legal papers, but did you really think you were being clever?"

Under his darkening glare, a wave of courage surged through me, and I laid it all out.

"Liam, you played two women for fools. You disgust me."

My words made his face twist violently. He lunged forward, grabbed my wrist in a vice grip, and dragged me toward his car, deaf to my screams and struggles.

"Nora, who the hell do you think you are to look down on me?!"

"You’ve been sleeping with me for eight years! You're damaged goods! Go ask around—who else would ever want you?!"

"You better behave and sign the marriage license with me right now. That way, you'll be my legal wife! As for the other girl, you two will never cross paths anyway, so why the fuck do you care about her?!"

Liam dragged me toward the courthouse like a raving lunatic. Despair threatened to drown me.

Until we reached the steps, and ran straight into the one person he claimed I’d never meet.

Liam froze, his grip dropping instantly as the color drained from his face.

"Chloe?"