Chapter 14

Fourteen

Mia

Early morning sunlight filtered through the windows of the sleek private jet and danced on the buttery soft leather seats. I sat beside Liam, our thighs touching as we gazed out at the passing scenery below. Our fingers intertwined on the armrest between us, but there was an unspoken tension in the air. We both seemed lost in thought, each waiting for the other to break the comfortable yet heavy silence between us.

I couldn't stop thinking about last night—the gala and how people treated Liam like some kind of celebrity. The guests flocked to him, showering him with attention and thanking him for his support. Every time someone approached, my stomach tightened a little more. It was as if I had entered a world that wasn't mine—a world that belonged to Liam, a man I was starting to realize I didn't know nearly as well as I thought.

The flight attendant interrupted my thoughts, appearing with a tray of breakfast. "Orange juice?" she asked, offering me a tumbler with a neat smile.

I nodded, taking the glass. But as I raised it to my lips, something caught my eye—the logo etched into the side of the glass. It was familiar. Too familiar. It's the same logo I'd seen while going through Liam's files over the past few weeks.

Edgewater Securities.

My heart thudded painfully in my chest as I glanced over at Liam, who was casually sipping his coffee, staring out the window as if nothing was out of the ordinary. But everything about this was far from ordinary.

I set the glass down, swallowing hard. "This is your plane, isn't it?" I asked, trying to keep my voice steady. The question carried the weight of every doubt that had been building inside me.

Liam paused for a moment his gaze still focused outside. He sighed deeply, setting down his coffee cup before turning to face me. "Yes," he said quietly. "It's mine."

I stared at him, trying to process the flood of thoughts racing through my head. The Edgewater logo, the way people fawned over him, the resources he seemed to have at his disposal—it all made sense now. I should've seen it sooner, but I hadn't wanted to. And now, it was too obvious to ignore.

"You didn't tell me," I whispered, feeling a mix of confusion and hurt. "Why didn't you tell me?"

He ran a hand through his hair, his jaw tight. "It wasn't that I didn't want to tell you," he began, his voice low and full of tension. "It's just... being rich isn't everything people think it is. Everyone thinks they want it—the parties, the vacations, the mansions—but they don't see the pressure that comes with it. The responsibility. I didn't want to throw all of that at you and overwhelm you."

I blinked, caught off guard by his words. Liam, the man who seemed to handle everything with ease, was actually worried about how his world might affect me? "Overwhelm me?" I repeated, my voice soft. "Liam, I'm not some fragile person who can't handle the truth."

"I know," he said quickly, shifting in his seat. "I know that. But the thing is... this life, this lifestyle, it changes things. It changes the way people see you and the way they treat you. I didn't want that to happen between us. I didn't want you to think I was... someone I'm not."

I stared at him, still trying to make sense of it all. "But who are you, Liam?" I asked, feeling the tension in my chest tighten. "Because right now, I'm conflicted."

He exhaled sharply, leaning forward, his elbows resting on his knees. "I've been half-honest with you, Mia. I am investigating the embezzlement, but it's not for a client. It's for me. Edgewater is my company. I'm the CEO."

My heart sank as the full weight of his confession hit me. "So, Edgewater is your company," I echoed, the words tasting foreign on my tongue. I'd suspected there was more to Liam's story, but I hadn't expected this. "And you're the CEO."

He nodded, his expression clouded with regret. "I didn't want to drag you into this mess. I didn't want you to feel like we were on different levels. I thought if I kept that part of my life from you, we could just... be normal."

Normal. I let the word sink in for a moment. "Normal?" I said, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. "There's nothing normal about this, Liam. You've been keeping this huge part of your life from me, and I've been sitting here, playing along like I'm in on everything."

He flinched, the guilt clear on his face. "I know. I should have told you sooner. But I... I didn't want to lose you. Not over something like money."

I stared down at our hands, still joined together, feeling the weight of everything pressing down on me. His wealth wasn't the issue. It was the fact that he hadn't trusted me with the truth. "This isn't about the money, Liam," I said quietly, finally pulling my hand away. "It's about trust."

Liam didn't fall silent. Instead, he frowned, a flash of frustration crossing his face as he sat up straighter. "How can you say I didn't trust you? Mia, I trusted you with the most sensitive parts of my business—the investigation, the finances, all of it. You've been going through Edgewater's files for weeks. That's my company, and you've had access to everything."

I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I hadn't expected him to push back like this, hadn't considered the idea that he might feel like he had trusted me in his own way. "But I didn't know it was yours," I finally said, my voice softer now, the sting of my own words hitting me. "You kept that from me."

He ran a hand through his hair, letting out a frustrated sigh. "I get that. I do. But it's not because I don't trust you. It's because this—my wealth, my status—it complicates everything. People look at me differently— treat me differently. I wanted you to see me for who I am, not the title, not the bank account."

His words hung between us, a mixture of truth and pain that I hadn't considered. He had trusted me with the core of his business, even if I didn't know it at the time. Still, it didn't erase the fact that he'd hidden such a huge part of his life from me. "I understand that," I said, my voice quiet but steady. "But that doesn't change how I feel right now. You were playing a part, and I was caught in the middle of it."

Liam's jaw tightened, his eyes searching mine. "I wasn't playing a part with you, Mia. Everything else—Edgewater, the investigation—yeah, I kept that under wraps, but what's between us? That's real."

The intensity in his voice sent a shiver down my spine. He wasn't backing down, wasn't letting me walk away from this so easily. "I don't know what to think right now," I whispered, feeling the familiar tension in my throat again. "I need time."

Liam's expression softened, the frustration giving way to a quiet resignation. "I get that," he said, his voice lowering. "Take whatever time you need, but don't doubt that I care about you. My intentions were to protect you, and that won't change."

The silence that followed was thick and suffocating, both of us lost in our own thoughts. The flight attendant came to clear away the dishes, and I forced a polite smile, but my mind was far from present.

Everything had changed in an instant. The man I thought I knew wasn't who I thought he was. He was someone bigger, someone encased in a world I didn't belong to. And as much as I cared about him, I couldn't shake the fear that I was in way over my head.

The plane touched down smoothly, the familiar sight of Cedar Cove's small airstrip bringing a bittersweet sense of relief. Liam and I had barely spoken since our conversation mid-flight, and the tension lingered, heavy and uncomfortable. The truth between us felt too big to unpack right now.

Liam's truck was waiting for us as we deplaned. The surreal feeling of being back in Cedar Cove hit me as I slid into the passenger seat, leaving behind the luxury of the private plane. It was like stepping out of a fairytale, the kind where the clock strikes midnight, and Cinderella returns to her real life. The brief moment of glamour was gone, and the simplicity of my world was right here, in Liam's truck, on these quiet roads.

"Do you want to stop by the kennel on the way?" Liam asked, breaking the silence. His voice was soft as if he was unsure of where we stood now.

I glanced at him, my thoughts swirling. Part of me wanted to lean on him, to let him help me through this mess, but another part needed distance. I needed space to sort through everything that had been revealed. "I think I'll go alone," I said quietly, looking out the window. "But thank you…"

Liam's grip tightened on the steering wheel, and I could see the conflict in his eyes. He wanted to help, but he didn't push. "Alright," he said, his voice strained. "If you need anything, you know where to find me."

I nodded and looked away. As we pulled up in front of my cabin, I hesitated before reaching for the door. Liam didn't say anything more, but time seemed to stand still.

"I'll see you later," I muttered, stepping out of the truck. As Liam grabbed my begs, I shut the door behind me; I couldn't help but feel like I was slipping away from something, though I wasn't sure what.

At the kennel, I was greeted by a flurry of happy barks as Daisy bounded toward me, tail wagging furiously. The joy in her eyes was enough to soothe some of the tension coiled in my chest. She was safe and healthy; that was all I needed now.

Back home in my cabin, I collapsed onto the couch with Daisy by my side. The comforting weight of her warm body against me was the kind of familiarity I needed after everything that had happened. I turned on the TV, searching for an old movie, something lighthearted and easy, hoping to drown out the noise in my mind.

But even as the movie played, my thoughts kept drifting back to Liam. The man I thought I knew wasn't who he really was, and now, I wasn't sure if I could fit into the life he had been hiding from me. A life of wealth and power, responsibilities I couldn't begin to understand.

I sighed, hugging Daisy a little tighter. Maybe I wasn't ready to give up on him, but I wasn't sure if I was ready for everything that came with being in Liam's world, either.

As the movie ended and the cabin fell into silence, I stood up and made my way to the bedroom, Daisy padding quietly behind me. The weight of the day pressed down on my shoulders, and as much as I wanted to shut off my mind, thoughts of Liam still lingered.

I slipped under the covers, the cool sheets brushing against my skin. Daisy curled up on the floor beside me, her presence always a comfort. But tonight, despite her being there, the bed felt emptier than usual—cold and lonely in a way I hadn't felt in a long time.

I stared up at the ceiling, the memories of the past few days replaying in my mind. The stolen glances, the touches that sent my heart racing, the warmth of Liam's body next to mine. I had gotten used to those moments more than I cared to admit.

And now, without him here, the emptiness felt even sharper.

I sighed, rolling over and pulling the blanket closer, trying to will the ache away. But deep down, I couldn't shake the feeling that I missed him.

The night stretched out before me for the first time in a long time, cold and hollow.