Chapter 20

Twenty

I spotted Liam near the edge of campus, his relaxed stride a sharp contrast to the storm raging inside me. He hadn’t seen me yet, earbuds in, scrolling through his phone as if he didn’t have a care in the world. The leather bracelet in my pocket burned like a brand, a damning reminder of his betrayal. Every step I took toward him stoked the fire in my chest.

“Liam.” My voice sliced through the hum of campus chatter, sharp and cold.

His head jerked up, surprise flickering across his face before he masked it with practiced indifference. “Owen. What’s up?”

I didn’t bother with words. I grabbed his arm in an iron grip and yanked him toward the nearest alcove between two buildings. His protests fell on deaf ears as I dragged him into the shadowed nook, the tension crackling in the air between us.

“Owen, what the hell?” he snapped, yanking his arm free. “What’s your problem?”

“My problem?” I snarled, yanking the bracelet from my pocket. I held it up, the worn leather glinting faintly in the dim light. “This is my problem.”

Liam’s eyes flicked to the bracelet before meeting mine, his expression unreadable. “What are you talking about?”

“Don’t play dumb,” I barked, throwing the bracelet at his chest. “I found this in a place it shouldn’t have been.”

The slightest flicker of recognition crossed his face before he caught himself. “That’s not mine.”

“Bullshit.” I stepped closer, my fists trembling with the effort to hold myself back. “You’ve worn this thing every day for months. Don’t lie to me, Liam.”

He scoffed, catching the bracelet and shoving it into his pocket. “You’re losing it, man. Maybe you dropped it there yourself.”

The words ignited something primal in me. I grabbed the front of his shirt and slammed him against the brick wall. “Where is she?” My voice was low, dangerous, vibrating with barely-contained rage.

Liam didn’t flinch. His gaze stayed locked on mine, steady and unyielding. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Don’t lie to me!” I snarled, slamming him against the wall again. “You were in the old science building. You took her. Where is she?”

For a moment, Liam’s mask slipped. Guilt flashed in his eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it appeared. “Even if I did know,” he said coolly, “you think I’d tell you? After what you’ve done to her?”

“What I’ve done?” I hissed, my grip on him tightening. “You don’t understand?—”

“I understand more than you think,” he interrupted, shoving me back hard enough to make me stumble. “You locked her in a fucking basement, Owen. No one’s supposed to be in that building, and you used it to hurt her. You don’t get to stand here and play the victim.”

His words cut deep, but they only stoked the fire. “You don’t know anything about us,” I snapped, stepping closer again. “You don’t know what she needs.”

“You're right. I don't know what she needs,” Liam retorted, his voice cold. “But I do know she didn't need whatever twisted fucking version of love you think you’ve been giving her.”

I took another step toward him, the distance between us vanishing as I stared him down. “You think you’re some kind of hero?” I growled. “That breaking into my space and taking her fixes everything?”

“No.” His tone softened, but his words hit even harder. “I know it doesn’t fix anything. I know I can’t undo the damage. But I’ll do everything I can to keep her safe from you.”

My breath hitched, the weight of his words settling heavily in my chest. “She’s mine,” I said, quieter now, the desperation bleeding into my voice. “She needs me.”

Liam’s jaw tightened, his expression hardening. “She needed you to let her go,” he said. “And you couldn’t do it. You locked her away because you couldn’t stand the thought of her being someone outside of you. That’s not love, Owen. That’s possession.”

The truth in his words hit like a punch to the gut, but I refused to acknowledge it. “You think you’re better than me?” I spat, my voice trembling with anger. “You think you’ve saved her?”

Liam shook his head, a bitter laugh escaping his lips. “I’m not better than you,” he said quietly. “I let this go on too long. But I’m done standing by. You don’t get to ruin her any more than you already have.”

Silence fell between us, thick and suffocating. The echoes of everything we’d done—and failed to do—hung in the air like a noose. Finally, Liam stepped around me, his shoulder brushing mine as he walked away.

“Keep looking if you want,” he said without turning back. “But you’re not going to find her. Not until she’s ready to be found. If she ever wants to be found.”

I stood there, frozen, as his words sank in. My chest heaved, my hands shaking at my sides. The leather bracelet was gone, tucked away in his pocket, but its presence still weighed on me.

Liam was right about one thing: I’d hurt her. But he was wrong if he thought I was giving up.

Not yet. Not ever.