6. Shattered Melodies

CHAPTER 6

Shattered Melodies

CALEB

M y hands were shaking so bad I could barely grip the steering wheel. My heart was racing like it wanted to break out of my chest, and my stomach was tied up in knots tighter than a sailor's handiwork.

I couldn't stop replaying what happened in my head, like some kind of sick, twisted highlight reel. The prom, the music, the feeling of Liam in my arms as we danced under the twinkling lights. And then the photos. Jake's smug, leering face as he held them up for everyone to see. The gasps, the whispers, the laughter.

And Liam, God, the look on his face. The hurt, the betrayal, the utter devastation. It was burned into my brain, seared into my heart like a brand.

I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to block out the memories. But they just kept coming, relentless and merciless.

I slammed my fist against the steering wheel, feeling the sting of tears in my eyes. "Damn it, Liam," I whispered, my voice cracking. "Why did you run away from me?"

But I knew why. Because I had let him down and I failed to protect him in which I swore to do. I had failed him, in every possible way. I took a deep, shuddering breath, trying to steady myself. I had to go in there. Had to see him, had to tell him how sorry I was, how much I loved him.

I had to make this right.

I got out of the car, my legs feeling like rubber as I walked towards the entrance. The automatic doors slid open with a whoosh, and the smell of antiseptic and sickness hit me like a wave.

I made my way to the front desk, where a tired-looking nurse was tapping away at a computer. She looked up as I approached, her eyes wary.

"Can I help you?" she asked, her voice flat and disinterested.

I swallowed hard, trying to find my voice. "I'm here to see Liam Denison," I said, my words coming out in a rush. "I need to see him, please."

The nurse frowned, glancing down at her screen. "I'm sorry, but only family members are allowed to visit patients in the ICU."

I felt my heart sink, a cold, heavy dread settling in my stomach. "Please," I begged, my voice cracking. "I need to see him. It's my fault he's here, I have to make sure he's okay."

The nurse's expression softened a bit, but she shook her head. "I'm sorry, but those are the rules. Unless you're immediate family, I can't let you in."

I wanted to scream, to rage, to demand that she let me through. But I knew it wouldn't do any good. So I just nodded, feeling numb and hollow inside.

"Can you at least tell me how he is?" I asked, my voice small and broken. "Is he… is he going to be okay?"

The nurse hesitated, glancing around like she was afraid someone would overhear. "He's stable," she said finally, lowering her voice. "But he's in rough shape. The doctors are doing everything they can, but it's going to be a long road."

I felt like I'd been punched in the gut, the air whooshing out of my lungs in a rush. "Oh god," I whispered, feeling the tears start to fall. "This is all my fault. I should have been there for him, should have protected him. "

The nurse reached out, putting a hand on my arm. "Hey," she said gently. "This isn't your fault, okay? You couldn't have known what was going to happen."

But I shook my head, pulling away. "You don't understand," I said, my voice raw and aching. "I love him. I love him more than anything in this world, and I let him down. I failed him when he needed me the most."

The nurse looked at me, her eyes sad and knowing. "Sometimes, loving someone means knowing when to let them go," she said softly. "Knowing when to give them the space to heal, to find their own way back to you."

I stared at her, feeling the weight of her words sink into my bones. She was right. As much as it killed me, as much as every fiber of my being screamed at me to rush to Liam's side and never let him go, I knew I had to do what was best for him.

But just as I was about to turn and leave, I caught sight of a familiar face in the waiting room. Well, two familiar faces, actually. Liam's parents.

They were huddled together in a corner, their faces drawn and pale with worry. But when they saw me, their expressions hardened into something cold and angry.

I swallowed hard, my heart pounding as I approached them. "Mr. and Mrs. Denison," I said, my voice shaking. "Please, I need to see Liam. I have to tell him how sorry I am, how much I - "

But before I could finish, Liam's dad was on his feet, his face twisted with rage. "You have some nerve showing up here," he snarled, jabbing a finger at me. "This is all your fault, you know that? If it wasn't for you and your perverted little games, my son wouldn't be lying in a hospital bed right now."

I flinched like he'd slapped me, the words hitting me like a physical blow. "I never meant for any of this to happen," I whispered, my eyes stinging with tears. "I love Liam, I would never do anything to hurt him."

Mrs. Denison let out a harsh, bitter laugh. "Love? You call this love? Sneaking around, lying to us, turning our son into some kind of…of deviant? That's not love, Caleb. That's sickness."

I shook my head, feeling like I was going to be sick. "No, that's not…it's not like that. Liam and I, we care about each other. What we have is real, it's - "

"It's over," Mr. Denison cut me off, his voice like ice. "You are never to see or speak to my son again, do you understand me? You've done enough damage already."

I opened my mouth to argue, to beg, to plead my case. But the look in their eyes, the disgust and the hatred and the utter, unshakeable conviction, I knew it was no use.

They would never understand. They would never accept us, accept me. In their eyes, I was nothing more than a corrupting influence, a disease that needed to be cut out of Liam's life.

And maybe they were right. Maybe all I had done was bring pain and chaos and heartbreak into Liam's world. Maybe the best thing I could do for him, the most loving thing was to let him go.

I felt something break inside me at the thought, something deep and vital and irreplaceable. But I knew what I had to do.

"Okay," I said softly, my voice barely above a whisper. "Okay, I'll go. I'll stay away. Just tell him that I'm sorry. And that I love him, no matter what."

Mrs. Denison's face twisted into a sneer. "We'll tell him no such thing. As far as Liam is concerned, you don't exist anymore. You're dead to him, and to us."

I felt the words like a knife to the heart, but I just nodded, too numb and broken to argue. I turned to leave, feeling like I was moving through water, like the world had gone grey and lifeless around me.

But as I walked away, I heard Mr. Denison's voice behind me, low and vicious. "If you ever come near my son again, I'll make sure you regret it. I'll ruin you, do you hear me? I'll destroy everything you love, just like you destroyed my family."

I didn't turn around, didn't acknowledge the threat. I just kept walking, the tears flowing freely down my face now, my heart shattered into a million jagged pieces.

I wandered the halls of the hospital in a daze, not sure where I was going or what I was doing. I passed by room after room, each one filled with patients and their loved ones, the beeping of machines and the murmur of voices a bitter reminder of everything I had lost.

I felt so alone, so lost and hopeless and utterly, utterly devastated. How was I supposed to go on without Liam? How was I supposed to face a future that didn't have him in it?

"I'll be here for you, Liam," I whispered, my voice barely audible over the sound of passing cars. "No matter what."

With one last glance, I turned and walked away, the weight of the night heavy on my shoulders. But no matter what happened, no matter where life took us, I knew one thing for certain.

I would never stop fighting for Liam. He was my best friend, my confidant, my everything. And I would do whatever it took to make sure he knew that he wasn't alone. Not now, not ever.

I spent the next few days in a haze of worry and desperation, my mind constantly churning with thoughts of Liam. Every time my phone buzzed, I would lunge for it, hoping against hope that it was him, that he had found a way to reach out and let me know he was okay.

But the texts never came. The calls never came. And with each passing day, the silence grew heavier, the fear in my heart more intense.

I couldn't eat, couldn't sleep, couldn't focus on anything but the gnawing, relentless ache of missing him. I felt like I was going crazy, like I was losing my mind one piece at a time.

The only thing that kept me sane was the barn. Our barn, the place where Liam and I had spent countless hours together, talking and laughing and dreaming about the future .

I would go there every night, after the rest of the world had gone to sleep. I would lie on the scratchy, sweet-smelling hay and stare up at the stars, imagining that Liam was there with me, his head on my chest and his hand in mine.

And I would talk to him. I would pour out my heart, all the things I hadn't had a chance to say before he was taken away from me. I would tell him how much I loved him, how sorry I was for not being there when he needed me most, how I would never stop fighting for him, no matter what.

One night, as I was lying there in the darkness, strumming idly on my guitar. The words started to come. Lyrics, melodies, snippets of raw, aching emotion that poured out of me like blood from a wound.

I sat up, my heart pounding, and started to play for real. I let the music flow through me, my fingers dancing over the strings as if they had a mind of their own.

And as I played, as I sang, I felt something start to shift inside me. A flicker of hope, a spark of determination that grew brighter with every chord.

I was going to write Liam a song. A love song, a promise, a vow that no matter what happened, no matter how far apart we were. I would never stop loving him, never stop fighting for him, never stop believing in us.

I stayed in that barn all night, writing and playing and pouring my heart into every note. By the time the sun started to peek over the horizon, I had a song. Our song.

I was just putting the finishing touches on it when I heard the crunch of footsteps outside the barn. I tensed, my heart leaping into my throat. Could it be…?

But when the door creaked open, it wasn't Liam who stepped inside. It was my mom, her face drawn and somber in the early morning light.

"Caleb?" she said softly, her voice heavy with something I couldn't quite name. "Baby, there's something you need to know. "

I felt my stomach drop, a cold, creeping dread washing over me. "What is it?" I asked, my voice shaking. "Is it Liam? Is he okay?"

My mom sighed, her eyes filling with tears. "He's out of the hospital," she said, and for a moment, my heart leapt with joy. But then she continued, and the world seemed to tilt off its axis. "But his family…they're moving away, Caleb. They're leaving town, starting fresh somewhere else."

I stared at her, my mind reeling. "What? When? Where are they going?"

She shook her head, the tears spilling down her cheeks now. "They're leaving today, baby. I'm so sorry. I know how much he means to you."

I felt like I had been punched in the gut, all the air rushing out of my lungs in a single, painful whoosh. This couldn't be happening. They couldn't take him away from me, not now, not like this.

"I have to stop them," I said, my voice rising with panic. "I have to see him, I have to tell him…"

But even as I said the words, I knew it was too late. Liam's parents had made up their minds, and there was nothing I could do to change that.

Still, I had to try. I couldn't just let him go, not without a fight.

I grabbed my keys and ran to my car, my heart pounding so hard I thought it might burst out of my chest. I drove like a madman, running red lights and pushing the speed limit as I raced towards Liam's house.

But when I got there it was already empty. The driveway was bare, the windows dark and lifeless. It was like they had never been there at all, like the whole thing had been some kind of cruel, twisted dream.

I sat there in my car, staring at the house that had once been so full of life and love and laughter. And I felt something inside me break, something deep and vital and irreplaceable .

They were gone. Liam was gone. And I hadn't even had a chance to say goodbye.

I don't remember driving back to the barn, but somehow, I ended up there. I stumbled inside, my vision blurry with tears, and collapsed onto the hay, my whole body shaking with sobs.

I lay there for hours, days, an eternity and honestly I couldn't tell anymore. Time seemed to have lost all meaning, all sense of forward motion. All I knew was that Liam was gone, and I was alone. Alone in a way I had never been before, a way that felt like a gaping, aching wound in the center of my chest.