Chapter 123
Chapter 123:
And it looked exactly like a shackle.
She laughed. It was a cold, sharp sound that cut the air.
“You don’t get it, do you?” Skye said. “You don’t want a wife, Liam. You want a pet. You want something you can dress up, show off, and put back in the box when you’re bored p>
Liam frowned. “I am offering you everything. The world p>
Skye leaned in. Her eyes were hard as flint. “You are offering me a cage. A very expensive cage, but a cage nonetheless p>
She reached out and snapped the box shut. She pushed it back across the leather seat toward him.
“I don’t love you anymore, Liam,” she said. The words were quiet, final. “I don’t even hate you. Hate requires energy. I pity you p>
The word hung in the air.
Pity.
It hit Liam harder than Ethan’s punch.
He grabbed her wrist. His grip was bruising. “You are lying. You love me. You’ve always loved me p>
Skye didn’t panic. She remembered her training. She rotated her wrist toward his thumb—the weak point of the grip—and jerked her arm back sharply. She broke his hold instantly.
Liam stared at his empty hand, shocked. Since when did Skye know how to do that? And since when was he so weak? The accident had sapped more of his strength than he cared to admit.
Skye opened the car door. The cold air rushed in.
“Go back to Seraphina,” Skye said, stepping out. “She’s the reflection you deserve. Shallow. Grasping. Empty p>
She slammed the door.
She walked back to the gates without looking back.
𝖩𝗼𝗂ո 𝘁h𝗈𝗎𝘴a𝘯𝗱𝘀 o𝖿 𝘳eа𝗱𝘦𝗋𝘀 oո 𝘣el𝗻o𝗏е𝘭𝘴.c𝗼𝗆
Liam sat frozen in the dark. The ring box lay on the seat beside him, mocking him. The pink diamond seemed to absorb the light, turning dull.
He realized, for the first time, that she might truly be gone. She wasn’t playing hard to get. She wasn’t angry.
She was indifferent.
A dark, toxic resolve filled his chest. It replaced the pain. If he couldn’t have her love, he would have her submission. If she wouldn’t come back willingly, he would force her.
He pressed the intercom button.
“Lee,” Liam said. His voice was dead, devoid of emotion. “Release the press statement. The one we drafted about her mental health p>
“Sir?” Lee’s voice crackled.
“Do it,” Liam ordered. “Burn her down p>
Morning broke over the city with a gray, relentless drizzle. The newsstands and Twitter feeds were already ablaze.
ORACLE DEVOURS KENSINGTON MARKET SHARE.
MYSTERY CEO “MR. MORGAN” HUMILIATES LIAM KENSINGTON.
Liam ignored the business news. He stood at a podium in the lobby of Kensington Global. He wore a fresh suit, his hair slicked back, hiding the wreckage of the night before.