Chapter Four
It was Liam and Vanessa.
And a few mutual friends I was more or less on good terms with—including Rachel, the one who’d messaged me that morning.
Rachel spotted me and grinned on purpose. “Oh, look, Claire’s here. Liam, are you still doing the proposal or what?”
“Claire, you went way too far today. Vanessa’s practically still a kid.”
“See? Now Liam has to put on a whole proposal just to cheer her up.”
Zoe was so furious she charged at them. Liam caught her wrist and shoved her back.
I steadied Zoe right away and pulled her behind me.
Vanessa hid behind Liam and looked at me with red-rimmed eyes. “Claire, don’t blame Liam. If you have to blame someone, blame me…”
I walked over and slapped her.
The crack rang out. Her head snapped to the side.
A gasp went through the crowd. A lot of people raised their phones.
Vanessa clutched her face and wailed. “I’m bleeding!”
Liam glared at me, furious. “Claire, apologize!”
I looked up at him and slapped him too, my gaze ice-cold. “You’re the one cheating, and I’m supposed to apologize?”
“Claire!”
The man in front of me slowly blurred into seventeen-year-old Liam.
I saw his face at the bottom of that cliff, so certain, so sure.
It all just felt like a joke.
“Liam, you disgust me.”
His expression turned ugly.
“The biggest regret of my life is ever meeting you.”
“Let’s get divorced.”
Liam didn’t believe me. His face was full of contempt, and he let out a cold scoff. “Divorce? You’d really give all this up?”
I didn’t want to say another word. I took Zoe’s hand and walked away.
His icy voice followed me.
“Claire, you really think I can’t live without you?”
All he got back was my back, walking away faster and faster.
The onlookers had seen enough drama, but their phones were still up, still recording.
Liam exploded. He threw the ring in his hand and kicked over the flowers on the ground.
Vanessa had gone white. She didn’t dare say a thing.
Just then, Liam’s phone rang.
“Mr. Hale, we found out. Your wife went to the hospital yesterday.”
“…She had an abortion.”
