Chapter 68 Hope
Liam's POV
My jaw tightened. I did not know whether to speak up or stay silent. My father would want me to say yes. Stacy expected me to agree. It would make things easier if I would partner with Stacy.
But none of those things mattered when my eyes found Mia across the room. And God, I missed her.
I missed everything. Her quiet voice. Her stubborn pride. The way she used to look at me like I was more than the name stitched into my uniform or the title my father forced on me.
I did not deserve to be her partner. I did not even deserve to be in the same classroom as her after what I allowed to happen.
But this might be my only chance to say the words I never got to say. I was not hoping for forgiveness. I just needed her to know that I never stopped loving her.
I did not move. I did not speak. But inside, it felt like something had cracked open. Because for the first time, I realized what it meant to truly lose her, not to another guy, not even to Daniel, but to the version of herself that no longer looked back at me.
The Mia who once loved me was gone. When she stood up and chose Daniel to be her partner, my heart shattered.
And all that remained now was the silence between us.
I lay in bed, the soft glow of my phone screen illuminating the shadows on my face. I had sent the message an hour ago.
"Hi, Mia. Can I call you? Are you still awake? No reply.
I told myself it was late. She was probably asleep, exhausted after another long shift from her part time job. She always looked tired lately, always pushing herself harder than anyone else.
Still, hope clung to me. I stared at the screen again.
Seen.
My chest ached with something I did not want to name. Maybe she had just fallen asleep right after opening it. I tried to believe that. But deep down, I knew the truth. Mia was not answering me because she did not want to because she hated me.
I exhaled and turned onto my side, staring blankly at the ceiling. Sleep never came.
The next morning, it was like nothing had happened.
She was always with Daniel now, laughing sometimes, talking quietly in corners. I hated how familiar they looked. I hated the twist in my gut every time I saw her smile at someone else.
I told myself it was none of my business anymore. But that did not stop the ache.
The entire day passed in a blur of missed notes and drifting thoughts. I could not focus. I could not care. My gaze kept slipping to the back of the classroom where Mia used to sit beside me.
By the time the final bell rang, I had made a decision.
I was going to see her.
The sky had already darkened when I stood in front of her apartment building, my heart hammering in my chest as I knocked on the door. This place was rundown, cramped, with peeling paint and broken hallway lights. It was a world away from my polished, glittering life.
The door opened. Josh stood there. And he did not look pleased.
"What the hell are you doing here?" he asked, his voice low, guarded.
I did not move. "I wanted to talk to Mia."
Josh's brows lifted, unimpressed. "You had your chance. You blew it."
"I know," I said, my voice steady. "But I'm not leaving until I see her."
Josh narrowed his eyes, about to shut the door in my face until Mia's voice cut through the tension.
"It's okay, Josh," she said gently as she stepped forward, her eyes flicking briefly to me. "I think... he came for our science project."
My gaze locked on her. She looked tired, worn, like the weight of the world was on her shoulders, but still beautiful in a way that made my throat tighten.
"As much as I wanted to work alone," she added, looking away, "our teacher said we'd get a zero if we switched partners. So I guess... we'll just have to finish it together."
Josh stared at her, then at me, clearly still unhappy. "I'm warning you," he muttered, his voice sharp with meaning. "This is our place. I don't care if you're Julian's brother."
I did not blink. "I'm not here to mess with her. Just to finish the project. That's all."
Josh scoffed, gave Mia one last look, and walked away. The door swung open fully now as Mia stepped aside to let me in.
The apartment was small, dimly lit, a little cluttered, and nothing like the world Josh and I came from. The air still carried the soft scent of laundry detergent and vanilla. Her scent. And somehow, it felt more like home than any mansion ever had.
I looked at her again, standing just a few feet away, her arms crossed over her chest like a shield.
"I didn't come here just for the project," I admitted quietly, my voice almost lost in the low hum of the overhead light. "I wanted to see you."
She did not answer right away.
And when she did, it was soft, almost tired.
"I figured."
I took a step closer. "You read my message."
"I did."
"And you didn't answer."
"No," she said, finally looking me in the eye. "Because I didn't know what to say."
"Besides," she continued, her voice quieter but sharper, "your silence was loud enough. I heard your message clearly. I was just someone who didn't matter in your life. And you don't have to feel guilty about it, Liam. I'm used to it, everyone at the Academy treats me the same way."
She paused, then added coldly, "So it wasn't anything new."
"Mia..."
"I never stopped thinking about you," I whispered, the words slipping out before I could stop them.
She stared at me for a long, quiet second. Her lashes were damp, but she blinked the emotion away, refusing to let me see her cry.
"Oh, really?" she said, her tone bitter. "Were you thinking about how pathetic I was for believing in you? For thinking you were different from everyone else?"
She turned away, grabbed her notes, and forced her voice to steady.
"Just forget about it. We have a project to finish."
I did not respond. I could not.
Because the weight of everything I had not said was already crushing me. And the truth was too messy. Too full of pride, fear, and everything I had buried under the weight of my brother's legacy.
Instead, I said the only thing I knew was real.
"I missed you, Mia." She did not reply, but something in her eyes softened. Just enough to keep me standing there, hoping.
"I was planning to do the project alone and just give you the full copy later," Mia said, her voice clipped as she busied herself with her papers, refusing to meet my gaze. "You don't need to be here, Liam."
But before she could move away, I reached out and gently took her wrist.
"Mia, please," I murmured, my voice softer now, pleading. "I needed to see you. I needed to talk to you."
"There's nothing left to say," she said, pulling her hand back slowly. "I'm not your girlfriend, Liam. And you're engaged to someone else. Your life's already been planned out for you, with Stacy. What could you possibly need from me now?"
I stepped closer, my brows drawn together, my heart hammering in my chest. "Exactly," I said. "That's why I'm here. Because none of those plans were mine."
My words softened her eyes, and relief washed over me when she did not step back. She looked at me differently now. I could still see the anger in her, but there was something else too.
Hope.