Chapter 60
Chapter 60
LIAM’S POV
Morning came too early.
Liam had barely slept. He sat at the edge of his bed, elbows resting on his knees, staring at the pale light spilling across the floor. His shirt was half-buttoned, his tie hanging loose around his neck. The city outside was already awake; horns, voices, the low hum of life ,but inside his apartment, everything felt still.
He rubbed the side of his face and exhaled. He couldn’t shake the image of Isabel’s expression last night. The forced smile, the trembling hands, the way she kept dodging his eyes when he asked about Katherine.
He’d given her a chance to be honest.
She hadn’t taken it.
His phone buzzed on the nightstand. Selene’s name flashed across the screen. He frowned, then picked it up.
“Morning,” he said, his voice rough.
“Morning,” Selene replied. “You sound like you didn’t sleep.”
“Didn’t,” he muttered. “What’s going on?”
There was a pause, then her tone shifted. “You might want to know this. Katherine quit.”
He sat up straighter. “Quit?”
“Yeah. Sent in her resignation an hour ago. No explanation. Just said she needed time away.”
He rubbed his jaw, his mind turning fast. “That’s not like her.”
“I know,” Selene said. “Julian’s not buying it either. She’s up to something.”
Liam stayed quiet, staring at the wall.
“Whatever’s going on, it’s connected,” Selene continued. “Adele. Isabel. Katherine. It’s all tangled. Just… watch yourself, okay?”
“Yeah,” he said finally. “Thanks.”
When the call ended, he leaned back on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Katherine quitting wasn’t random. Not after what he’d seen, what he’d started to piece together.
He thought about the day at the hospital — the way Isabel had held Adele’s hand, how her fingers had pressed just a little too hard. The flicker of guilt that had crossed her face when he caught her. He’d brushed it off then, told himself he was imagining things. But now, after last night, after what Selene said, he wasn’t so sure anymore.
He got up, threw on a jacket, and made himself coffee. The smell filled the kitchen, but he didn’t drink it. He just stood there, thinking.
By noon, the doorbell rang.
He wasn’t expecting anyone, but something in him already knew who it was.
When he opened the door, Isabel stood there — hair neatly done, soft makeup, the kind of calm look that always came right before a storm.
“Hey,” she said lightly. “Can I come in?”
Liam stepped aside without a word.
She walked in like she still belonged there, setting her purse on the counter, glancing around the apartment like she was checking if anything had changed.
“You’ve been quiet lately,” she said, turning to face him. “I thought maybe I’d done something wrong.”
He met her eyes. “Maybe you did.”
She laughed softly, a little too quickly. “That’s harsh.”
He didn’t smile. “Is it?”
The air between them thickened. She looked at him for a moment, then sighed and leaned against the counter. “If this is about last night, I know I sounded off. I’ve just been busy. There’s a charity event coming up—”
“Stop,” he said quietly.
Her voice faltered.
He stepped closer, his tone calm but sharp. “You know what I don’t get, Isabel? When Adele was in the hospital ,when we rushed her there, when she could barely breathe,you were always there, now she is better , you are nowhere to be found. Not once did you visit. Not even a message.”
Her face tensed. “I didn’t want to intrude. I thought”
“You thought what?” he interrupted. “That she didn’t matter?”
She looked down. “That’s not fair.”
“It’s fair,” he said. “You always have an excuse. Charity work. Meetings. But when things get real, you disappear.”
She looked up, eyes shining like she was about to cry. “Liam, please. You’re misunderstanding everything. I care. I’ve always cared. You know that.”
He studied her for a long moment. Then, softly, “Do I?”
Something flickered across her face — guilt, fear, maybe both.
He crossed his arms. “Tell me about Katherine.”
She froze. “What?”
“You heard me,” he said. “You’ve been spending time with her. I want to know why.”
Isabel swallowed hard. “She’s my friend.”
“Since when?”
She hesitated. “A few months.”
“And you expect me to believe that?” he asked.
“Why wouldn’t you?”
He took a slow step toward her. “Because Katherine doesn’t make friends. She uses people. And you know it.”
Her breathing quickened. She tried to hold her composure, but he could see her mask cracking.
“I don’t know what you’ve heard,” she said, forcing a small laugh. “But she’s not what people say. She’s… misunderstood.”
Liam shook his head. “You really think you can charm your way through this, don’t you?”
“I’m not charming my way through anything,” she said quietly. “I’m just trying to talk to you.”
“Then talk,” he said. “Tell me the truth.”
Her eyes darted to the floor, then back to him. For a second, he thought she might finally say something real. But instead, she smiled again — small, practiced, fake.
“You’ve already made up your mind about me,” she whispered. “So what’s the point?”
He looked at her for a long time, his jaw tight. “The point,” he said, “is that I’m giving you a chance to be honest. Don’t waste it.”
She said nothing.
He waited another moment, then quietly, “You should go.”
Her lips parted. “Liam—”
“I said go.”
The words were calm, but they cut deep.
Isabel stood still, her eyes glistening. Then she nodded slowly, picked up her purse, and walked to the door. She didn’t look back, not until she reached it.
“I didn’t mean to hurt you,” she said softly. “Whatever you think I did… it wasn’t that.”
Liam didn’t respond.
When the door closed, he exhaled and leaned against the counter, staring at the empty space where she’d stood.
He didn’t know if she was lying. He just knew she was hiding something and that somehow, Adele was at the center of it all.
Outside, the city moved on, indifferent as always. But for the first time in a long while, Liam felt something shift inside him a quiet kind of resolve.
He was done guessing.
If Isabel and Katherine wanted to play games, he’d find out exactly what they were hiding.