CHAPTER 64

CHAPTER 64
For a few seconds after Liam’s voice came through the door, no one moved.

Isabel’s whole body went stiff. Her heart slammed so hard she thought Katherine might hear it. The room felt too quiet, like the walls themselves were listening. Katherine’s eyes flicked to the door, then to Isabel, sharp and calculating, already running through options.

Liam pressed the buzzer again.

“I said we need to talk.”

His voice was calm. That was what made it terrifying.

Katherine straightened slowly, smoothing the sleeve of her blouse like she wasn’t standing on the edge of something dangerous. “Sit,” she said quietly to Isabel. “Let me handle this.”

Isabel shook her head, barely. Her throat felt tight. She could not breathe properly anymore.

Katherine walked to the door and opened it with a controlled smile, the kind she used in boardrooms and meetings when she already knew she had the upper hand.

“Liam,” she said lightly. “You could have called.”

He didn’t return the smile. He stepped inside without asking, his eyes scanning the room once before landing on Isabel.

She looked wrecked. Red eyes. Tear streaks she had not managed to wipe away. Hands clenched so tight her knuckles were pale.

Something twisted in his chest.

“You look comfortable,” he said flatly.

Katherine closed the door behind him. “You’re making assumptions.”

“No,” he replied. “I’m done making them.”

He took off his jacket slowly and set it down, like he was settling in. Katherine watched him carefully now. This was not the Liam who avoided confrontation. This was not the man who stayed quiet and hoped things would fix themselves.

This was someone who had already decided.

“Sit,” Katherine said again, gesturing toward the chair opposite Isabel.

“I won’t be staying long,” Liam said. “I just want answers.”

Isabel’s eyes filled again. She opened her mouth to speak, but nothing came out.

Liam turned to her fully. His voice softened, just slightly. “I need you to listen to me. Whatever happens next depends on what you say.”

Katherine interjected, “You’re putting her under pressure. That’s unfair.”

He looked at Katherine, his gaze sharp. “You don’t get to decide what’s fair anymore.”

The room went cold.

Isabel swallowed hard. “Liam… I didn’t expect you to come here.”

“I know,” he said. “That’s why I did.”

Silence stretched. The ticking of the clock on the wall felt unbearably loud.

“Why are you here together?” he asked.

Isabel hesitated. Katherine watched her closely, a warning in her eyes.

“Answer,” Liam said.

Isabel’s voice came out shaky. “We’ve been talking.”

“About what?”

She glanced at Katherine, then back at him. “About you. About Adele.”

Katherine scoffed softly. “That’s not a crime.”

“No,” Liam said calmly. “But context matters.”

He stepped closer to Isabel, stopping just short of her personal space. “Did Katherine tell you Adele was manipulating me?”

Isabel’s breath caught.

Katherine spoke fast. “This is turning into an interrogation.”

“Good,” he said. “Because someone here has been lying.”

Isabel started crying quietly. She wiped at her face with trembling fingers. “She said Adele was pretending. That she was weak on purpose. That she used accidents and illness to keep people around.”

Liam felt heat rise behind his eyes. “And you believed her.”

“I didn’t want to,” Isabel whispered. “But she sounded so sure. And every time I tried to defend Adele, she’d point out something else. Something small. Something I couldn’t explain.”

Katherine crossed her arms. “I was protecting him.”

“From what?” Liam snapped.

“From her,” Katherine shot back. “She had Julian wrapped around her finger. You were next. I was trying to stop a pattern.”

“That is not protection,” Liam said. “That is obsession.”

Isabel sobbed harder now. “I didn’t want anyone to get hurt. I swear. I just wanted him to see me. I thought if Adele stepped back, things would calm down.”

Liam closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them again, there was something distant there.

“And the hospital?” he asked.

Isabel stiffened.

“What about the hospital?” Katherine said quickly.

“You went,” Liam said. “Both of you. Before Adele woke up. Before anyone told me.”

Katherine’s jaw tightened. “You don’t know that.”

“I do,” he said. “Security logs. Nurses talk.”

Isabel looked horrified. “You checked?”

“Yes,” he said. “Because something didn’t sit right.”

Isabel’s voice broke. “I held her hand. I thought she might die. And I felt angry about it. And that scared me.”

Katherine turned sharply toward her. “You didn’t have to say that.”

“But it’s true,” Isabel cried. “I felt relieved when she didn’t wake up right away. I hated myself for it.”

The words hung in the air, heavy and ugly.

Liam stared at her. “And Katherine?”

Isabel looked at the floor. “She told me it was normal. That it meant I cared.”

Katherine laughed quietly. “Now you want to blame me for your feelings?”

“You fed them,” Liam said. “You encouraged them.”

Katherine’s voice turned cold. “Because feelings don’t come from nowhere. Isabel already wanted you. I just gave her permission to stop pretending.”

Liam’s hands clenched at his sides. “Did you tell Adele anything when she woke up?”

Katherine smiled faintly. “I checked on her. That’s all.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“She asked about you,” Katherine said. “I answered honestly.”

Isabel’s head snapped up. “What did you tell her?”

Katherine didn’t look at her. “That Liam gets tired. That men move on. That people lie when they’re scared.”

Liam felt his stomach drop. “You planted doubt.”

“I gave perspective,” Katherine replied. “She was fragile. I didn’t force her to believe anything.”

Isabel looked sick. “You said you wouldn’t do that.”

Katherine finally looked at her, eyes sharp. “I said I wouldn’t hurt her. Doubt isn’t pain. It’s reality.”

Liam took a slow step back. His chest felt tight.

“This ends now,” he said quietly.

Katherine raised a brow. “You don’t control me.”

“I don’t need to,” he replied. “Julian knows you resigned without explanation. Eva knows you were at the hospital. Selene has records. And Isabel just told me enough.”

Isabel froze. “Julian knows?”

“Not everything,” Liam said. “But he will.”

Katherine’s confidence wavered. Just a fraction.

“You think Julian will choose you over me?” she asked. “After everything we’ve been through?”

Liam met her gaze. “He already has.”

That one landed.

Katherine’s lips parted slightly, then pressed together.

Liam turned to Isabel. “If you tell the truth now, fully, I can protect Adele from the worst of this.”

Isabel nodded desperately. “I will. I swear. I’ll tell everything.”

Katherine stepped forward. “If you do that, you burn every bridge you have.”

“I already have,” Isabel said through tears. “And I hate myself for it.”

Katherine’s face hardened. “You’re weak.”

“Maybe,” Isabel said. “But I’m done being yours.”

Liam picked up his jacket. “Stay away from her. Both of you.”

Katherine’s voice dropped low. “You think this makes you a hero.”

“No,” he said. “It just makes me done.”

He left without another word.

The door closed behind him with a final, heavy sound.

Isabel collapsed forward, crying uncontrollably.

Katherine stood still, staring at the door, her chest tight, her hands shaking for the first time in a long while.

Control had slipped.

And somewhere else, Adele sat alone, staring at a message she had not opened yet, her instincts screaming that the truth was finally close enough to hurt.