Chapter 56 Is This Him?
Claire
I woke up to the sound of Liam’s name.
As I pushed myself upright, my throat felt unbearably dry—so dry it burned. Heat crawled up my chest, and I asked Luppy for water almost immediately.
Isa, however, was still fixated on one thing: who Mr. King was.
And this time, I decided I wouldn’t dodge it.
I was done hiding things from my children. Every secret I kept only made things worse when the truth finally surfaced. From now on, I will be honest, no matter how uncomfortable it was.
Luppy handed me the glass, and I drank every last drop before exhaling slowly. Then I reached out toward Isa. Without hesitation, she placed the phone in my hand.
I dialed his contact, I had saved him as Mr. King, not to draw attention.
“Yes,” I said calmly when the call connected. “I was told you called.”
A brief pause.
“Hm. Your daughter said you were resting,” his voice came through.
I took a deep breath. “And you already know where I am, don’t you?” I asked.
He didn’t respond.
Of course he knew.
I didn’t know how he had done it—when or how he had placed a tracker on my phone—but he had. And the fact that he called meant he was concerned. Not that he would ever admit it.
“Are you alone in there?” he asked.
I lifted my gaze and met Isa’s eyes, which were fixed on me, searching my face.
“No,” I replied. “My daughter and the nanny are here. Don’t tell me you’re around, Liam.”
“I am, Mrs. Claire,” he said calmly. “Just a few feet away from your room.”
My heartbeat spiked instantly. I looked toward the door, half-expecting it to open at any second.
“Then what’s stopping you from coming in?” I asked.
A few seconds passed. Then the door opened.
I dropped the phone beside me—
And he walked in.
While I looked like someone who had just crawled out of hell, he was the complete opposite.
Liam walked in looking composed, polished—perfectly dressed, fresh, untouched by time, with that sure confidence of his.
His gaze went to Luppy first, then shifted to Isa, and finally settled on me, as though he were quietly putting the pieces together.
“I take it you’ve let the cat out of the bag,” he said.
Hearing his voice in person sent a sharp reaction through me. If Isa and Luppy hadn’t been in the room, I would have gone straight into his arms—just to feel him hold me, just to steady myself.
“Not entirely,” I replied.
He nodded once, a small smile tugging at his lips.
“That one,” he said, glancing toward Isa, “does look like your husband.”
He shook his head lightly.
The comment snapped my attention back to Isa. Her face had twisted with barely restrained anger—so intense that if looks could kill, Liam would have dropped dead right there.
“But she clearly has your temper, so stop glaring at me, girl” he cautioned. I immediately turned to him, my expression sharp. “You will not address my child like that,” I shot back.
“As you wish,” he replied, settling into a chair, his eyes never leaving mine.
“You’d better not be pregnant, Mrs. Claire,” he suddenly said, not caring that my daughter was present.
“So this is him?” Isa asked, turning to me.
“Yes,” I answered without hesitation.
“This is him?” Liam echoed, sounding almost insulted. “Well, this ‘him’ is more attractive than your father,” he added, as though Isa had struck a nerve. She rolled her eyes and shook her head.
“I’m sorry,” I murmured, but she only closed her eyes briefly before opening them again. “I can’t believe this is actually happening,” she said, pressing her fingers to her temple.
It was about time they accepted that this was real—after all, seeing is believing.
“That your father ruined things with your mother for someone younger?” he said. I snapped my gaze at him, at least he’d chosen his words carefully.
“Well, yes—and my mom chose someone younger too,” Isa fired back. I immediately called her out.
“Isa,” I warned.
“No, Mom. This is a lot to process in just a few hours. And it’s all true? I was hoping it wasn’t,” she said coldly, folding her arms across her chest.
She was visibly upset, and I understood her, but there was nothing I could do about it. “I’m sorry. I’ll apologize more later,” I said, but she stopped me.
“There’s no need. He’s right anyway—it’s Dad’s fault,” she said, then her voice turned firm. “But you’re not going to show him to the boys.”
I blinked at that, and noticed how uncomfortable she looks, so I nodded.
“So when exactly am I getting some alone time, Mrs. Claire?” Liam asked.
Isa and I spoke at the same time. “Cut it out.”
Instead, he stood up, clearly irritated, and said, “Are you going to stay here and watch me kiss your mother?”
Isa was caught off guard, unable to say a word, and my own face reflected pure surprise.
He didn’t even seem to consider that my child was here, and I couldn’t help but wonder how I could still be unsure that the man I had found comfort with might be the wrong one.
Yet no matter how much I told myself otherwise, I still found myself craving to see him.
“Isa, come on, let’s go get lunch. You must be hungry, just like I am,” Luppy called, saving me from the stress.
Isa couldn’t say another word, nor did she look at me, as she began walking out with Luppy. Once the door closed, my attention returned to Liam, and it was clear from my expression that I was angry.
“Sorry, I had to say it like that so she would leave,” he said next, but I wasn’t buying it.
“And you think that was the only way you could do it?” I shot back as he dropped his coat on the chair and came closer.
His eyes fixed on me. “And what brings you to the hospital?” he asked. Did he think I was pregnant? That was impossible.
“It was stress,” I said, noticing how he relaxed slightly. Did he really think I was pregnant?
“You can’t be serious, thinking I’m pregnant,” I added.
He shrugged. “Well, it’s not uncommon for a woman your age, claiming to have had her womb tied, to still get pregnant—especially considering the rough sex we’ve been having.”
I almost wanted to laugh, but… he wasn’t entirely wrong.
“Don’t worry, Liam. Even if I were pregnant with your child, I’d abort it before you even knew,” I blurted out.
I saw it then—a frown slowly forming on his face.