Chapter 177 Making Goodbye Final
Chapter 177 Making Goodbye Final
Mia’s POV
I barely slept. Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Liam standing in front of me, refusing to accept that I wanted to end things.
This isn’t over for me, Mia. Not even close.
His words followed me through the night. More than once, I almost called him, but I stopped myself. I had asked him to let me go, and calling him would only make everything harder.
By morning, I was exhausted. I washed my face, changed, and left the guest room to find Josh in the living room.
“Morning,” he said. “You hungry?”
“Not really. Maybe later.”
I went to the kitchen and poured myself a glass of water. I had barely taken a sip when Josh spoke again.
“Mia, do me a favor today. Stay away from social media, and maybe don’t read the news either.”
My hand slowly lowered. “Why?”
“No particular reason.”
“Josh.”
“You had a rough night. I just think staying away from all that would be better for you.”
Until that moment, checking the news hadn’t even crossed my mind. Now it was the only thing I wanted to do.
“What happened?”
“Nothing you need to worry about.”
“That doesn’t sound like nothing.”
“Mia, trust me. Just leave it alone.”
I reached for my phone on the counter, making him sigh.
“Of course you’re going to do the exact opposite.”
“You’re the one who made me suspicious.”
“I was trying to protect you.”
“From what?”
When he didn’t answer, I unlocked my phone.
“Mia, maybe you really shouldn’t.”
That was enough to tell me whatever Josh had seen involved Liam. I opened social media and didn’t even have to search his name. The first post on my feed made my heart stop.
A photograph of Liam and Glydel filled the screen beneath a headline I had never expected to see.
LIAM ALCARAZ AND GLYDEL GARCIA ARE ENGAGED
For several seconds, I simply stared. I had heard Liam say yes last night, but hearing him agree to his dying father’s request was completely different from seeing it announced to the entire world.
“Mia.”
I barely heard Josh as I opened the post. The article described Liam and Glydel as a powerful match between two prominent families, and several other pages had already picked up the story.
“What the hell?” I whispered. “Liam only agreed last night. How is this already everywhere?”
“I don’t know. That’s why I told you not to look.”
Only hours ago, Liam had stood in front of me and said he wasn’t giving up on us. Now the entire world believed he was marrying Glydel.
For one painful second, I wondered if he had known about the announcement, but I pushed the thought away. I refused to accuse him of something simply because I was hurt.
I should have closed the app. Instead, I opened the comments.
Finally! They look perfect together.
Now this is a power couple.
Liam Alcaraz and Glydel Garcia? This makes so much sense.
Then one comment made my thumb stop.
Wait. I heard he was already engaged to someone else.
My chest tightened as I read the replies.
Yeah, I heard that too, but Liam and Glydel deserve each other more. They’re both successful and from powerful families.
Exactly. Glydel is a much better match for someone like Liam.
“Mia, stop reading.”
I ignored Josh and kept scrolling until another comment made something inside me ache.
Whoever the other woman was, she probably knew she couldn’t compete with Glydel Garcia.
I stared at the words. These people knew nothing about me or what Liam and I had been through. They didn’t know we had loved each other long before either of us became successful, or how difficult it had been to find our way back to each other after eight years apart.
They didn’t know Liam had nearly died protecting me or that he had put a ring on my finger and asked me to spend the rest of my life with him.
To them, I was simply the woman who had come before Glydel.
Josh reached for my phone, but I moved it away.
“I’m fine.”
“No, you’re not.”
“They don’t even know me.”
“Exactly. So why are you letting them get to you?”
“Because they’re saying the same things I spent years trying not to believe.”
Josh went quiet as I looked at the photograph again. Liam and Glydel looked good together. They were wealthy, successful, and powerful, the kind of couple no one would question.
It brought back everything Lucinda had once made me believe about myself, that no matter how much Liam loved me, I would never truly belong in his world.
I hated that those words could still hurt after everything I had accomplished. I had become a lawyer, topped the bar, and worked until I became a partner at a respected law firm. I had built a life I was proud of for myself, yet a few strangers had somehow made me feel like that scholarship girl again.
Josh sat beside me. “Look at me.”
I finally raised my head.
“You know those people don’t know what they’re talking about.”
“That doesn’t make it hurt less.”
“No, but it makes them wrong.”
I gave him a tired smile. “You’re my best friend. You’re required to say that.”
“I’m not required to do anything. I could tell you you’re being an idiot if you prefer.”
A small laugh escaped me.
“There. Better.”
“Barely.”
“I’ll take it.”
I closed the comments. Reading more wouldn’t change anything, but as I lowered my phone, my gaze fell to the engagement ring still on my finger.
Thousands of strangers were congratulating Liam for becoming engaged to another woman while I was still wearing the ring he had given me.
“I should take it off.”
Josh followed my gaze. “That’s not something I can decide for you.”
I ran my thumb over the ring before gripping it between my fingers, but I couldn’t bring myself to pull it off.
Before I could try again, my phone vibrated.
Liam’s name appeared across the screen, and my heart immediately began pounding.
I wanted to demand an explanation and hear him tell me he had nothing to do with the announcement. My thumb almost touched the screen before I stopped myself.
Last night, I had asked him for space. If I heard his voice now, I wasn’t sure I would have the strength to keep the distance I had fought so hard to put between us.
So I let it ring.
“Mia,” Josh said quietly.
“I can’t.”
The call ended, but almost immediately, a message appeared.
Liam: Please don’t believe what you’re seeing. I didn’t announce anything.
Another followed.
Liam: I meant what I told you last night. I’m not giving up on us.
I stared at the messages.
Josh glanced at me. “What did he say?”
“That he didn’t announce it.”
“Do you believe him?”
“Yes.”
The answer came easily. Whatever mistakes Liam had made, I couldn’t believe he had left Josh’s condo after promising to fight for us and immediately announced an engagement to Glydel.
But it didn’t change what had happened. His father was still dying, Liam had still given him his word, and I had already made my decision.
I placed my phone on the counter and stood.
“Where are you going?” Josh asked.
“To get ready for work.”
“You barely slept.”
“And staying here reading comments about Liam and Glydel isn’t going to make me feel better.”
He couldn’t argue with that. I started toward the guest room, but his voice stopped me.
“Mia.”
I looked back.
“Whatever happens between you and Liam, don’t let strangers convince you that you weren’t enough for him.”
My throat tightened, but I managed a nod before returning to the bedroom.
Once the door closed, I leaned against it and looked at the ring still on my finger.
I believed Liam when he said he hadn’t announced the engagement. I believed him when he said he wasn’t ready to give up on us.
Maybe that was why letting go felt almost impossible.
My fingers closed around the ring again, but this time, I forced myself to slide it off. The moment it left my finger, the emptiness there hurt more than I expected.
I held the ring tightly in my palm.
Part of me wanted to put it back on and pretend I still had the right to wear it, but I knew I couldn’t keep holding on to a promise I had already asked him to release me from.
And somehow, I knew taking it off wasn’t enough.
I needed to return it to Liam.
Because until I gave him back the ring and made him understand that I truly meant goodbye, our breakup would never feel final.