Chapter 180 The Ring In My Hand

Chapter 180 The Ring In My Hand
Liam’s POV

I stared at my phone, waiting for Mia’s message.

We need to talk.

That was all she had said before ending the call. I’d tried calling her back once, but when she didn’t answer, I left it at that. If she was willing to see me after everything that had happened, I wasn’t going to push her.

My phone finally vibrated. I opened her message and closed my eyes when I saw the location.

Of all the places she could have chosen, it had to be there.

The restaurant where Mia had worked part-time during senior high school had been gone for years. The city had bought the property and the surrounding establishments to expand the nearby park. Now, gardens, walking paths, benches, and a large fountain stood where the restaurant had once been.

But whenever I passed that place, I still remembered eighteen-year-old Mia Villaruiz rushing from school to work because she needed every dollar she could earn. I remembered ordering food I didn’t want just to stay longer and see her smile.

That place had witnessed the beginning of us.

And now she wanted to meet me there.

Fuck.

I already knew this wasn’t going to be good.

I grabbed my keys and left.

By the time I reached the park, Mia wasn’t there yet. I checked my phone, found no new messages, and headed toward the fountain.

Families and couples filled the park, but I barely noticed them. Less than twenty-four hours ago, Mia had been my fiancée. Now the entire country believed I was engaged to Glydel Garcia.

I’d spent the morning trying to contain the damage after my father’s office released the announcement without my approval. But taking down articles couldn’t change what Mia had heard last night.

I sat on a bench, only to stand again almost immediately, too restless to stay still. My gaze returned to where the restaurant had once stood. So much had changed since we were teenagers, yet somehow life had brought us back to each other after eight years apart.

The possibility of losing her again made something inside me twist.

Then I saw her.

Mia stood several feet away, and relief hit me before I noticed her face.

Her eyes were swollen despite the makeup she had probably used to hide it, and the sadness in them sent a cold weight through my chest. She looked like someone who had already made a decision she wished she didn’t have to make.

I walked toward her. “Mia.”

She remained where she was.

I stopped in front of her, fighting the urge to pull her into my arms and kiss her until she understood how desperately I wanted to keep her. I wanted to hold her until whatever she had come here to say disappeared, but the pain in her eyes held me back. After everything that had happened, I wasn’t sure I still had the right to touch her.

“You came,” she said quietly.

“You called.”

Her gaze dropped. “I wasn’t sure you would.”

“You really thought I wouldn’t? Mia, if you called me from the other side of the fucking world, I’d find a way to get there.”

She closed her eyes briefly. “Please.”

“What?”

“Make this a little easier for me.”

My chest tightened.

“Mia—”

“Let me speak first.”

I already knew what she intended to say, but I nodded.

She looked toward the fountain. “Do you remember the restaurant?”

“Of course.”

A faint smile appeared. “You kept ordering things you didn’t even want.”

“I wanted to see you.”

“You once ordered three sandwiches in less than an hour.”

“I was eighteen. I hadn’t perfected subtlety yet.”

A soft laugh escaped her, but it disappeared almost immediately.

“I chose this place because this is where so much of it started for us.”

“You’re scaring me.”

“You said you’d let me speak.”

I clenched my jaw but nodded.

She took a breath. “I’ve been thinking about everything since last night. About us, your father, and what you agreed to.”

“I have no intention of marrying Glydel.”

“I know.”

I stared at her. “Then you know there’s nothing between us.”

“I’ve never believed there was.”

“Then what are we doing here?”

Her eyes met mine.

“Ending this.”

“No.”

The answer came without hesitation.

“Liam—”

“I listened to you. Now hear me out.” I stepped closer. “I don’t love Glydel. I love you.”

“I know.”

“Then why are we doing this?”

Her eyes filled with tears. “Because I know why you said yes. Your father told you he was dying, and you gave him what he asked for.”

“I made a mistake.”

“You were scared of losing him.”

“And that doesn’t mean I have to lose you.”

She swallowed. “If you choose me now, you’ll spend whatever time your father has left fighting with him. I don’t want that for you.”

“That’s my decision.”

“But I’ll always wonder if you’ll regret it someday. If you’ll remember that his last wish was something you refused because of me.”

“I would never blame you.”

“You have no idea how you’ll feel after he’s gone.”

“And neither do you.”

Her gaze dropped, and I saw her fingers touch the engagement ring.

My entire body tensed.

“Mia.”

She pulled it from her finger.

My heart dropped. “Put it back.”

Her hand trembled. “Liam, please.”

“That ring belongs on your finger.”

Tears rolled down her cheeks. “I can’t keep it.”

“I’m not taking it.”

“You have to.”

“I refuse.”

A few people glanced toward us, but I didn’t care.

She reached for my hand, but I curled my fingers into a fist.

“Liam.”

“Please, Mia.”

“You gave me this because you wanted me to become your wife.”

“I still do.”

“But you agreed to marry someone else.”

The words hit hard because there was no defense against them. Whatever my reasons had been, I had said yes.

“I know why you did it,” she continued softly. “That’s what makes this so hard. If you didn’t love me anymore, maybe I could hate you and leave. But I can’t because I understand.”

“Then stay with me.”

“Your father is dying.”

“And I’m supposed to lose you because of it?”

“I’m trying to make sure you don’t lose him because of me.”

“You’re not responsible for my relationship with my father.”

“But I can’t stay knowing I might become the reason you spend his last months angry with him.”

I stepped closer. “Look at me.”

She raised her tear-filled eyes to mine.

“I lost you for eight years, Mia. Then somehow I got you back. I nearly died protecting you, and I asked you to marry me because there is no other woman I want beside me. Do you really think I can simply agree to lose you again?”

Her tears fell faster.

“I love you,” she whispered.

The words silenced me.

“I love you enough to know I can’t ask you to choose between me and your dying father.”

“I’m not asking you to make that choice for me.”

“I already have.”

She reached for my hand again. This time, I couldn’t pull away.

She opened my palm and placed the ring inside it.

I stared at the ring I had slipped onto her finger when she agreed to become my wife.

“Mia, please.”

I couldn’t remember the last time I had begged anyone for anything, but I didn’t fucking care.

“I can’t lose you like this.”

She closed my fingers around the ring and pressed a kiss against my cheek.

My eyes shut.

For one second, I wanted to pull her against me and refuse to let go, but when she moved away, the tears on her face stopped me.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered.

“Mia.”

“I love you, Liam.”

“Then stay.”

Her face crumpled.

She shook her head. “Goodbye.”

Then she turned and walked away.

Every instinct screamed at me to follow her, but I remained where I was, the ring digging into my palm as the distance between us grew.

Behind me, the fountain suddenly came alive. Music filled the park as streams of water rose into the air, illuminated by dancing lights. Children laughed while couples stopped to watch.

Years ago, this place had witnessed the beginning of our love.

Tonight, it witnessed Mia walking away from me.

I looked at the ring in my hand.

I had lost her once when we were young and powerless against the people determined to separate us.

I wasn’t that boy anymore.

Mia might believe leaving me was the right thing to do, but I refused to believe this was how our story ended.

I closed my fingers around the ring.

Whatever happened next, I was still going to fight for us.