Chapter 93 Out of the ashes
Chapter 93: Out of the Ashes (Liam’s POV)
The drive away from Northview High felt like the first real breath of air I had taken in four years. I kept one hand on the steering wheel and the other wrapped around Elena’s. She was looking out the window, a small, quiet smile on her face. Her hand was warm, and every time I squeezed it, she squeezed right back.
I didn't care that Maya’s fake video was still circulating on the school network. I didn't care that the guys on the team were probably deleting my number from their phones right now. For the past two years, my father had beaten it into my head that my entire worth was tied to a hockey jersey and a trust fund. Standing in that courtyard today, looking at Jax, Chloe, and Maya, I realized how incredibly small their world actually was. They had money, but they were terrified of losing their status. I had lost everything, and I had never felt more powerful.
"What are you smiling about?" Elena asked, turning her head to look at me.
"Just thinking about how mad Maya looked when we walked away," I said, glancing at her. "She really thought she had us."
"She’s not going to stop, Liam," Elena said, her voice dropping a bit. "People like her and Julian... they don't know how to let things go. They think losing makes them look weak."
"Let them try whatever they want," I said, pulling the car onto the state highway. "They can control the school gossip, but they can't touch my uncle’s property. And they definitely can't touch your mom's new clinic."
We drove for another twenty minutes until the crowded suburbs of Northview faded into wider, quieter streets lined with old trees. This was the edge of the city, where the houses weren't white-columned mansions, but older, brick buildings with massive lawns.
I pulled the car into a long driveway blocked by a heavy iron gate. The guard at the front didn't ask for my ID; he just nodded and pressed the button to let us through.
At the end of the driveway sat a large stone house covered in ivy—my uncle Marcus’s main estate. But tucked away to the right, separated by a row of thick pine trees, was a smaller, single-story cottage. It had a fresh coat of gray paint, a wide front porch, and a brand-new wooden ramp leading right up to the front door.
I stopped the car right in front of the ramp and turned off the engine. "We're here."
Elena stared at the cottage, her mouth parting slightly. "Liam... this is beautiful. It’s not a guest house, it’s a whole home."
"Marcus used to use it for his senior security staff, but it’s been empty for a year," I said, stepping out of the car. I walked around to her side and opened the door. Before she could even try to put weight on her bad knee, I scooped her up into my arms.
"Liam, I can walk up the ramp," she laughed, wrapping her arms around my neck. "That’s literally what it’s there for."
"I know," I murmured, pressing a kiss to her temple as I carried her up the wooden steps. "But I like carrying you. Get used to it."
I kicked the front door open with my boot. Inside, the house was clean and warm. There was a small living room with a brick fireplace, a kitchen with brand-new stainless steel appliances, and a hallway leading back to two bedrooms. Marcus had even had his guys stock the fridge with groceries and leave a box of fresh medical supplies on the counter for her knee.
I set her down gently on the plush sofa in the living room. She leaned back against the cushions, looking around the room like she still couldn't believe it was real.
"It’s so quiet," she whispered. "No screaming, no Julian knocking on the door, no rain leaking through the ceiling."
I knelt down in front of her, unlacing her sneakers and gently pulling them off her feet. I inspected her knee brace, making sure it wasn't cutting into her skin. "This is your place now, El. Yours and your mom's. Once the surgery is done next week, she’s coming straight here to recover. Marcus already hired a private nurse to visit three times a week."
Elena looked down at me, her eyes filling with tears. She reached out, her fingers running through my messy hair, pulling me closer until I was leaning against her knees. "I don't even know how to thank you, Liam. You gave up your entire future for this."
"I didn't give up my future," I said, looking up into her eyes. "I just changed it. My old future was just a script my dad wrote. Go to college, play professional hockey, marry some girl like Chloe, and spend the rest of my life being miserable. This? This is my choice."
I leaned up, capping her face in my hands. I kissed her slowly, letting all the tension from the school hallway drain out of us. Elena sighed into the kiss, her hands moving to the back of my neck, holding me tight. It felt safe. It felt like we were finally building a wall between us and the rest of the world.
When I finally pulled back, she was breathing a little fast, her cheeks flushed. "You're really serious about working for your uncle?"
"Eight o'clock sharp every morning after graduation," I smiled, sitting on the sofa next to her and pulling her into my side. She rested her head against my chest, and I wrapped my arm around her shoulder, holding her close. "He runs a tight ship, but he respects people who keep their word. I’ll be handling the digital security side of the firm. It pays well enough to cover our expenses and keep this place running."
"Just Liam," she murmured, tracing a circle on the fabric of my shirt.
"Just Liam," I agreed.
We sat there for a long time as the sun started to set, casting long, orange shadows across the hardwood floor. For the first time in months, we weren't running from a deadline, an eviction notice, or a blackmail threat.
But as the clock on the wall struck six, my phone vibrated in my pocket. I tried to ignore it, but then it vibrated again. A specific, rhythmic buzz that meant it was an automated alert from Marcus's office network.
I pulled it out, trying not to disturb Elena, who was starting to doze off against my shoulder.
It was an email from my uncle’s legal team. I opened the attachment, expecting it to be the final lease agreement for the cottage. Instead, it was a copy of a temporary restraining order filed in the city court just an hour ago.
The plaintiff wasn't my father. It was the Northview School Board, signed by Julian’s mother and Chloe’s parents.
Because I had openly admitted to being cut off financially and leaving my family residence, the board was claiming I was a vagrant minor living on unauthorized commercial property. But the real blow was at the bottom of the page. They were using my administrative status to audit Elena’s scholarship again, claiming her residency status was fraudulent because she was no longer living at her registered address.
I stared at the document, my grip on the phone tightening as the old rage started to bubble back up. They couldn't stop the surgery, and they couldn't scare us in the courtyard, so they were trying to use the legal system to disqualify her from graduating.