Chapter 2

Just then, a soft knock on the door interrupted Liam's furious outburst.

"Liam, are you in there?"

It was Chloe, Liam’s girlfriend.

Liam frantically snatched the scattered clothes from the floor, throwing them at me, and warned in a low voice, "Hide somewhere. You'd better keep this to yourself. No one can ever know."

Barely dressed, I used my torn clothes to cover myself, scrambling into the wardrobe in the room.

Liam quickly got dressed, straightened his appearance, and then opened the door with a smile.

"Chloe, what are you doing here?"

His gentle and warm demeanor was a stark contrast to his earlier rage.

"Who were you talking to just now?" Chloe asked him.

"Nobody, just on the phone with my assistant."

Chloe stepped inside, pinching her nose and frowning. "What's that strange smell in your room? You didn't hide a woman in here, did you?"

"I drank too much last night and didn't shower; it's just my own smell," Liam said with a roguish laugh. "You know I only have eyes for you. How could there be another woman?"

"What about that little housekeeper?" Chloe pouted, her tone complaining.

The "little housekeeper" she referred to was me. She had always disliked me.

Liam sneered dismissively. "She's just a housekeeper. How could she possibly compare to you?"

Chloe started to say more, but Liam put his arm around her shoulder, changing the subject. "Alright, didn't you say yesterday you wanted to go shopping? Let’s go, I’m free today. I'll buy you anything you want."

Liam walked out of the room, his arm around Chloe.

Through the gap in the wardrobe, I watched their retreating backs, my heart aching with every beat.

It dawned on me then. Liam's mumbled "Ava, I love you" last night was actually "Chloe, I love you."

I had naively thought he loved me, never imagining he was simply drunk, mistaking me for Chloe.

It wasn't until I heard the car starting in the driveway that I crawled out of the closet.

I ran to my room and showered for a long time.

But no matter how much I scrubbed, I couldn't wash away the traces Liam had left on me.

I collapsed helplessly onto the floor, tears mingling with the shower water, streaming down my face.

After my shower, a text message came in. It was from Liam.

[Keep your mouth shut about this. Don't let Chloe find out, or I swear I'll make you regret it!]

I didn't reply, silently turning off my phone.

Liam didn’t come home until evening.

And with him, he brought Chloe.

As soon as they walked in, Liam gave me a stern, emotionless order from the kitchen. "Make a few extra dishes tonight. Chloe's staying over, and she loves spicy shrimp, spicy chicken, and sweet and sour fish. Get those ready for her."

I turned my head blankly, looking at the two who had just entered.

Chloe clung intimately to Liam’s arm, her eyes full of blatant provocation as she glanced at me.

Liam let Chloe hold his arm, his collar slightly open, revealing several prominent red marks on his neck, crimson and stark.

I remembered I hadn't left any marks on his neck last night.

Realizing what they meant, I felt a wave of nausea, like I'd swallowed something foul. I forced down the disgust and numbly replied, "Got it."

"I don't eat garlic or cilantro. All the shrimp need to be peeled, and make sure the vein isn't broken inside. Also, the sweet and sour fish needs to be definitely sweet, like more sweet than sour, understand?" Chloe ordered imperiously.

I silently washed the vegetables in my hands, not responding to her.

The large kitchen fell into a heavy silence.

Liam's face darkened, and he snapped, "Ava Miller! Chloe is talking to you! Did you hear her?"

"I heard," I mumbled, my voice barely audible.

Liam shot me a displeased glance, then led Chloe into his room.

I worked in the kitchen for over an hour, preparing the dishes Chloe loved.

Before all the food was even served, Liam and Chloe had already come out of the room and sat down to eat.

Chloe picked up a spicy shrimp and brought it to Liam's lips, smiling sweetly. "Liam, this shrimp is good. Try it."

"Okay," Liam said, smiling indulgently, opening his mouth to take the shrimp Chloe fed him.

Only I knew that Liam had a sensitive stomach and never ate spicy food. But now, to humor Chloe, he swallowed the shrimp as if it were nothing.

Watching Liam furrow his brow, trying to hide his stomach ache, I found it incredibly ironic.

As I carried the last bowl of soup to the dining room, Chloe suddenly turned the conversation to me.

"Liam, Ava must be 26 this year, right? She's not getting any younger. She should really start thinking about her personal life. It's not quite right for you two to be living under the same roof, just a man and a woman."

Liam's hand, holding his fork, paused.

After a moment of silence, he turned to me, his voice sharp. "Chloe's right. Ava, you're not a kid anymore. It's time for you to find a boyfriend. The Smith family has taken you in for so many years, it's time for you to find a new place to go."

At his words, a crushing pain erupted in my chest.

He was telling me to leave.

But when he first took me in, he had clearly told me, "My home is your home. I am your family. You can live here forever."

All those past promises, he had clearly forgotten them.