"I could tell with just one look that he figured out my game.
But what of it?
Charlotte, Ethan, Zane, and now even Liam… none of them were as unbreakable as before.
Oh, wait, I should add Liam to the list.
After all, I saw it all in his Moments.
I had successfully turned four people against each other, and I couldn't be happier.
Sitting in the passenger seat of Liam's car, I noticed his furrowed brows and worried expression. I spoke up, "Sorry about this. It's all my fault."
He turned to me and smiled with an unsettling look. "Then what do you want to do to make it up to me?"
I didn't respond.
Suddenly, Liam pulled over to the side of the road and leaned toward me.
"Lana, I'm not Ethan, that fool. I can tell you're doing this on purpose."
As his face and body drew closer, I felt a churn in my stomach, but I forced myself to hold it together.
I held back the nausea, but soon, tears welled up in my eyes.
It was purely physiological.
"Give me something nice, and I won't expose you."
I lowered my head, biting my lip.
Then, Liam lifted my chin. "Hmm? There's a hotel nearby."
Just as I felt myself losing control, my phone rang.
I pulled it out to see that it was William calling.
Ignoring the threatening look from Liam, I answered the call.
"Where are you?"
"I'm on the way. I'll be home soon."
"If I don't see you in twenty minutes, I'll go look for you."
He hung up abruptly, clearly angry.
I shakily looked at Liam. "I should go home."
Liam seemed uninterested and let go of me, pressing the gas to take me home.
When we arrived, I looked back at him before getting out, my eyes unusually clear.
"Whether you believe it or not, I didn't intentionally cause trouble between you all. I only went through your Moments because I wanted to know more about you."
I got out of the car and ran back inside.
When I got upstairs, I noticed Liam's car hadn't left yet.
I waved at him through the window and smiled.
The headlights blinked twice, as if acknowledging me, before he turned the car around and drove off.
I took my smile back, stripped off my clothes, and ran a bath.
I felt filthy.
The next day, I heard that a violent brawl had broken out at the bar the night before, leaving two people seriously injured.
I found out which hospital Ethan was in and decided to visit with a fruit basket.
"Hello."
I stood at the door, feeling guilty as I looked at Ethan, who was lying in the bed.
He glanced at me and spat, "Get lost!"
I bit my lip, putting the fruit basket down on the floor, and said, "My brother knows. He asked me to tell you that he won't bother Charlotte anymore. You can rest easy."
Naturally, William wouldn't have dinner with Charlotte, and Charlotte would definitely visit Ethan. It was best if he learned it from him.
Furious, Ethan grabbed the cup from the nightstand and threw it at me. "Didn't you hear me? Get out!"
The cup shattered at my feet, and a sharp fragment cut my calf.
I turned and left.
My leg was bleeding. Once downstairs, I sat on a bench in the hallway and pulled some tissue from my bag to clean it.
The next moment, a person crouched beside me and gently held my leg. The other hand took the tissue from me.
"You don't have to do this. If Charlotte doesn't care for you, he sure won't."
I looked up to see Liam in front of me, a guilty look on my face. "It's my fault."
He raised his head, his eyes full of sympathy. "You silly thing."
Liam borrowed some disinfectant and bandages from a nurse and carefully tended to my wound.
While he applied the medicine, he asked, "What did you mean by what you said last night?"
I pretended not to understand and didn't respond.
He continued, speaking to himself, "What, do you like me?"
He looked up, his expression tender, but I noticed the hint of testing in his eyes.
I turned my head uncomfortably. "No."
Liam smiled faintly, not responding.
After the treatment, he invited me to dinner, and I agreed.
From him, I learned that the argument between Charlotte and the others had gotten really serious. Ethan was so mad that he didn't want to speak to them anymore.
I rested my chin in my hand, thinking to myself that Ethan must have been a devoted follower for years, but now, he'd finally exploded.
Just then, Liam's phone rang.
After he took the call, Liam told me he had to head to the hospital. Zane had called him, saying that Charlotte and Ethan had gotten into a fight. Since he couldn't intervene directly, he called Liam for help.
I nodded for him to go quickly, and then I found a hotel with a perfect view. From the window, I could see the chaos unfolding in the hospital across the street.
As I watched the scene, I made a call to William.
It was quickly answered.
"I thought you'd avoid me so much you wouldn't even answer my calls."
William's tone was tinged with helplessness. "Listen, there are some things I'm not telling you because it's for your own good."
He changed the subject. "What did you do last night?"
I rested my chin on my hand and told him what had happened the night before. He didn't speak for a long time.
Over at the hospital, Liam arrived. I wasn't sure what he said, but the two people who had been arguing calmed down.
Finally, William spoke. "I'll send you the details of their family connections in an email."
"Thanks, brother," I replied.
He sighed. "I have a few things to deal with. I won't be around all the time, but if you need anything, call me."
I raised an eyebrow. "I'm not asking, but why go so far as to not even come home?"
"My mom wants me to sort out some issues with the branch office," he explained.
Well, I couldn't argue with that.
After the call ended, the hospital room seemed peaceful again.
I glanced at the time—tomorrow was Monday.
It was time to head back to school.
