The next morning, Erin woke with a headache, the weight of Ian's phone call pressing on her chest like a boulder. She skipped breakfast, barely touching the coffee Liam had quietly placed on her desk before disappearing again, as he always did.
Liam.
He hadn't said a word about the crash. Or Ian. Or anything that happened two years ago. But something told her he knew more than he let on.
She opened her laptop and began digging. The accident had been officially ruled a brake failure. But Erin had always found it strange—her car was less than a year old, regularly serviced, and she had felt nothing wrong that morning. Just a sharp turn. A screech. Then water.
If Ian is right… someone wanted me gone.
She checked the location Ian had given her: the old city library. Abandoned years ago, it was now just a husk of history with broken windows and vines swallowing the walls. Meeting there was either deeply symbolic—or extremely suspicious.
Still, she needed answers. If there was even a sliver of truth in his words, she had to know.
But first, she needed protection.
Erin found herself pacing the hallway outside Liam's office. The door was cracked open. She knocked lightly.
No response.
She pushed the door further.
Liam stood by the window, his back to her, watching the city. His black shirt clung to his tall frame, hair slightly tousled. He didn't turn.
"I need to ask you something," Erin said.
A beat passed. Then another. Just when she thought he might ignore her, he spoke.
"You're going to meet him tonight."
She blinked. "You knew?"
"I heard your call. You didn't mute it fast enough."
Erin stepped inside. "You were listening?"
Liam finally turned. His eyes were cold, unreadable. "I was protecting you."
She scoffed. "Is that what you call eavesdropping now?"
A long silence fell between them. Then, Liam said, "Don't go."
Erin froze. "Why?"
"It's a trap."
She narrowed her eyes. "You know something."
Liam didn't answer. Instead, he crossed the room and handed her a USB drive.
"What's this?"
"Everything I've gathered about the accident. And Ian."
Her hand trembled as she took it. "Why give me this now?"
His voice lowered. "Because no matter how angry you are with me… I don't want to lose you again."
Erin's breath caught. "You never had me in the first place."
Liam didn't reply. Just turned away again, retreating into silence.
Erin left without another word, but her heart was pounding. She felt as if the floor beneath her had shifted. As if all her truths were being rewritten—one painful secret at a time.