Chapter 10 

The pest day, Sweetie seemed a bit disappointed when she didn’t hear the doorbell ring. She impatiently ran to the door. 

Thelped her open it, but Liam wasn’t there. Her face fell. 

Wah red tinned eyes, she asked me, “Mommy, where’s Uncle Eism?” 

I held her hand and guided her back inside, comforting her, “Uncle Liam has been out for a long time. His mommy misses him, so he went back home. 

She sniffled, letting two tears fall, and asked pitifully, “Will he come back to see Sweetje?” 

Vicked up a tissue and gently wiped her tears. 

ume to see you again.” 

“Sweetie, be a good girl, eat well, and grow tall. When tinele fiam isn’t busy, he’ll come 

After Liam left, Sweetie censimally asked when he’d return, hut otherwise, we resumed our peaceful life. 

Then, I received a message from Liam, telling me that my father was critically ill. 

I doubted its truth, but I couldn’t take the chance–it might be my last opportunity to see him. 

I rushed back to the country with Sweetie, only to find Liam lying in a hospital bed instead. 

His mother sat by his side, her eyes red from crying. 

The m 

moment Sweetie saw Liam, she ran over, concerned. “Uncle Liam, are you sick?” 

Liam’s mother called me outside. Bowing deeply, she apologized. 

“Claire, it was our family’s fault in the past. We were too harsh on you, and we caused you to lose your baby. 

“After you left, Liam regretted everything. We became enemies with the Harris family, and for the company, he worked tirelessly, day and night. When he had free time, he’d drink while staring at your photos. He even drank until he had stomach bleeding. Only then did I realize how important you are to him.” 

She handed me a card. “This is compensation. I hope you can forgive us. 

I fushed the 

I pushed the card back “Ma’am, I gave Llam the best eight years of my life, and he didn’t care. Why should I forgive him now that he regrets it?” 

She grabbed my hand, trembling, and nearly knelt before me. I quickly stopped her. 

“Claire, please, I’m begging you. Forgive Liam. He only has a few years left. After he’s gone, you can do whatever you want,” 

Even though I had moved on, hearing about Liam’s illness still made me unbearably sad. 

It seemed I was destined to be trapped by him for life. 

Shaking my head, my eyes filled with tears, I refused. “Ma’am, I can’t.” 

Not getting the answer she wanted, Liam’s usually dignified mother erupted in anger. 

“How can you be so heartless? You loved him for eight years and even had his child. How can you be so cold–blooded?y 

Yes, Liam was pitiful now, and I was cruel. 

they all seemed to forget that Liam was cruel to me first. All I was doing now was returning the favor. 

And so, w 

On New Year’s Live, Lians invited me to meet him on a hotel rooftop. 

The rooftop was beautifully decorated, creating a romantic atmosphere. 

Chapter 10 

As soon gå Larrived, Liam sundled and cause to greet me, holding a bouquet made entirely of burdenotes. 

1 then noticed that most of the decerations on the rooftop were also made of money. 

“Little miser, do you remember saying you wanted a proposal reremony decorated with banknotes?” 

I took the housquet from his hands, treating it as my final goodlye to the naive version of myself. 

Lism began to share things I hadn’t known before. 

“After the wedding photoshoot, I went to a bar with my friends. They all told me to look into my heart. But hack then, I was consumed by family interests. I thought I didn’t love you that mich” 

A he spoke, he began to cry, choking on his words. 

Clare, ter realized how wrong I 

I’m sorry, I’m truly sorry.” 

The you in 

“Every time I said cruel things to you, it hurt me. But I forced myself to make my words even harsher, thinking it would hurt less. But seeing pain always tere nie apart.” 

When I saw you lying in a pool of blood that day, I realized how foolish I’d been But by then, the baby was gone, and I had nothing to keep you with 

es of you, my call scared you away again. I regretted it so much 

“Afterward, Isearched the world for you, but I couldn’t find you. When I finally got news of I wanted to die.” 

“I stood outside your house in the pouring rain for so long that night, wondering when you begged me to save our baby, but I thought you were ju being dramatic, were you just as helpless as I felt then?” 

“Every right, I can’t stop thinking: if I’d woken up sooner, realized my feelings for you earlier, and kept our baby, we would’ve been such a happy family of three now.” 

His eyes were filled with despair, like a beggar pleading for forgiveness. He began rambling. “It’s all my fault. I killed our baby. I killed him……” 

“I know you’ll never forgive me, but I love you so much. Thinking about never seeing you again feels like a knife twisting in my heart. It hurts so muchi but none of this matters anymore. You won’t forgive me.” 

I handed him a tissue to wipe his tears. He stared at it in surprise before treasuring it as if it were a precious gif 

Suddenly, the sky erupted with a symphony of fireworks. 

The vibrant colors illuminated everything around us. If this had been me and Liam three years ago, it might have been romantic, 

Liam held my hand tightly and rested his head lightly on my shoulder, watching the fireworks. 

The display lasted a full hour. 

that still count?” 

In a hoarse voice, Liam asked, “You said at eighteen that watching fireworks together meant forever. Does tha 

He knew we could never go back, yet he still clung to this answer. 

Tears blurred my vision. His question was so absurd. 

“Liam, every year you told me you loved me, but you still got engaged to another woman.” 

“If you hadn’t mentioned it, I’d have forgotten I ever said that at eighteen.” 

He laughed bitterly, his voice breaking into subs. 

“I knew it. You’ll never forgive me. I knew that..” 

“Liam,” 1 interrupted with a soft smile, “I came to say goodbye.” 

“Let’s both let the past go.” 

He stared blankly at me, looking at the sky for a long time before asking. “So you hate que, don’t you?” 

www 

Chapter 10 

“I can’t help but hate you, Liam. You knoy me 

Pain, filleil his eyes, and then he roughed violently, spitting blood onto my face. 

He was rushed to the hospital, his eyes locked on me until the last monent. 

I didn’t go with him. Instead, 1 called his mother to inform her of what happened 

Looking at the carefully decorated rooftop, I smiled. Placing the bouquet down, I left. 

I packed Sweetie and my belongings and left the country that very night, returning to the small city where we had built our life. 

I later heard that Liam had gone abroad for treatment, 

y year after that, on New Year’s Eve, Sweetie and I would watch a spectacular fireworks display from our yard. 

I knew it was Liam’s doing. 

But for us, this was the only way we could live in peace 

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