On New Year’s Eve, the night I decided to move across the country to Seattle to marry him, my mom was so furious she chased me out of the house with a broom. “That broke kid has nothing! You’ll just suffer if you marry him. If you dare go, you are no longer my daughter!” For six years in Seattle, Liam bore all the hardships alone. With his frostbitten, calloused hands, he built a happy home for us. On New Year’s Eve, I was searching through a batch of dumplings for the marked one, the one containing the custom engagement ring I bought, when I got a call from the police. They said my boyfriend had gotten into a vicious fight and I needed to come down to the precinct. I rushed over in the snow, bowing and apologizing to get him released. When I signed him out, Liam was reeking of alcohol, his face bruised. A young woman was pulling at his coat, crying her eyes out. [Liam, thank you for standing up for me. My ex-husband is abusive and has a terrible temper; he’ll definitely keep harassing me. My son and I really can't hold on much longer.] [Leo loves the dumplings you make. Every day he waits for ‘Daddy Liam’ to come keep him company. Liam… give us a home.] I lost my mind in an instant. I smashed my phone right there in the police station, and Liam and I had the most explosive argument we’d ever had. I questioned him hysterically; he called me heartless. Finally, he gave in and promised to have his female coworker transferred to another team and never contact her again. After that, Liam never brought up Olivia again. Their chat history was reduced to purely work-related exchanges. Until I discovered Liam had a dual-system set up on his phone. They hadn’t cut contact at all. They just moved from out in the open to the shadows where I couldn't see. He switched from his main account to an alternate account full of relatives and friends. Every photo he posted with her and her son received genuine blessings. I scrolled back to their chat history from New Year's Eve. [Olivia: I found a ring in the dumplings. Was your girlfriend planning to propose? I’ll bring it back to you.] [Liam: No need, just pretend you didn't see it. I don't want to get married right now anyway.] Fine. Since that's what he wants. I've been away from home for six years. It’s time I went back. Chapter 1 Liam was busy in the kitchen. “Maya, I’ve reheated the food a few times now. It probably doesn't taste that great anymore.” “What do you want to eat? I can order delivery, or we can go out. That sushi place down the street is still...” He turned his head and met my reddened eyes. Liam's expression instantly softened. “Alright, stop throwing a tantrum.” “My baby is the most understanding, right?” I dodged his touch and said coldly: “Get the dumplings back.” Liam's smile froze. He untied his apron, balled it up, and threw it hard at my feet. He pointed a finger at my face, shaking it a few times, before gritting his teeth and forcing out an “Okay.” The call connected. Olivia said her son had eaten the dumplings. “I’m so sorry. How much were they? I’ll pay you back.” Liam's face was losing its composure. A plate of dumplings had turned into an endless farce. “It’s fine, Maya is just acting like a child. I’ll buy her more...” “Liam, it’s not the same,” I interrupted him. Liam suddenly smashed his phone. It shattered into pieces, several shards bouncing off my arm and drawing blood. His volume suddenly spiked: “What the hell do you want from me today!” “It’s just a fucking plate of dumplings! Maya, your targeting of Olivia is too obvious.” I was stunned. Liam pulled a thick stack of cash from his wallet and threw it at my face. The bills scattered, and mixed in with them were three ticket stubs from an amusement park. “Is this enough?” He pulled out his credit card. And threw it hard. “Is this enough?!” “I’m paying you back for her!” My eardrums throbbed. This was the first time in six years Liam had lost his temper with me so viciously, like he wanted to eat me alive. My chest felt tight, a dull ache spreading. I was so sad I couldn't speak. I could only fumble through the photo gallery on my phone, trying to find the evidence from five years ago when he said he would marry me today. But he had clearly forgotten. “Enough. Let’s both cool off for the night.” Liam pushed my phone away. “Maya, you really need to reflect on your own jealousy.” The door slammed shut. I started dry heaving uncontrollably. I clutched the fabric over my chest tightly. It felt like only by doing this could I ease the suffocating feeling. When I was tired of crying and gasping for air, I climbed up from the floor and started packing my meager belongings. Six years ago, I came here with nothing but reckless courage. Six years later, I'm leaving completely alone. Olivia made a post on Facebook. The caption read: [The happiest New Year's Eve.] The background was a high-end restaurant. Liam was holding the kid, and Olivia was leaning against his side. While I was leaving, they had gone out for a feast. The table was filled with food. What Liam had been reheating in the kitchen earlier were their leftovers. It included Olivia's favorite dish, shrimp—which I am deathly allergic to. When he was reheating the food, he didn't even think to pick them out for me. Liam's assistant left a comment: “Wow, that was fast. Olivia’s charm is no joke.” “Liam’s been saying at the office every day that he’s never getting married, but he still ended up falling for Olivia.” The screen went dark, reflecting my pale face. My hands were shaking as I finished packing. At the very bottom of my luggage, pressed flat, was my economy train ticket to Seattle from six years ago. Thirty-two hours. But my six years were never taken seriously by Liam. 2 It’s actually laughable. After living in Seattle for so many years, I had no friends, no job, and the only money I had left was what Liam threw at me last night. All I learned to do was revolve around him. Learned to cook and make soup for him, learned to put him first, learned to empty my savings just to buy a twenty-thousand-dollar watch to make him happy. I was such an idiot. Stupid enough to hand my heart over with no reservations, letting him trample all over it. “One ticket back to New York, please.” The ticketing agent suddenly spoke up: “Hey? Are you that girl from six years ago?” I looked up, a bit of color finally returning to my pale face: “You remember me?” The lady smiled: “Who wouldn't remember you two?” “Back then, your boyfriend waited for you outside the station for a day and a night. The snow piled up on his shoulders, he looked like an ice sculpture, but he refused to leave, terrified he’d miss you.” “We told him to go to the break room to grab a cup of tea and warm up. The kid smiled awkwardly and said he was starting a business, spent all his money buying you a gift, and couldn't even afford a bus ride. He walked five hours in the cold just to get to the station.” I listened, completely lost in thought. My chest felt tight and bitter. From an abandoned building, to a tiny rental, to the luxury penthouse we lived in now. The boy swallowed all the hardships alone. With his frostbitten, calloused hands, he picked up every brick and tile to build happiness, to build a home. He said: “We won’t have to be afraid of the winter anymore.” “Maya, to be honest, I was afraid you’d come looking for me, but I was also afraid you wouldn’t.” “I was afraid you’d suffer with me.” “But I was also terrified that you didn't love me.” He cried that day. He held me so tight it felt like he was trying to merge our bodies. My tears fell with his. It was supposed to be happy, so why did it feel so incredibly painful and unbearable now? “Miss, your ticket.” My fingertips trembled slightly. It felt like I wasn't taking a ticket, but a knife to sever the past. “Don't cry.” The ticket agent glanced at the expensive jade bracelet on my wrist and seemed to relax a little: “When you support a man from nothing, don't talk about feelings, talk about money. Talk about whether he's willing to spend it on you.” I nodded. The ticket was crumpled in my tight grip. Before I could board, Liam caught up. He sprinted toward me just like he did six years ago, pulling me into a tight embrace. I could clearly hear his chaotic breathing, his rapid heartbeat, and his voice shaking uncontrollably: “Don't go...” “Maya, I was just angry, I didn't mean to drive you away...” Liam tore up my ticket, scooped me up in his arms, and shoved me into the passenger seat of his car. “Aren't you bothered by me hanging out with Olivia?” “I transferred her to another team. I'll keep my distance from now on.” I stayed silent. I stared blankly at the ornament swaying with the car—a gift from Olivia. The cabin smelled entirely of citrus—Olivia's perfume. The glove compartment, which should have been filled with my things, was now stuffed with kid’s snacks and a few lipsticks that weren't mine. I blinked, my eyes feeling incredibly dry. Liam didn't notice anything wrong with me, still rambling on about taking me to Hokkaido for winter vacation. I let out a soft sigh. I didn't even have the energy to nod anymore. 3 Liam never mentioned Olivia again. Their chat history was strictly work-related. A clean break. “Maya, I'm running for VP. Work is going to be crazy busy for a while.” His voice came through the phone receiver. It didn't sound quite real. “I wired some money to your card. Go out, walk around, buy something you like. Don't focus all your energy on me.” Every day when he got home, I was already asleep. When he left in the morning, I was still dreaming. There was breakfast he’d warmed up in the microwave; the dirty clothes I’d worn would be washed and hung on the balcony. Every corner of the house had traces of Liam. I could see them. But I could no longer grasp him. I could feel that we were drifting further and further apart. Our relationship was rusting. Even if we aggressively polished away the rust, it seemed no different than before. But it had lost a lot of its weight. Floating in the air, swaying uncontrollably with the slightest breeze. I originally wanted to take the money and leave, but the biggest variable was that I was pregnant. At first, I was lethargic, had no appetite, and threw up constantly. I told Liam. The next day, he bought a huge bag of medicine and told me to take it. He didn't even leave instructions before rushing off again. It wasn't until I felt so sick from the pills that I went to the hospital and found out I was pregnant. “We have to wait for further tests to see if we can keep the baby,” the doctor frowned. “Taking so many antibiotics... I'm afraid the baby might be born with defects.” In the end, two nurses had to carry me out. Outside the examination room, I spent the most agonizing six hours of my life. The back of my hands were covered in bruises from me pinching myself. My eyes were wide open, leaking moisture and guilt. I blamed myself for not realizing I was pregnant sooner. Why wasn't I more careful when taking the medicine? Why did I just shove everything into my mouth without a second thought the moment Liam handed it to me? “Everything looks fine for now. Come back for a check-up next month.” I felt a wave of relief. My mood improved, and I even ate an extra bowl of rice for dinner. Liam didn't get home until midnight. Reeking of alcohol, with a cut on his cheek bleeding and a black eye. “Did you get into a fight?” He mumbled something vague and went straight into the bathroom. His work phone, tossed on the bed, pinged. [Olivia: Liam, thank you so much for standing up for me today. Otherwise, my ex-husband would have kept harassing me.] [Olivia: I felt so helpless. If it wasn't for you being there lately, Leo and I really wouldn't have made it. Leo really likes you. He waits for 'Daddy Liam' every day. Liam, give us a home.] The words repeatedly battered my nerves. It hurt so much. My insides felt like they were going to explode. Daddy Liam... Then what was my baby supposed to call him? Give them a home. What about my home? The home I've longed for since I was a child, a place to shelter me from the storm, was gone. Torn to shreds by Liam's own hands. I bit the tip of my tongue, using the pain to force myself to stay awake as I scrolled through their entire chat history. They hadn't cut contact. They had merely moved from the open to the shadows where I couldn't see. From Liam’s main account, to an alternate account filled with relatives and friends. Every photo he posted with her and her son received genuine blessings. I had been left behind again. [Olivia: I found a ring in the dumplings. Was your girlfriend planning to propose? I’ll bring it back to you.] [Liam: No need, just pretend you didn't see it. I don't want to get married right now anyway.] I could no longer maintain any semblance of dignity. With trembling hands, I sent a message back: [You love being the other woman that much? Keep my trash, it's a gift.] “Maya, what are you doing with my phone!” 4 Liam's gentleness and consideration always vanished completely the moment his boundaries were crossed. He yanked me, making me stumble. I fell beside the bed, ignoring the dull ache in my lower abdomen, scrambled up, and slapped him. Liam's face swelled even more. He stared dead at the phone in my hand. “Give it to me.” I didn't move. He lunged for it. Pinching my hand, prying my fingers open one by one. My knuckles made horrifying cracking sounds, completely contorted. Amidst my screams of pain, he snatched the phone back. “You can't unsend it, Liam. It's too late.” I started laughing loudly. Like I was gloating, or like I'd completely lost my mind. “I just called her that. A homewrecker, a homewrecker. Does your heart ache for her?” “Olivia is a homewrecker...” Smack— I was thrown onto the bed. All the words were slapped back into my stomach. They churned around, turning into pain, into nausea, into vines covered in thorns. Then they tore me apart from the inside out. My eyeball throbbed with pain. I even suspected it had burst; otherwise, how could so much warmth be flowing out? Besides blood, could it be tears? “Do you realize you're poking right at Olivia's wound!” Liam roared. “Maya, you're driving her to her death!” “Will you only be satisfied when she's dead?!” My voice was incredibly hoarse. “Yes.” “Go to hell. Both of you, go to hell.” Liam went to the kitchen, grabbed a knife, forced it into my hand, and held it to his own neck. It felt like a mutually assured destruction. “Come on, kill me.” “Kill me if you have the fucking guts!” “Maya, I never said I wouldn't marry you. Olivia's situation hasn't been resolved yet, and I don't want to divert my attention to you right now.” “You waited six years, are you really lacking this tiny bit of time! Are you lacking this tiny bit of love!” Yes. I am lacking. I'm pregnant. I don't want my child to follow in my footsteps; I don't want them to be born into a broken home. He said I was poking at Olivia's pain. Wasn't he doing the exact same to me? And he was doing it by tearing the wound open with his hands and violently twisting inside. His phone rang. A child cried: “Mommy ran out crying. I'm so scared something will happen to her... boohoo, Daddy, go find her...” Liam hauled me up from the bed. “Let's go. Come with me. Let's see what you've driven Olivia to!” “Maya, there needs to be a limit to your selfishness!” The car sped down the highway. Soon, Olivia came into view. Liam dragged me over to her, forcing me to apologize. He pressed down on my shoulders, forcing me to kneel in the snow. My knees, separated only by a thin layer of clothing, stung with the cold. “Maya, I can tolerate all your little tantrums, but this time is different.” “Olivia has depression from the divorce; she can't handle any stimulation.” The snow fell heavier. The more I shivered, the heavier the pressure on my shoulders grew. People walked by. I suddenly felt very envious of them. Without cracks, snow falling on them is just snow, not fine salt rubbed into a wound. “Liam, I'm pregnant...” I offered a despairing smile. A warm flow spread beneath me, slowly dyeing the snow red. “I can't handle any stimulation either...” 5 At first, Liam didn't notice the blood at his feet. All his attention was on Olivia. It wasn't until the woman showed a terrified expression that he realized I couldn't hold myself up. I was swaying, about to pass out. “Maya, why are you bleeding so much...” Blood soaked my nightgown. And it soaked his pant leg too. I was so exhausted I couldn't utter a single word, collapsing softly into his arms, barely breathing. Ironically, it was Olivia who repeated the words he hadn't heard clearly. “Maya said she's pregnant...” She had been there. Of course she knew what this much blood meant. “Hurry, get her to the hospital.” Pedal to the metal, blowing through countless red lights. At the hospital, Liam just carried me and charged inside. The more panicked he was, the more bumpy the ride, and the more blood flowed out. The metallic smell was so strong that people around us couldn't help but cover their faces. I was so cold, and in so much pain. Shivering against Liam's back, my teeth chattering uncontrollably. I don't want it anymore. Money, love, or a home—I don't want any of it anymore. I just want to run far away, to a place where I can never be hurt again. As far away from Liam as possible. Away from him, away from my pain. When the doctors wheeled me into the emergency room, Liam tried to follow. They argued at the door, and it finally took several nurses to hold him back as he went crazy. The moment before the doors closed, our eyes met. Time seemed to freeze for a few seconds. His face slowly contorted, morphing into a look I didn't recognize. Bang— Completely separated into two different worlds. The anesthesia was cold, flowing through my veins into my bones. I grabbed the doctor's white coat, using all my strength to plead: “Don't save the baby...” “Get rid of it...” Being born would only mean falling into endless pain. I had no confidence I could give the child the life they deserved. So it's better they don't come. The doctors in the ER were silent, seemingly infected by my despair, all showing looks of pity. As my consciousness blurred, I felt like I was back in the past. We didn't have a house, but we had a small home. The home held me and Liam. “When we have a baby, we'll decorate a beautiful nursery for them.” “We'll watch them grow, and when they're older, we'll move to a more spacious place.” “The kid goes to school and plays, I'll make the money to support the family, and you just focus on loving the two of us.” Liam used to mutter these things constantly. “Our family of three will be happy forever.” He looked so serious, as if the things he was saying would happen tomorrow. Tomorrow came. Liam, but the happiness won't.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "395333", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel