Chapter 3

They were all conspiring to help Liam keep the fact that he was marrying someone else a secret! In less than a second, the Ins post was deleted. Soon after, Liam emerged from the bathroom. “Sera, you—”

He’d just washed his hair and hadn’t even dried it, rushing out in a panic. “What’s wrong? ”

I looked up at him, expressionless, as if I hadn’t seen anything. Seeing my lack of reaction, Liam visibly relaxed. “Nothing, just letting you know I’m done. ”

“Mm. ”

I got up. Just as I reached the door, I heard Liam on the phone with his friend. “Are you crazy? Delete that post right now! What if Sera sees it? I told you, she absolutely cannot know about this. Are you trying to get yourselves killed? ”

“Alright, alright, it’s deleted. Sera definitely didn’t see it. Anyway, you’re not coming to your own celebration? Valerie’s already here. ”

Chapter 4

Liam was still hesitating when I suddenly walked back in. “Who are you on the phone with? ”

“Oh, just Leo and the guys. They’re calling me out for a few drinks. ”

“Really? I haven’t seen them in ages. I’ll come along. I could use a drink too. ”

I wanted to see just how good their secret-keeping would be if I showed up. Liam tried every excuse to stop me, but nothing worked. He just anxiously fiddled with his phone, sending urgent messages to his friends. When we arrived at the bar's private room, I immediately noticed Liam’s friends. All four men were sitting stiffly, politely sipping their drinks, not even having ordered any escorts. Seeing me, they all stood up in unison. “Evening, Sera! Don’t worry, tonight it’s just us guys. No one else. ”

I raised an eyebrow. “Meaning, I, a woman, shouldn’t be here? ”

They all froze, and Liam quickly squeezed my hand. “That’s not what they mean. They just don’t want you to be bored. ”

“I didn’t mean anything by it either. I just haven’t seen you guys in a while, and I wanted to grab a drink. Since it’s a guys' night, I’ll just have one and head out. ”

With that, I picked up a glass from the table, drained it, and, pretending not to notice the fleeting smiles on their faces, turned to leave. Liam feigned reluctance and pulled me into a hug, pressing a kiss to my forehead. “Alright, I’ll be home early. If you’re tired, just go to sleep. Don’t wait up for me. ”

I walked downstairs. I stood in a hidden spot around the corner for a moment, and sure enough, Valerie appeared. She strutted in on high heels, hips swaying, and quickly entered the private room. I stood by the door, able to clearly see everything inside. Valerie immediately settled herself onto Liam’s lap. “Seriously, why did you bring *her*? It meant I had to hide. You owe me that bag you showed me today as an apology. ”

Liam wrapped an arm around her, laughing. “I’ll buy you two. ”

Valerie giggled, hugging his strong waist and kissing him on the lips. “Ooh-la-la! You two are going to make us all so jealous! Valerie, you’re making us single guys green with envy! ”

“Oh, shut up, you guys! What’s there to be jealous of? Don’t you all have a few women around? Call them all! Let’s party! ”

Soon, they called over more women. Some were escorts, some played drinking games. A lively game of Truth or Dare began. And just my luck, Liam was the first one to get a penalty. A friend teased, “Liam, seriously, between Valerie and Sera, who do you like more? ”

Hearing the question, Valerie didn’t seem angry. Instead, she looked at him with a wide smile. “Be honest, now. Don’t just say it because I’m sick. ”

“Sera Adams. ”

Valerie’s face stiffened. “I’m right here! ”

Liam shrugged, completely unbothered. “I liked you too, but that was in the past. You were so resolute back then. Marrying you now is just to fulfill your wish because you’re sick. But Sera is the one I’ll spend the rest of my life with. We already agreed on all of this. ”

“Next time, don’t let this happen. Keep it quiet from Sera. ”

Sera is observant. If she knew he was messing around with another woman, she’d probably break up with him. But he couldn’t just ignore Valerie. She came back from abroad with a serious illness, and her last wish was to marry him. She was, after all, a woman he had deeply loved once. How could he possibly refuse her? As long as he kept it from Sera, once Valerie passed away, he would still marry Sera and take care of her for the rest of his life. That way, neither of them would get hurt. How perfect. Valerie buried her face in his chest, gritting her teeth, pretending to be nonchalant. “I don’t mind. I was the one who left you first. I’m just happy you’re spending this time with me. ”

“I love Liam, and I don’t want to hurt his girlfriend, so everyone, please keep this a secret for Liam! ”

I stood outside the door, utterly stunned, all the color drained from my face. Their words were like sharp blades, cutting into my heart, one after another. My insides felt like they were bleeding, twisted into raw knots of pain. Hearing Liam's choice, I felt nothing but disgust. I wanted to vomit. I truly hadn't realized that the man I’d loved for five whole years was rotten to the core! I leaned against the wall, trembling uncontrollably, the pain intense. All the strength drained from my body, and I slowly sank to the floor.