Chapter 3
Ever since I threw the ring at him in the hospital, Liam hadn't reached out to me. To him, I was playing hard to get.
He was sure that within three days, I'd be crawling back to him, tail between my legs.
But three days passed, then a month, and there was still no word from me.
He started to feel a hint of irritation. That irritation became more pronounced whenever he was around Eleanor.
Eleanor was still as gentle and thoughtful as ever, personally making him meals and massaging his shoulders whenever he looked worn out. But he couldn't shake the feeling that something was missing.
He found himself comparing her to Lily without even realizing it.
Lily's meals always tasted right to him. Lily's massages always had the perfect touch. Lily never disturbed him while he worked. She'd brew him a cup of coffee in silence and quietly leave.
He realized that after three years, Lily's presence had seeped into every corner of his life, as vital and invisible as the air he breathed.
But now, with that air suddenly gone, he felt like he was suffocating.
Liam had people searching for me.
But all they discovered was that I'd moved out of my apartment, quit my job, and gone completely off the grid, even with my family. It was as if I'd disappeared from the face of the earth.
For the very first time, Liam was hit with real panic.
He started blowing up my phone with calls and texts, but every message disappeared into the void.
He checked out all our old hangouts, the restaurants, the galleries, and the parks, but he didn't catch so much as a glimpse of me.
I was completely gone from his world, as I had never existed at all.
That day, Liam was absentmindedly scrolling through his phone, feeling agitated, when an art news alert suddenly popped up. [Hot new artist Lily's solo exhibition is opening next week, and her standout piece, Fireworks, is already turning heads.]
He tapped on the notification. The article featured the painting, Fireworks.
In a shadowy corner beneath a dazzling night sky, a girl with her face obscured was crying in utter despair.
Suddenly, a strange sense of familiarity hit him, making his heart skip a beat. He found himself clicking into Lily's social media profile.
One painting after another appeared before his eyes. Every piece was filled with suppressed emotions, pain, and a haunting, shattered beauty.
Then, he stumbled upon a photo showing the artist's side profile.
In the picture, she wore a plain white T-shirt, her hair loosely tied back, sunlight spilling across her cheek, serene and quietly beautiful. It was Lily.
Liam's eyes suddenly narrowed, shock rippling through him.
Liam wasted no time and sped over to the gallery.
Inside, my paintings had been carefully arranged, waiting for the big opening.
The gallery manager was deep in conversation with Oscar, going over the final details.
Liam burst in, and everyone froze.
"Where's Lily?" he demanded, his voice rough, his eyes darting around the gallery in desperation.
The manager, not recognizing him, frowned. "Sir, the show hasn't started yet. You can't be here."
Oscar stepped in front of Liam, his face clouded with hostility. "Mr. Mitchell, why are you here?"
"Where is Lily? Tell me." Liam shoved Oscar aside, wild and out of control like a beast unleashed.
His eyes swept over the paintings. Each one was like a knife, stabbing deep into his heart.
He saw the warehouse, the blade, and the face he despised, twisted in tears.
So it hadn't all been in her head. She really was kidnapped. He really had abandoned her.
A terrifying thought hit him like a thunderbolt. He stumbled back, crashing into a painting. The painting was called The Call.
In the painting, a hand held up a phone, and the screen showed his own name.
In the phone's reflection, there was a girl tied to a chair, her face smeared with blood.
Liam's breath stopped cold. He remembered the call he'd brushed off as nothing but a hassle that night.
He remembered every cruel, heartless word he'd spat out. "She's a hassle. Kill her if you want to."
Those words echoed in his mind like a curse, over and over again.
"No, this can't be happening," Liam whispered, his face very pale.
Oscar stared at him with icy contempt, like he was watching a fool make a spectacle of himself. "So now you're scared? Liam, when you threw her into hell with your own hands, did it ever cross your mind you'd end up here?"
Liam suddenly seized Oscar by the collar, his eyes wild and red with fury. "Where is she? Where did you stash her?"
"Me? Hide her?" Oscar shoved Liam's hand away, letting out a cold, mocking laugh. "Maybe you should ask yourself. Where did you lose her?"
Just then, a police officer walked in.
He strode straight up to Liam and flashed his badge. "Mr. Liam Mitchell, we're with the city's major crimes unit. Half a month ago, there was a kidnapping on the west side of town.
"The main perp's already in custody. According to his confession, you're suspected of ordering the victim's death. Please come with us to answer some questions."
The police's words struck Liam like lightning, leaving his mind reeling.
"No, I didn't." Liam tried to deny it without thinking.
The officer remained stone-faced. "Come with us, and we'll get to the bottom of it."
Liam was escorted out of the gallery by two officers, one on each side.
Liam glanced back, locking his gaze onto The Call, his eyes haunted by fear and remorse.
*****
At the police station, the interrogation room was flooded with cold, white light.
The officer pushed a witness statement and a recording toward Liam across the table.
"This is the confession from the main suspect, Stanley Turner. He claims he called you, and you told him to kill the hostage," the officer said coolly.
Liam's hands trembled as he picked up the statement. Every word Stanley had said was laid out in black and white.
Then the officer hit play.
Liam's own voice, cold and emotionless, came through the recorder. "She's a hassle. Kill her if you want to."
Next, a girl's voice, so soft it was barely audible, followed. "Do it. Don't let him hear me cry."
Liam's whole world shattered in an instant. He finally understood the depth of despair Lily had suffered that night.
She thought it was all over for her. Her final plea, as she stared death in the face, was that he wouldn't hear her sobs.
'Why?' Liam thought. 'She loves me so much. Why, in the end, did she have to protect my dignity in such a heartbreaking way?'
It felt as if a massive hand had ripped his heart apart, the agony so overwhelming he could barely breathe.
"What happened after that? How is she now?" Liam clutched the officer's hand, his voice trembling badly.
The officer pulled his hand away, shooting Liam a cold stare. "The victim was lucky, with only a deep cut on her arm and a lot of blood loss.
"The kidnapper said he was about to kill her, but her last words shook him. He pitied her and decided to let her live."
Liam slumped in his chair, completely shattered. 'A kidnapper pitied my fiancée.' he wondered, the irony hitting him like a punch to the gut.
"I want to see her," Liam said, his eyes pleading.
"The victim refuses to see you," the officer replied, his voice cold and emotionless. "Mr. Mitchell, while you haven't been found guilty of inciting murder, your actions caused the victim significant psychological harm.
"We hope you'll reflect on this and behave yourself."
The investigation was over.
Liam walked out of the police station, his soul lost and empty.
The sunlight stabbed at his eyes, but all he felt was a bone-deep chill.
He pulled out his phone, desperately searching for any way to contact Lily. But every number he dialed was no longer in service. She'd blocked him everywhere online.
For the first time, Liam realized it could be nearly impossible to reach someone who wanted nothing to do with you.
He went to Lily's parents' house.
When her mother, Sophia Clark, saw him, she flashed a sycophantic smile, then started complaining tearfully about how Lily was so unfilial, how she defied them and brought shame to the family.
Liam tuned her out completely. He asked, "Where is she?"
Sophia stammered, saying she had no idea.
Liam didn't hesitate. He slapped a check down on the table. "300 thousand dollars. Tell me where she is."
Sophia's eyes lit up, and she blurted out the address of Lily's apartment without a second thought.
Liam clutched the address like it was his last lifeline. Without a second thought, he dashed out.