Page 113 of Renascence

“Emily!”

His voice squeezes the air out of my lungs. Struggling to breathe and trying to fight back my tears, I soldier on. Before I can get there, Liam grabs my elbow, turning me to face him.

“Tell me what you want.”

“I want to go home.”

“Tell me what you want.” He places emphasis on every word.

“Fuck you!” I tug my elbow from his hold, but don’t get far before he’s blocking my attempt at a getaway. My eyes meet his, anger and confusion warring within me. “You want to know what I want? I want you. That’s the number one thing on my stupid list.You.”

Taken aback, his eyes widen. My words come rushing out. “I love you but I hate you and I need you but I don’t. You say you don’t want a relationship but you keep telling me I’m yours and I belong to you. You’re hot and cold and up and down and you…confuseme. I just….” I shake my head, trying to stave off the sobs. “I just want you to want me,” I finish, helplessness taking hold.

“You think I don’t?” he demands, voice raised in anger. “You think I don’t want—” He stops, reeling back in what he was about to say. He looks at me with what I can only determine to be regret. Whether it’s for what we started or what we could have become, I don’t know. What I do know is that Liam and I are over. I can’t continue with him knowing he’ll never want more than this. Not when my heart is invested. I can’t bear for it to be broken again. Not by him. There would be no coming back from that pain.

“I’ve been hurt. I’ve been degraded and ridiculed until I broke. I met you and you liked me even when I despised myself. You brought me back. You helped me heal. But for what? So you can leave me in more pieces than you found me?”

His gaze falls to the floor, ashamed to meet mine.

“I didn’t think I had any love left inside me, but you showed me that I do. Every little bit I can wring out of a heart I know still beats because of you… it’s yours.”

He finally looks up, face frozen and blank despite my meltdown. Despite the fact that I told him I love him.

“I can’t do this, Liam.” My hands rise and fall in resignation. “I thought I could, but I can’t. It was supposed to be fun. You weren’t supposed to make me fall in love with you.” He stares at me with that same expression, silence filling the room. “Please… just take me home.”

“You can’t leave—”

“Don’t fucking tell me what I can and can’t do. I’m going back to Uncle Jeff’s whether you take me or not.”

He stares at me for what seems like forever before he gives me a curt nod. He dresses quickly, following me out of the room. I try to hurry through the bar unseen, but Raven spots me.

“Hey, Emily. Where are you going?”

“Home.”

She takes one look at me, then gives Liam a disapproving stare. “What did you do to her,pendejo?”

“Nothing,” I answer. “I just want to go home. I don’t belong here.”

“Bullshit. I’ll get Gage. He’ll sort this shit out.”

She waddles off, cursing in Spanish, and I use the opportunity to make a dash for the exit. Liam follows, still silent. He doesn’t even glance at me while he straps my bag to his bike. As I climb on and wrap my arms around him—both for the last time—I shed the tears I’ve been holding back.

And not for the last time.

CHAPTER 19

***Venom***

“What the fuck did you do?” Gage accosts me the second I walk into the clubhouse.

“She wanted to go home.” I shrug as if I don’t know I just pushed away the best thing in my life.

“Oh, and you just let her go? With everything going on?”

“I put the prospect on her.”

“What’s wrong with you? Yesterday you were ready to kill someone, and I’m supposed to believe you don’t give a shit now?”