fter a year inside, the simple act of breathing air that wasn't recycled felt strange. A gray sedan waited f

one who had changed. When the car turned onto her street, a knot formed in her stomach. Her home, the one she and Liam had designed together, looked different. The soft gray paint was gone

s. Gable, was getting her mail. The ol

goodness, yo

d, not in the moo

e. Liam has had his hands full, you know. It was a blessing he had Sarah to help him, especially with

n a tight, forced smile and walked up the unfamiliar stone path to the front door. The key she still had didn't fit. O

e walls, once covered in photos of her and Liam, were now bare except for a few abstract paintings. And then she saw the evidence

through the glass door, she saw them. Liam was sitting on a new outdoor sofa, his arm wrapped protectively around Sarah, her brother's

ont of her was so wrong, it made her feel sick. Then s

?" Sarah asked, her voice soft and worrie

ault. She took the fall for us once, she's not going to make waves now. She knows her place." H

aring it was a one-time mistake he made, that it would ruin his career. He swore he would wait for her, that their future would be worth the sacrifice. She remembered that desperate conversation vividly, his pleading eyes, his promises. He had held her hands and told her, "One year, Liv. Just one year, and then we'll have the rest of our lives. I'll take care of everything. I l