Page 55 of Stronger Than Love

I’d no idea how he managed it, but Liam moved me behind him, putting himself between me and Martin. What the hell was going on? Martin had been like a brother to me for years, a Niall away from home that I chatted to and shared stories with. He never acted with aggression. Ever.

Martin stood, his shoulders rolling back, to face Liam. “Why? What are you going to do about it?”

Clinging to Liam’s arm, I peered around his back to see my friend. “Our last assignment was tough, Martin. That’s why I applied for a new job. Maybe you should talk to someone about it? A debriefing session?” We all had them when we returned. Sometimes we needed more than one.

He lifted the bottle and threw it against the wall. The glass shattered and fell to the floor.

My jaw dropped open.

Mum shrieked, her eyes round and wide.

“That’s e-fucking-nough,” Liam ground out, dragging Martin’s arm up his back and escorted him struggling from the kitchen outside. Niall was two steps behind him.

“What’s wrong with him?” I whispered to Angie, as if what we were discussing was blasphemous.

She shrugged. “No idea. I thought he was okay, but he’s been quiet all day.”

Worried, I headed to the door, but Michael stepped in my way. “Best stay here, ladies.”

That was the last straw. I pushed past to see Martin take a swing at Liam, who merely stepped back and let him stumble forward. Angie gasped from beside me, her fingers digging into my arm.

“You don’t know a damned thing,” Martin slurred, staggering to his feet. “I had to listen to her whine about you our entire first year in uni. This perfect man.” He raised his hands and made air quotes at the last two words.

Niall’s attention moved to Liam, eyes narrowing in comprehension.

“Then she came back at the end of summer, eyes puffy and head all over the place,” Martin continued to provoke Liam. “You left her fucking broken and pregnant. Now you wander back into her life as if nothing ever happened.”

Liam’s fist connected with Martin’s jaw, sending him sprawling onto the ground.

Niall dragged Liam back. “What the fuck? You’re the one who left my sister pregnant? Another mouth too much for you to feed?”

“What the hell?” Liam roared, his expression falling, head shaking. “I’ve no idea what you’re talking about!”

“Like fuck you don’t!” Niall shouted as Liam stalked toward the house. “You’re not good enough for her.”

Liam froze and his eyes finally found mine. Everything inside me stilled. He’d never taken charity, always working for what he had. The times he let me help him in the past, I’d disguised it as something else. If anything was Liam’s Achilles heel, not being good enough was his number one trigger. He never knew I was pregnant. Never knew because I only found out after the accident.

His jaw tightened and storm clouds gathered in his eyes. His gaze raked over my face, seeking answers to his silent questions. His shoulders lowered when the realisation washed over him that what he’d heard was true.

I wanted to run to him, tell him the truth, but my feet seemed to be stuck to the kitchen floor. My life began to crumble around me one brick at a time.

Liam took a step back, his eyes filled with pain and disbelief. “Fuck this,” he muttered before turning on his heel and walking away.

My heart fractured in two as he left me. My feet finally freed, racing down the driveway to him. He jerked his arm away when I grabbed him.

I recoiled at the pain on his face. “I wrote to you every single day for a month and you never replied. Now your wannabe boyfriend tells me you were pregnant with mybaby. Fuck, Oonagh.” He trailed his fingers through his hair. “Didn’t I deserve to know?”

My mouth opened and closed but no words came out, even as they screamed in my head.

“Just forget it,” he said, his voice breaking on the final word. “You’re just not worth it anymore.”

My jaw dropped as he walked away from me with his back straight. My knees wobbled, giving way until I collapsed onto the ground. The memories of waking up in the hospital flooded me and I could barely breathe.

The doctor’s words from so long ago rang in my ears. “I’m so sorry, we did everything we could, but your baby didn’t survive.”

Darkness I’d run from for ten years surrounded me, the voices from my family fading into the distance as my world shattered. Liam didn’t just break me this time.

He destroyed me.

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