Page 53 of Glass Jawed
As I reach the front doors of the café, Kashvi’s voice creeps in like an unwanted whisper.
“Him avoiding it is a red flag.”
Shit.
It is, isn’t it?
I have to figure out a way to bring it up. To tell him.
But the moment I push the door open, I freeze.
Liam’s standing outside, arms crossed, eyes narrowed slightly—not with anger, but with curiosity.
“Hey,” he says flatly. “How do you know that guy?”
No playful grin. No teasing ’my barista girl’. Just a blank acknowledgment and a dreadful question.
My breath hitches.
“I... I think you should talk to Lucian about it. Not me.”
Liam’s voice sharpens. Not loud—just firmer.
“Aarohi.” He takes a step closer. “How do you know Tim?”
My palms are sweaty against the paper cup.
He’ll find out anyway. Tim’s here. He’s not disappearing for another few weeks.
I force a breath out.
“I’m... the woman Tim cheated with.”
Suddenly Liam’s bright confused eyes reduce to a lethal dullness. “Could you repeat that?”
I hate this. I hate how small I feel when I say it.
“I-I’m the woman... Tim cheated on Lucian with. Last year.”
The shift in Liam’s face is terrifying. His bright, curious eyes go flat. Hollow.
I see the exact second understanding dawns. He turns. Swift and decisive. He’s leaving.
“Wait!” I whisper-yell, grabbing his arm.
But my fingers are trembling, and I’m already shaking—panic crawling all over me like static.
“Liam, please. Oh God. You’re going to tell him. But I will tell him, I swear, I just—I need a second. You’ll beat me to it and then I’ll be the villain in the story again and—”
I can’t breathe. My vision blurs slightly. My chest tightens.
“I’ll be the evil witch, the home wrecking slut who kept this from him—”
“Hey. Hey.”
Liam gently pulls his arm from my grip but doesn’t step away. “Calm down.”
He looks around, lowering his voice. “Tell him what, exactly?”
