8
12:31 PM.
<
Just as I was planning my vacation, Liam showed up again.
I wasn’t expecting him to dare approach me after everything, but there he was.
That evening, as I left the office and walked into the parking garage, Liam stood by my car, waiting.
He was dressed casually–no suit, no tie–holding a giant strawberry teddy bear. When he saw me, he smiled wide, flashing his teeth like nothing had happened.
“Delilah, I’m here to pick you up from work,” he said, his voice unnaturally cheerful.
I stopped at the elevator, saying nothing. He didn’t care and walked over, pressing the bear into my arms.
I almost laughed. He still remembered what I liked. But he wasn’t the same man he once was–the vibrant, confident athlete I’d fallen for.
Now, his slight gut peeked through his shirt, and his eyes lacked their former brightness. Shaking my head, I pushed the bear back into his
arms.
Without a word, I climbed into my car, shut the door, and started the engine, leaving him in a cloud of exhaust fumes.
On the drive home, I patted my chest as if brushing away the last remnants of sentimentality. Whatever fondness I had for him was fading
fast.
When I arrived home, my phone rang. It was Mrs. Prescott, her voice shaking with sobs.
“Delilah, could you come over to our house? I know I shouldn’t bother you, but… Liam… he’s threatening to jump. I don’t know what to do. Please, help us.”
I sighed, long and heavy. There was no saying no to her.
“I’m on my way.”
Liam had truly outdone himself this time. It is unbelievable for a grown man to pull a stunt like this.
When I arrived at the Prescott family’s building, firefighters were already there, trying to talk him down from the 22–story rooftop.
It wasn’t until I got there that I understood the situation.
Liam had fired Sienna in a dramatic display to prove his loyalty to me. But when she called him a “pathetic loser who got what he deserved,” he’d climbed up to the rooftop, enraged and humiliated.
It was laughable. Was he trying to manipulate me with a stunt like this?
Mrs. Prescott was inconsolable, sobbing uncontrollably. Mr. Prescott sat nearby, sighing heavily and rubbing his temples.
Meanwhile, Sienna stood silently to the side, watching the scene unfold with an eerie calm.
When Liam spotted me, his eyes turned red, and he yelled,
“Delilah! If I jump, will you forgive me?”
Ah. So this was the angle.
“No, Liam. Don’t!” I called out, half–sarcastic but loud enough for everyone to hear.
“You’re putting me in such a difficult position!”
Mrs. Prescott was terrified. “Delilah, please promise him! Please, just say you’ll forgive him! I’ll get on my knees if I have to.”
I hurriedly helped her up, shaking my head.
“All right, I forgive you,” I said. What did it matter? Forgiveness or not, I wasn’t wasting any more feelings on him.
D
12:31 PM D
