Page 52 of The Focal Point

“For a girl. A woman,” Liam amended quickly. “An amazing woman, Ryan. I can’t wait for you to meet her.”

The world tilted until I felt dizzy, sick, and unable to take a deep breath. Liam had bought the houses for someone else, for an unknown woman. Was he dating her? He and I had never discussed exclusivity—was I the other woman?

Hot tears blurred my vision, fragmenting the hallway and the colors on the wall from one of the stained-glass windows.

Liam had bought two houses for an unknown woman, had me decorate them, and pretended to build a relationship with me. All for what? I couldn’t understand it—the entire thing seemed too reprehensible and sociopathic to be possible, especially from the man I had come to know.

It turned out I didn’t know him.

I couldn’t hear the rest of the phone conversation through the blood rushing in my ears, the tears replaced by hot rage that threatened to explode.

Liam looked up as I stormed into the kitchen,

“Hey.” He grinned. “Want breakfast before we go? How do you like your eggs? I found the paperwork for the painting, by the way—I’d left it on the kitchen counter.”

He snagged a small pile of papers from the counter and held them up for me to see.

“What are these?” I demanded instead.

Liam’s smile dissolved, the color draining from his face.

“What are these, Liam?” I asked again.

His throat bobbed with a convulsive swallow. “Bailey, I can explain—”

“You bought these houses for some woman, Liam?” I marched so close I could see the way his pupils dilated with alarm. “And had me design them? All while pretending to date me?”

“You heard my conversation?” Liam shoved his hand through his hair and turned, only to turn right back to face me. “It was with my brother—”

“Who is this woman?” I demanded, the heat of my anger driving me forward again.

“What woman?” Liam blinked.

“The woman you bought these houses for.”

“The woman—Bailey, I didn’t buy the houses for any woman. Any woman beside you, anyway.” He sighed and sank back against the kitchen counter, his head hanging for a moment before he raised it again. “Bailey, I bought those houses for you.”

“For me?”

“Well, not for you, exactly. I bought them so you could design them. I—I was looking for a way to keep talking to you. All I wanted to do was be with you, but I was afraid you wouldn’t say yes if I asked you out. I had to keep seeing you.”

“And how does this make anything better? You still lied to me, employed me under false pretenses.”

“I know, and I’m sorry. I should have told you. I wanted to, but I was so afraid I would lose you.”

I was already heading out of the kitchen. “Well, you were right. You’ve lost me.”

“Bailey, wait!” Liam’s hurried footsteps followed me, and I turned around so quickly he had to stop short.

“You lied to me, started this whole thing under false pretenses. And I was just starting to trust you.”

Desperation widened Liam’s eyes, and his hair was wild from running his hand through it. “You can still trust me. Everything else was real, I swear. And I swear I was going to tell you. I was going to tell you last night, but you fell asleep. So it’s my fault? Of course not. Bailey, I swear I didn’t mean it to get this far. I just wanted to get you to trust me, get to know me, and I didn’t think you would say yes if I asked before you got to know me.”

He reached for me, and I stepped away from him. “That doesn’t make any of this right, Liam! You know what? I was right—you aren’t that good of a person. There was no way. Like every other guy out there, you’re just a lying asshole, lying to get something out of me.”

“I’m sorry. It was so stupid—I should have just asked you out. But I was so sure you would say no, and it was the only way I could think of to continue spending time with you. Bailey, I’m so sorry.” I could have sworn I heard his voice crack, but I didn’t care.

I took off my necklace and placed it down on the table.