The sky had turned gray by the time Clara returned home from the hospital. The house she shared with Liam stood still, but the moment she stepped inside, everything felt heavier.
Clara removed her coat slowly, her fingers numb. She placed it on the hook by the door and slipped out of her shoes, moving with the kind of mechanical calm that only came from holding too much inside.
Alex's face… his voice… his past actions and harm towards her. It all kept flashing behind her eyes. Her pulse hadn't settled since the moment she saw him.
She was so lost in thought that she didn't hear Liam come in from the kitchen until his voice broke the silence.
"Hey." His tone was soft, but lined with quiet concern. "Are you alright?" Liam studied her closely. The slight tremble in her hand. The tension in her shoulders. The way she avoided his eyes.
"You're still shaken."
"I'm fine," she replied too quickly.
Liam's jaw tightened slightly. "Clara."
"I am, Liam," she insisted, turning away toward the staircase. "I'm just tired, that's all."
She didn't want to burden him with the truth. The helplessness of her last life—of knowing that by the time she uncovered what Alex had done, it was too late. That her father had died because she hadn't realized the truth in time.
Liam followed her up the stairs without a word. She went straight to the bedroom and sat down at the edge of the bed, her hands folded tightly in her lap. He stood in the doorway for a moment, watching her carefully, before walking over and crouching down in front of her, gently taking her hands.
"You can talk to me," he said quietly.
She didn't answer.
"You think I don't understand what you're carrying," he continued, "but Clara… I do."
She looked at him then, her eyes wide, glassy. "You don't know what it's like to—"
"I do," he said, more firmly this time. "Because you're not the only one who's lived through it before."
Her breath hitched. She stared at him, frozen. "What… what did you just say?"
"You are not the only one who has travelled back through time." he revealed. "The other life. The night you—" his voice broke slightly, but he steadied it. "The night you died. The moment I found out it was too late. The moment that I couldn't do anything to save you."
Clara's throat closed. "Liam… you—"
His voice cracked, heavy with emotion. "I couldn't take the pain of losing you. I tried to stay strong, to keep living like everything was fine but after you were gone… nothing mattered anymore. Everything just stopped."
Clara's tears spilled freely, her voice trembling as she whispered, "I didn't know. I didn't know you were there at the end… I didn't know you cared that deeply about me."
Liam's eyes never left hers. "The truth is… when you rejected the arranged marriage back then, I told myself it didn't matter. That it was for the best. But I hated it," he admitted, his voice thick. "Because I felt something the moment I first saw you at the restaurant. The way you looked, the way you carried yourself, it wasn't just familiarity. It was something deeper. I didn't know how to name it, but I knew I didn't want to lose it."
Clara reached for him, her fingers curling around the edge of his shirt. "Liam… I'm sorry I never knew. I thought I was making the right choice to give the freedom to be with the one you truly love."
He gently took her hand, pressing it to his chest. "So when I saw Alex approach you in this life, when I saw him near you, it lit something in me I didn't even know was still burning. Rage. Fear."
His jaw clenched. "I won't let him hurt you again. I don't care who he is or what he wants—he'll never get near you like he did before."
Clara swallowed hard, overwhelmed by his conviction, by the raw truth in his voice.
"I believe you," she said, her voice no louder than a breath. Her hands gripped the fabric of his shirt tightly, her breath shaky. "Liam," she whispered, "in the last life… It was him. He changed my father's medication. He—he killed him."
Liam stiffened, his jaw tightening. "Then he'll never get close again. I promise you, Clara. I'll protect you. And your father. With everything I have."
Clara nodded slowly against his chest, her tears silent now—but not from fear.
From knowing that this time, she wasn't alone.
And this time, she wouldn't lose the people she loved without a fight.
*****
After a shower, Clara stood in front of the bathroom mirror, brushing the knots from her damp hair. Liam was behind her, running a towel through his own, the corner of his mouth lifting when their eyes met in the mirror.
"You always look deep in thought after a shower," he said softly, wrapping an arm around her waist as he pressed a light kiss to her shoulder. "Want to tell me what's on your mind?"
She hesitated, then turned slowly in his arms, her gaze searching his. "Liam… What happened to me?"
His brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"In the past life," she said quietly, "I remember bits and pieces… but the last clear thing I remember is sitting outside the elementary school. That's where I felt everything slipping. After that, it's all shadows."
Liam stilled.
Clara waited, her fingers brushing gently over his forearm. "Will you tell me?"
He exhaled slowly, then nodded. They moved to the bedroom, slipping beneath the covers. The lamp on the nightstand cast a soft golden glow over the sheets as Liam pulled her close, one arm wrapped around her back, her head resting against his chest.
"It was a rainy day," he began, voice low and steady. "I got a call from the elementary school principal. She said she'd found you sitting outside, soaking wet and barely conscious."
Clara closed her eyes, her fingers curling against his side.
"She called the ambulance but on the way to hospital, you were already gone."
A silence stretched between them, thick with emotion.
"I didn't even get to say goodbye," he whispered. "You left a box beside you. Inside were old photos, some letters, your diary. Pages filled with everything you never told anyone. Your crush on me since elementary, I read every word."
Clara pressed her face to his chest, a tear slipping silently down her cheek. "I'm so sorry, Liam."
"You don't have to be," he said, stroking her back. "All I felt was regret. I wasn't there for you."
"But you were there at the end," she whispered. "Even if I didn't know it."
He nodded, pulling her tighter. "And now I'm here at the beginning."
Clara looked up at him, eyes glassy but full of something steady and strong.
"No more endings like that," she said.
Liam's gaze darkened, his fingers tightening against her back as if he could press the promise into her skin. "No more," he agreed, voice rough. Then, with a sudden intensity, he cupped her face, his thumb brushing away the lingering tear.
The air between them crackled, charged with years of longing, of missed chances, of words buried in diaries and silent glances. Clara's breath hitched as his eyes dropped to her lips just for a heartbeat before meeting hers again.
She answered by surging forward, her mouth crashing against his.
The kiss was desperate, hungry, as if they could rewrite the past with the heat of their bodies. Liam groaned against her lips, his hands sliding down to grip her waist, pulling her flush against him. She could feel the hard lines of his body, the way his heart pounded beneath her palms as she tangled her fingers in his shirt.
"Clara," his hands roamed her back, tracing the curve of her spine before slipping under the hem of her shirt. The first brush of his fingers against bare skin sent a shiver through her, and she arched into him with a gasp.
He didn't hesitate. With a growl, he lifted her, her legs wrapping instinctively around his hips. His mouth claimed hers, the way his body pressed into hers, solid and real and his.
Clara tugged at his shirt, breaking the kiss just long enough to yank it over his head. Her hands mapped the planes of his chest. Liam shuddered under her touch, his own fingers making quick work of the buttons on her blouse. The fabric slipped from her shoulders, pooling at her feet as Liam's lips trailed down her throat, nipping and sucking at the sensitive skin. Clara gasped as his hands cupped her breasts, thumbs brushing over her already taut nipples.
"So beautiful," he murmured against her skin before lowering himself to his knees. His hands slid down her waist, hooking into the waistband of her panties and dragging them down slowly. Clara trembled, her fingers tangling in his hair as he pressed a hot, open-mouthed kiss just above her thigh.
She bit her lip, her breath hitching as his tongue flicked against her clit, teasing before swirling around it in slow, deliberate circles. A moan escaped her, her hips rocking against his mouth as he sucked gently, then harder, sending sparks of pleasure shooting through her.
"Liam—" Her voice was a broken whisper, her thighs quivering as his fingers joined his tongue, stroking her in time with his movements. The pressure built, coiling tight in her stomach until she arched with a cry, her release crashing over her in waves.
His pants came off in one swift motion, his cock hard and straining as he positioned himself between her legs.
"I need you," he growled, his voice rough with desire.
Clara nodded, her body still humming from her climax. "Yes—now."
With one deep thrust, he filled her, both of them groaning at the sensation. His pace was relentless, each movement driving her higher again, her nails digging into his shoulders as she met him thrust for thrust. The room filled with the sounds of skin against skin, their ragged breaths mingling between heated kisses.
Just as Clara felt herself teetering on the edge once more, Liam flipped her onto her stomach, pulling her hips back against him. His hands gripped her waist as he entered her from behind, deeper this time, his rhythm unyielding.
"Come with me," he demanded, his voice strained.
Clara cried out as another orgasm ripped through her, her body clenching around him. Liam groaned, his thrusts growing erratic before he stilled, spilling into her with a shudder.
Collapsing onto the bed, he pulled her against him, their bodies still trembling as they caught their breath. His lips brushed her shoulder, tender now, whispering words only for her.