The air was thick with tension, sharp and charged like swords drawn and poised for battle.
One wrong move, and the whole room would ignite.
Cecilia stood between the two men, watching as the unspoken hostility crackled in the space between them.
It was like standing between two blades--gleaming, spinning, and ready to cut at the slightest provocation.
"This is a Martin family matter," he bit out, each word dripping with disdain. "You have no voice here, boy."
"With respect, sir--you're wrong." Liam replied, his tone calm but laced with steel.
"I'm Cecilia's husband. And you?" A pause, lethal in its precision. "If I recall correctly, you've publicly declared--more than once, I might add--that you've severed ties with Cecilia. So--"
"You're the one who has no voice here."
The silence that followed could have frozen hell over.
Edward's fists clenched. The veins on his forehead pulsed with barely suppressed rage as he turned to glare at Cecilia, who had remained silent the entire time.
"Cecilia, I'll give you one last chance," he said coldly. "If you're still sneaking around with Ronald--letting him kiss you in dark corners--then clearly you still have feelings for him. Three years together means something, Cici. More than some stranger who appeared out of nowhere."
"I don't need your concern, Mr. Stranger," Cecilia said flatly.
She turned around and shut the door, wanting to shut both of them out--she didn't want to see anyone right now. But to her surprise, Liam had already followed her inside.
He stood there, his smile still there, but now edged with something darker.
Cecilia quickly looked away, clearing her throat. "Why are you here again?"
He lifted his hand slowly.
Startled, Cecilia instinctively took a step back--only for his fingers to brush gently along her cheek.
The warmth of his palm seeped into her skin, soothing the sting she hadn't even realized was there.
"Did he hit you?"
The question was soft. Lethal.
Cecilia nodded subtly and moved away, trying not to react. She busied herself in the kitchen, pouring a glass of water, "My father can be...blunt. I'm sorry you got dragged into this."
Liam leaned against the doorway, his tailored suit a stark contrast to the domestic scene. "No apologies necessary. We're...important to each other now."
"..." A beat of silence.
He let out a small cough, as if correcting himself, "I meant, you're the female lead in this act of ours. I need you."
Cecilia gave an awkward smile and set down the cup in her hand. Her palms nervously wiped against the sides of her thighs, and her gaze darted around, unfocused.
It took her a long moment to muster up the courage to point toward the bathroom and say hesitantly, "I...I need to use the bathroom. Sorry."
Liam seemed amused by how uneasy she looked in his own home. With a soft chuckle, he said, "Stop apologizing all the time."
Cecilia gave a stiff nod, then awkwardly turned and walked away.
"Cici," Liam called after her, his tone tinged with dark amusement. "Relax. You'll have to get used to my presence. We're married now."
She hesitated for a second before quickly shutting the bathroom door behind her.
He's enjoying this game far too much, she thought.
Inside, Cecilia stood before the mirror. Her cheek was still red--the faint outline of Edward's slap still visible.
She touched it gently, trying to make sense of how it had even happened in the first place.
They'd been too caught up arguing. The slap had come out of nowhere--so sudden and hard that her ears had been ringing the entire time.
She couldn't even remember what he'd said afterward...something about the news, maybe...