Something wasn't right.
I felt it the moment we left the restaurant.
I felt it in the way Liam was quieter than usual. Even his eyes were lower.
In the way his jaw stayed tense the entire drive home.
And most of all,
In the way that man's words wouldn't leave my head.
"Wrong place at the wrong time…"
No.
That night wasn't random. It carried a heavy weight.
And deep down,
I think Liam knew it too.
"You're overthinking."
His voice broke through my thoughts.
I blinked, realizing I had been staring out the car window aimlessly, the entire time.
"I'm not," I said.
He didn't respond immediately.
Didn't look at me either.
"Then say what's on your mind."
I hesitated.
"That man," I said slowly. "At dinner he knew something." Something you know also.
Liam's expression didn't change.
But I noticed it.
The slight tightening of his grip on his phone.
"He talks too much," he said. He was only blabbing.
"That wasn't just talk."
Silence.
Then I turned to him fully.
"This wasn't an accident, was it?"
The car felt smaller suddenly.
The air trapped
Liam finally looked at me.
Really looked at me.
And for the first time since this started,
There was no cold dismissal in his eyes.
Only calculation.
"You're starting to understand,"
he said quietly.
My stomach dropped.
"So it's true."
He didn't deny it.
"Someone planned this," It wasn't a coincidence, I continued, my voice tightening. "The photos, the timing, everything that went wrong"
"Yes."
The word hit hard.
Too simple.
Too real.
"Why?" I asked. "What do they gain from this?"
"Power," he replied. "Control.
Weakening my position."
My chest tightened.
"And me?"
His gaze lingered on me for a second.
"You are the perfect angle."
A chill ran through me.
"Because I'm nobody," I said bitterly.
"Because you're untraceable," he corrected.
"No strong connections. No protection. Easy to use."
That stung more than I expected.
The car pulled into the mansion.
But I didn't move, didn't blink.
"I need to know something," I said.
Liam paused.
"What?"
I swallowed.
"Do you think I was part of it?"
The question hung between us.
Heavy.
Dangerous.
For a moment, the world stopped.
He didn't answer.
And that alone hurt.
"I don't know," he said finally.
Honest.
Brutal.
My chest tightened.
"I told you I didn't leak anything."
"And I told you it doesn't matter what you say," he replied calmly.
"It matters what I can prove. I'm at the center of this all"
Anger flared in my chest.
"So I'm just guilty until proven innocent?"
"In my world, yes?" he said, stepping out of the car.
I followed him inside, frustration boiling under my skin.
"Then why marry me? Why?" I demanded. "If you don't trust me, why bring me closer?"
He stopped walking.
Slowly turned like a calculated step.
And for a moment,
Something real slipped through.
"Because," he said quietly, "if you're not the enemy…" he tried swallowing the rest but thought against it.
My breath caught.
"…then you're the target."
That shut me up.
Later that night…
I couldn't sleep.
Again.
I sat on the edge of the bed, staring at my phone.
Scrolling through the same headlines.
The same comments.
The same lies.
But now…
Something felt different.
I wasn't just scared anymore.
I was thinking.
Untraceable.
Easy to use.
His words echoed in my head.
And suddenly,
A memory surfaced, it came rushing back,
That night.
The event.
The drink.
My fingers tightened around the phone, my brain doing it job.
I remembered something.
Something I hadn't thought about before.
A man.
Watching me.
He wasn't part of the crowd.
Didn't talk.
Didn't move much, few blinks.
Just… watched.
At the time, I ignored it. I was engrossed in the event of the night.
But now,
It didn't feel like it was nothing.
My heart started racing.
I stood up quickly, pacing.
"Think, Zara."
What else?
What else did I miss?
A knock on the door startled me.
I froze.
"Come in," I said cautiously. Lying back on the bed.
The door opened.
Liam.
He stepped inside, his expression unreadable.
"You're awake."
"I couldn't sleep."
His gaze flicked to my phone.
"Still reading?"
"I'm thinking."
Oh, that caught his attention.
"What about?" he asked.
I hesitated.
Mmm,
"I remember something," I said.
His posture shifted slightly.
"What?"
"There was a man," I continued. "At the event. Before everything happened."
Liam's eyes sharpened.
"Describe him."
"Tall. Dark suit, shades on, a glass of wine. He wasn't talking to anyone… just watching."
Silence.
"Watching you?" he asked.
"Yes."
The air in the room changed instantly.
Tense.
Focused.
Dangerous.
"Why didn't you mention this before?" he asked.
" Why did you keep this to yourself?"
"I didn't think it mattered!" I barked!
"It matters now."
His tone was sharper than before.
Anger controlled but words intense.
"I didn't know I was being used!" I shot back.
"And now you do."
I froze.
Because suddenly,
This wasn't just suspicion anymore.
It was real.
"They picked me," I whispered.
"Yes."
My chest tightened.
"Why me?"
Liam didn't answer immediately.
"They needed someone close enough to me" Someone I shared intimacy with!
His gaze met mine.
"and easy enough to control."
I shook my head, panic rising.
"No… no, this is crazy." How do I fit in?
"It's a strategy."
"I could've been hurt!"
"You still can be."
The words hit like a slap. One needed to make a sleepy man awake.
I stared at him.
"Then why am I here?" I demanded. "Why keep me in this situation?"
He stepped closer.
Not threatening.
Not cold.
Something else.
Something steadier.
"Because," he said quietly, "out there, you're exposed."
My breath caught.
"But here,"
He paused.
Just for a second.
"…you're under my protection."
Something shifted in my chest.
Unexpectedly.
Unfamiliar.
Dangerous.
"You don't even trust me," I whispered slowly.
His gaze held mine.
Longer this time.
Stronger.
"I trust what I see," he said.
"And what do you see?"
A pause.
"Someone who's scared," he admitted.
My chest tightened.
"But not lying."
That, nay.
I didn't expect it.
For the first time since this started,
He believed me. Or so I thought.
At least a little.
"Get some rest," he said finally, stepping back.
"We'll look into it tomorrow."
Tomorrow.
That meant this wasn't over.
Not even close.
As he turned to leave, I spoke again.
"Liam."
He paused.
"What if they're still watching?"
He didn't turn around.
But his answer came instantly.
Cold.
Certain.
"They are." They are still watching closely.
The door closed.
And this time,
Sleep didn't come at all. I was wide awake.
Because now I know the truth.
I wasn't just caught in a scandal.
I was part of a plan.
And whoever started this…
Wasn't finished yet.