Page 55 of Tempted By Sin

Ace presses a chaste kiss to my swollen lips before releasing me. I exhale a long breath, turn on my heels, and leave without looking back.

The air outside is cold against my cheeks as I race to my car parked on the street. As each mile ticks by, and the closer I get to the house I share with Liam, the quicker my pulse races. I think I’m still in shock over what I learned about Liam and haven’t had a chance to process it properly.

Anger is the first emotion I register. Why would my fiancé do something like that to me?

Betrayal follows close behind. How could someone I have spent four years of my life with plan something like this? And why?

None of this will make sense until I confront him with what I know.

By the time I arrive home, it’s close to 11:00 PM and I’m simmering with anger and confusion. My muscles are tense and my back tight as I fling the car door open and stomp up the driveway. When I enter the house, I hear shuffling in the kitchen, indicating Liam is home and awake.

Without kicking my shoes off, I march down the hallway. Liam is standing in front of the kitchen island, his eyes locked on me when I enter. His hair is styled neatly away from his face, and he’s dressed in a white linen button-down and dark brown slacks. His features twist in confusion when he sees me.

“Pae, where the hell have you—”

“Did you hire the Gambino gang to kidnap me?” The words tumble from my mouth, filling the space separating us.

Liam blinks at me, his face paling ever-so-slightly before he replaces it with a blank expression. “What are you talking about?”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about.” I fold my arms over my chest, holding his gaze from across the island. “Don’t bullshit me, Liam.”

He runs a hand through his hair, his mouth opening and closing as he tries to form a response. After a moment, he huffs and shifts on his feet. “I didn’t do it to hurt you, Pae.”

“Then why did you do it?” I cry, throwing my hands in the air. “Why did you have me kidnapped? It doesn’t make sense.”

“I had to!” he shouts, his cheeks turning red as he stares back at me, his gray eyes wild. “I needed something to gain the public's attention. It had to be something big so I could rescue you, and in turn, draw more attention to my campaign and get more voters. The plan was perfect.”

My jaw drops open at his admission, my vision blurring at the edges. “Did… did you just say you organized for me to be kidnapped so you could rescue me and look like a hero in the media? Local politician saves his fiancée? Are you fucking kidding me, Liam?”

A wave of nausea crashes in my stomach as I stare at the man I thought I was going to spend the rest of my life with. The same man who claims he loves me, would do anything for me, and couldn’t wait to start a family with me.

Now, I see him as a man who used me as a goddamn pawn in his game to climb the political ladder, endangering me in the process all because he wanted to be a hero. A fucking hero.

“Paetyn…”

“No, I don’t want to hear a goddamn word from you,” I interject, anger simmering in my veins. “I can’t believe you would stoop so low as to use me like that. What if I had been hurt? What then? You can’t make yourself a hero if you never were one to begin with, Liam. You have to earn it, not take it.”

Liam frowns, his features twisting in annoyance. “But you weren’t hurt because I saved you, Pae. That was the point.”

“That’s beside the point!” Red blurs the edge of my vision, and every muscle in my body pulsates as I flex and unflex my fists at my sides, trying to control the high emotions tearing through my chest. “I’m not a pawn you can use in your game, Liam. I never consented to be a part of this plan. Did you ever stop to think about how being kidnapped would affect me? I was terrified that I would never see you, my mom, or Raya, again, and you were sitting at home without a care in the world. That’s fucking sick.”

“I did care,” he says defensively, but the lack of emotion in his voice tells me otherwise. “At the end of the day, you came home safe and sound, and that’s all that matters.”

I scoff and shake my head, unable to look at him a second longer. “Yeah, I may have come home, Liam, but I’m no longer the same person.”

The decision I had been toying with the past few weeks becomes clearer now, like the clouds have parted and sunshine consumes me. I know for a fact I won’t regret what I’m about to do.

“We’re over, Liam.” My voice is so low I almost don’t hear the words, but I know Liam did because his eyes widen.

“Paetyn… you don’t mean that.”

I rip the engagement ring from my finger and toss it at his chest. It clatters to the floor at his feet, but he doesn’t take his eyes off me.

“The engagement is off, and I never want to see you again. I mean it.” I take a step back. “I’ll return to collect my things when I’m ready.”

Liam steps around the island, his hands clenched at his side. He opens his mouth to speak, but no words come out.

Of course, he has nothing to say.

---