Page 77 of Glass Jawed

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“Vee told me—well,orderedme—to be her stand-in. So. Do you... want a hug?”

I freeze.

The dam breaks instantly.What the hell?

I start cursing myself for getting triggered. Not by anywrongwords—but therightones. Fuck.

A sob punches its way out of my chest so hard I curl forward, the blanket clutched like a lifeline. I don’t even know why that’s the thing that does it.

I sob like I’ve been holding it back for years. Like grief and shame and disappointment all got tangled up and refused to wait any longer.

Liam shifts next to me, silent still, just wraps his arms around me as I break—messy, breathless, raw.

I hate this.

I hatehim.

I hate that it’s hurting this much.

But I hate myself more.

For falling for a game. An illusion.

“No, you didn’t. It wasn’t an illusion.”

Shit.

I must’ve said it out loud in my hysteria.

After what feels like hours, I finally calm down. My throat is raw, my limbs heavy. All while Liam’s been mumbling soft reassurances—comforting noises, but they feel like lies so I don’t let them in.

“Listen...” he starts, tentative. “I’m not saying this to confuse you, okay? But... it wasn’t all a lie.”

I shove him, lightly—but his annoyingly massive frame doesn’t budge. “How the hell wouldyouknow?”

“Because... he told me. Because I picked him up from a park. And when I say picked him up—I mean itliterally. He was lying on the ground. Covered in mud.”

The park.

My park?

Shit. Did he see me?

My breath catches. “When was this? Where?”

Liam’s face doesn’t answer fast enough.

“Wait, I don’t want to hear it,” I mutter, shaking my head.

But the second the words leave my mouth, I hear it—the bitterness in them. The defensive coldness. The exact kind of thing he used to say. Lucian, with his carefully placed emotional blindfolds.

And I realize I don’t want to be like that. Avoiding difficult conversations. Avoiding the information. Whether they’re truths or lies.

At the very least—information is power.

“Fuck... no. Idowant to hear it.” I straighten a little. “Which park?”

He sighs. “You know which park, Barista girl.”

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