Page 164 of Begin Again, Part 1

"Clara or Gibby will take you shopping. They have one of my cards," he said, turning back to his laptop.

"There's no need!" She glared at him. "I can buy my own clothes. And don't worry, I'll make sure not to embarrass you."

"Eden!" Liam gritted his teeth, his head shooting up from his screen. He stared at her, questions swimming in the ocean in his eyes.

"There's also no need to send a car; I'll drive to the venue. We'll talk more about it closer to the time," she said.

Liam frowned at her. "What's going on? You were happy a second ago, and now you're upset? Mind telling what the problem is?"

"There isn't a problem." She straightened her back and held her hands behind her, crushing the envelope between her fingers.

"If you don't want to tell me what's wrong, I suggest you return to work," Liam grunted under his breath. "I've had an exhausting weekend in Port Alfred; I don't have time for your mood swings."

With that, Eden was dismissed. She lingered for a few seconds longer than she should have, seething at his abrupt dismissal.

"Linda—" She began, but Liam's scowl only darkened.

"I told you, there's no need for you to come with me anymore."

"Then how do you think I feel earning my insane salary, as you keep pointing out if I can't do the job I've been hired to do?"

"Don't worry, Princess, there's plenty of work to go around. I plan to get my money's worth from you, so make sure you avail yourself whenever and wherever I need you!" He slammed his laptop shut so hard, the sound of his anger startled her.

Eden frowned at him as unbridled fury flooded her veins like molten lava, unable to understand how they got here or why he refused to talk about Linda.

"I thought you wanted to be fixed," she whispered. "You kept telling me it's my fault, and I broke you. But you won't even let me fix you. Why won't you let me fix you?"

"I don't want you to fix me!" Liam raged at her, his beautiful lips twisted in anger.

Eden knew she should probably walk away before things escalated out of control, as they tended to every time they locked horns. But she couldn't back away from this argument, because helping Liam work through his anxiety was her only reason for allowing Gibby to change her mind, her only reason for returning to Anderson Logistics even when her gut had told her not to. If he wouldn't accept her help, why was she wasting her time here when she could pursue her passion and do something she loved?

"It's not your job to fix me!" Liam added, his face darker than she'd ever seen it, and the look in his eyes as cold as glaciers.

"Then what do you want?" Eden asked in frustration. "Why did you bring me here? Why did you get Gibby to bring me back?"

"So I could destroy you!"

His words were like Lucy's slap across her face. But only worse. She stared at him, mind-blown by his confession.

"Why?" she asked, despite not knowing if she could handle any more shocking revelations.

"Because I hated you. I hated how you left me. I hated everything about you. But I also wanted you so bad it was driving me insane, so I had to keep you close to me."

For the second time in a few minutes, she was stunned again by his admissions. His words sent an ache so deep in her core, she thought she would die from needing him. She yearned for him just as much. The only difference, though, was that she didn't hate him. She could never hate him.

"I'm sorry," she said and took a step back.

"Eden!" Liam growled as he rapidly made his way to her.

"I have to leave," she said, making a snap decision. She'd go home, bundle up her son, and pack up her shit. A sweet young couple lived in Grammy's house now, so the Blue Mountains was out of the question. But she'd open up Maps and pick a random town.

"I have to leave," Eden said again, a sob clogging her throat, cutting off all her air supply as she stepped back from him. "I can't stay here. I can't stay with you."

If she stayed, they'd only destroy each other, like he'd wanted. If Aiden wasn't in the picture, she could stay and take all his rage and give him some of her own. But their son was in the picture, and he needed at least one parent who didn't harbour so much hate for the other.

"I have to get out of here," she whispered again, tears blurring her vision as she spun around. She was almost at the door, free from his hate, anger, and rage, when she felt his hands on her waist.

Liam turned her around and pressed her head to his chest.

---