Chapter 8 ~ You Are

• Leah
• The week had been hectic for me, and after what happened last night with Liam, all I wanted was a peaceful weekend to catch my breath.
• But the sight of Sarah, my mother-in-law standing in the hallway, unannounced and uninvited, dashed any hope of that.
• "Welcome, Mother," I said, trying to sound cheerful as I stepped forward to hug her.
• "Great, you are here." She rolled her eyes, barely masking her irritation as she allowed me to hug her the pulled away quickly as if the contact had burned her.
• I forced a smile. "That's funny, Mother. Where else would I be if not in my own home?"
• She narrowed her eyes, and I held her gaze, refusing to be intimidated.
• "Where is Liam?" She asked, her eyes darting around in search of him.
• "He stepped out...to meet a friend," I lied.
• I had no idea where he was. He had dressed and left in the morning without so much as a glance in my direction. It seemed as if the more I tried to confront him on his attitude towards me, the more distance I created between us.
• She frowned. "Matt?"
• "No," I replied quickly, remembering that she wasn't fond of Matt, even though he had been friends with Liam since college. "Someone from the office."
• Sarah's frown deepened with suspicion, but she said nothing as she pulled out her phone from her purse and strode into the living room.
• "What should I get you, mother?"
• "Nothing."
• "I should have taken Sam up on her offer to meet," I sighed, following her.
• She sat on the sofa, her phone on speaker as she dialled Liam's number.
• "Where are you?" She asked as soon as he answered.
• "In the office, Mother," he replied.
• "On a Saturday?"
• "Yes. Why did you call?"
• "Hurry home," she demanded. "I'm at your house."
• "You are at my place?" He said, then added before the line went dead, "Give me a few minutes."
• She set her phone on the arm of the sofa before turning her attention to me. Her gaze racked over me from head to toe, lingering on my stomach, and then her lips curled in disgust.
• "Those things on your body are hideous," she spat, referring to the butterflies inked on my lower belly. "You should try dressing decently to hide them."
• I was wearing shorts and a crop top, in my own home. My own fucking home!
• I bit back a retort, knowing it would do no good. Talking back never ended well with them.
• Sitting down on the sofa across from her, I distracted myself with a game on my phone as we waited for Liam.
• "Mother," Liam greeted warmly, smiling as he walked over to where Sarah sat, ignoring my greetings.
• He leaned down to kiss her cheek, but she stood up beaming as she pulled him into a tight embrace.
• Her hand went to his face when she pulled away slightly, her expression shifting to one of concern. "What happened to you? You've lost weight."
• "Work. I have been busy."
• She pursed her lips, clearly not satisfied with his answers. "You should take care of your health. I thought after your promotion, you'd have less work, not more."
• "Promotion?" I repeated, my eyes darting between Sarah and Liam.
• He never told me anything about a promotion.
• "I'll go change." He announced, kissing his mother's cheek before leaving.
• I closed the door behind me and followed him into the room.
• He was untying his tie when I walked over and reached for his shirt, my fingers brushing his as I began unbuttoning his shirt.
• I expected him to pull away, but he didn't. He merely looked over my head and allowed me to continue.
• "You were promoted?" I asked softly.
• He didn't reply.
• "When?"
• "Last month," he replied coldly.
• I bit the inside of my cheek, trying not to dwell on how much his indifference stung.
• "Why didn't you tell me?"
• He shrugged. "Didn't think it was necessary. After all, it's not a big promotion."
• I forced a smile. "Congratulations."
• He turned, eyes cold as they settled on me. "Don't say it if you don't mean it, Leah."
• He pulled away, shrugging off his shirt and tossing it aside. Then, he stripped off his pants and disappeared into the closet.
• I followed behind, staring at his back. The only part of him that never turned away from me.
• "Did you get Julie's invitation to her wedding?" I asked, trying to diffuse the tension.
• "Yes," he replied, picking out a new shirt.
• "Are we going together?" I asked, even though I knew the answer.
• He never agrees to go out with me. Even when I told him about dinner with my parents, he said he didn't feel comfortable eating with them.
• "No. I have a business trip that week."
• I chucked, hurt. "You weren't planning on telling me about it, were you?" I murmured to myself.
• He paused, turning to me with furrowed brows and that look of irritation and disgust in his eyes that broke my heart. "What did you say?"
• "It's nothing."
• "Stop doing that."
• "Doing what?" I asked, confused.
• "Acting like you are trying to accommodate me," he snapped. "It's disgusting."
• I opened my mouth to respond, but the words caught in my throat. I could feel another fight brewing, and instead of giving him what he wanted, I backed down. I smiled through the painful knot in my chest and whispered, "I'm sorry."
• His eyes narrowed in frustration. "That's all you are good at. Saying sorry," he spat, grabbing his pants from a hanger and pushing past me.
• No matter what I did, we always ended up fighting.
• *************
• I moved through the crowd, searching for Julie.
• Along the way, I ran into people I knew, mostly my father's associates, many of whom still called me Miss. Carter, even though I'd been married for three years. I had to correct them more times than I cared to.
• Finally, I found Julie posing for photos with her husband.
• "You made it," she said with feigned surprise as she pulled me into a hug. "I didn't think you'd come. Where's Liam?"
• "He's travelling. Congratulations."
• She smiled, her eyes gleaming with smug satisfaction. "Isn't my wedding just grand? Much grander than yours."
• I smiled back. "It's isn't a competition but yes, it's beautiful."
• "Julie," someone called, and she excused herself at once.
• I sighed, rolling my eyes.
• I hadn't wanted to come in the first place, especially after Sam said she couldn't make it because of her brother's match.
• Now, I was alone, surrounded by people I knew but had no desire to speak with. Most were from college or high school, the kind who clung to old grudges while smiling to your face and whispering the moment you turned away.
• Take, for example, Julie and I. We have known each other since kindergarten, and we've never been anything close to friends. We only tolerated each other because our parents were close.
• Before I even saw him, I felt it, a gaze so intense it sent a shiver down my spine.
• I turned, my heart skipping when I found him across the crowded room.
• The music and chatter around me faded as though the world had paused just for us.
• For a moment, neither of us moved, caught in each other's stare. Then his lips curled into a knowing smile, and though I couldn't hear him, I was certain he mouthed the word, "Beautiful."
• He took a step forward and then another, closing the distance between us.
• My heart pounded wildly, fear and anticipation washing over me as I stood there... waiting for him.
• That night, I made a mistake.