A Borrowed Life (Carly and Liam #1) (34 page)

“Yes, well, Ethan is not my blood brother, but he watched over me throughout my adolescence, so it's like he is. A biological connection wouldn't make us closer than we already are.”

She inhales deeply and I sense the irritation rising in her. There's nothing I can do; no matter what I say or what I do, she'll never be happy.

“And neither of you have gone to college?”

“No,” I respond simply.

“What a pity!”

“Is it something that would interest you?” Liam turns to me.

“What?”

I'm astonished at his question, so I turn toward him and look in his eyes to see if he’s joking or if he's serious. But his eyes definitely seem more than serious.

“What would you do if you could go to college?” asks Ava to lighten the mood.

“I don't know. I’ve never really given it much thought since it was never an option for me.”

“But if you had the option?” Liam insists.

I turn to him once again, trying to understand what exactly he's trying to do. If he is trying to humiliate me in front of his family, he’s succeeded! I don't need him to be my savior, and I don't want him to pay anything for me. He realizes I'm angry at him, and his lips curl down and he looks away, not insisting further.

Dinner ends and we return to the living room.

“Carly!” Liam's father yells.

I turn to him and he signals me to follow him, and I see Liam is as surprised and intrigued as I am. Stephen gives him a nod that reassures him, and Liam lets me know that he'll be waiting for me in the living room.

I follow his father into his office. He closes the door behind him and I don't know why, but I hate the idea of being locked in the office of a man I don’t know very well.

“Sit down,” he commands.

I sit on a cream-colored sofa in front of his office, and he moves to the other side.

“How are you, Carly?” he asks with genuinely warm tone.

“What do you mean?”

“I mean, in your everyday life, how is everything?”

“Good. I don't understand the reason for this question,” I admit.

He pinches his lips and looks down.

“I'll tell you why I'm worried, Carly, and then I want you to tell me the truth. Liam told me that you were the daughter of Richard Lexington.”

My lips part to let out all the air from my lungs. How could he say that to him? That was personal and I didn't want anyone to know!

“I know Mr. Lexington and his way of getting what he wants,” he says. “He's a deceitful and dangerous man that you should stay clear of.”

“I know.”

My response was quick and I know I just confirmed his suspicions, confirming that he does cause me trouble.

“So?” he insists. “Carly, if Richard is after you, you won’t be able to defend yourself alone and he'll take you and your brother out. But if he’s holding something on you and is threatening you, we can help.”

I hesitate. I don't want to explain what really went down between Richard and me and why he could really become dangerous to me. I just don't want him involved; these are my problem
s
not Liam’s, and certainly not his father’s. I will settle this on my own!

“No, everything is fine.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes. Absolutely. I mean, I'm his daughter. He may not recognize me as such, but he still wouldn’t hurt me.”

“Alright.”

His nod shows he isn’t convinced and doesn't believe me. I can only look down, pressing my fingers nervously against each other. We join the rest of the family in the living room.

Before leaving, Phelicia holds me in her arms, takes my shoulders between her hands and looks at me straight in the eyes.

“You're a great girl, Carly,” she says. “You make Liam happy like no one else could have. Don't let Aubelia scare you away. She's cruel, but she loves her son. Once she sees how good you are for him, she'll accept you. She did it for me. Don't give up.”

I smile warmly. Her encouraging words warm my heart. If Aubelia ended up accepting the daughter of a rival entrepreneur in their family, perhaps there is hope for me?

I leave my bedroom and hurdle over a cardboard box. Sean is there, squatting over another box in the hallway. I cross my arms over my chest and take a deep breath and a sense of nostalgia settles in me. It will be really different without him here. I will miss him.

“It's the big day,” he says rising, still not daring to look at me in the eyes.

He hasn't made eye contact with me since that day in the hospital. He stayed there for a week and I stayed at my brother's, and when he was released, he helped me pick up the mess and get everything back in order. There's not a night that goes by that I don’t think about this horrible tragedy. I'll have to find another roommate because I don't think I can stay here alone at night.

I haven't told Liam that I have good reasons to worry since he'd refuse to let me go back to my place, and I need my personal space. During the day, there are neighbors all around that I can alert.

I approach Sean to hug him in my arms, and his hands close behind me in an emotional embrace. I have tears in my eyes, but I know this is for the best.

“I'll miss you,” I let him know, wiping my cheek with the back of the hand.

“Hey!” he says, wiping my other cheek. “Don't cry, it's only a
see you later
.”

“Really?”

“Of course! You'll see, I will return someday. I'll have moved on and there will be a beautiful model on my arm that will make you regret not choosing me. Then, you'll be sorry,” he jokes.

I laugh. That is just like him! Even in a sad moment, he finds a way to make me laugh.

“Are you working today?” he questions, noticing my uniform.

“Yes, I was just leaving. Will you be here when I get back?”

He purses his lips and shakes his head, and this time he's very serious. He may say that he will come back, but in my heart I know I probably won't see him again. I let another tear fall before saying goodbye and leaving for work. This is so stupid! I tell myself, closing the door behind me. Why did he have to have feelings for me? And why did he have to tell me! Now I'm losing my best friend.

The day passes slowly, and I come home to a half-empty apartment that night; the perfect image of how I feel right now. I didn't realize how much he had become a part of me. I can still see him responding to the ad that I had just posted on a wall six years ago; he had a long and dirty coat, holes in his jeans and his T-shirt, and the state of his hair was pathetic. He had no qualities of the “perfect roommate” and I would have preferred anyone over him. But since I needed to find someone quickly, I gave him a chance and had no regrets. Since then, we’ve stayed together and moved from apartment to apartment all these years.

The week goes by and everything is so quiet at home, and so clean! Liam spends a lot of time here now to get a change of scenery. We're fine, just him and me, huddled on the couch. When I'm with him, I feel at home and so does he, no matter where we are.

On this Friday night, I put a cream-colored evening dress on to find Liam already waiting for me in my living room. I have no desire to go to the party Desiree organized, but Liam promised he would stay with me and I trust him; everything will be fine. I pull my hair into a bun and join him. He smiles when he sees me and takes a deep breath.

“Always so beautiful!” he breathes.

He takes his hand out of his pocket, and I see a gold pendant dangling from his palm. He walks behind me to place it around my neck as I admire the necklace. It's a beautiful heart, adorned with blue topaz stone embedded in its center.

“Look on the other side,” he whispers in my ear.

I turn it around to read an inscription in gold outline:

4/11/2014 9:3
0
The day my world changed and my life began.

April 11
th
, 2014; I reflect on that date. That’s the day Liv and I boarded the cruise. At half past nine, we were probably still checking in, and I remember nervously leaving my luggage with a valet attendant who offered to take them to our room.

“You walked into the lobby with your big wondering eyes, so innocent, like a little girl who just discovered the world,” Liam describes when he sees my intrigued expression. “You were the most beautiful woman I had ever seen! Your long hair hung behind your back so gracefully and so delicately…I had only one wish; to move my fingers through it and caress your deliciously silky skin. I watched your lips and I wanted to walk up to you and kiss them, even though you didn't know me yet.”

He leans his forehead against my head and slides his hands on my shoulders, suddenly overcome by the memory.

“Carly, I think I fell in love with you at that moment. I saw you turn to your friend, shrinking your nose as you smiled, excited for something that was so common for me, but you put life in it. I was standing there, behind you, and you hadn't even noticed me; you didn't even know who I was. You didn't know I existed and that all my life I had been waiting for you. I was barely understanding how empty and cold my world was until I saw you. You were my light.”

His lips close on my neck to kiss me, causing a shiver through my whole body.

I turn to him with tears in my eyes and kiss him passionately. Nobody has ever told me something so beautiful. I never would have suspected that he had fallen in love with me so quickly before I even noticed him.

“I love you so much, Liam!”

He kisses me back, then takes a deep breath and smiles.

“Are you ready?”

I nod. I fear nothing now. He’s with me and his love for me is real. Nobody can take him from me, not even Desiree Lauren!

When we get there, we are welcomed by two servants; a man who hands me a small velvet box, and a woman who offers a satin envelope to Liam. Inside my box is a small chain with a lock as a pendant, decorated with zircon stones. In Liam's envelope, there's a key. He breathes in and sighs, as if he found out something that didn't please him at all, and I think I know what.

“Hello, you two!” Desiree calls.

She presses her hands over her heart.

“So, you got a random lock and a random key,” she explains, but I don't believe it. No way this is random. “Men have the keys and women have the locks, and throughout the night you can try to find out who will be your official partner for the evening. Go ahead and try them!”

Liam tries to open my lock and, surprise! It doesn't fit at all. He glares at Desiree.

“Oh, no luck! But don't worry, you have the whole evening to have fun and find your partner. There is a bar, appetizers over there, a fountain of champagne, unlimited wine, and the staff is at your disposal.”

“Thank you,” Liam responds, fitting his arm under mine.

We move away to mingle with the crowd.

The evening progresses and in the distance, I see Jay staring at me like a vulture who is stalking his prey. In his eyes, I'm like an innocent victim who is about to die. He smiles at me and walks toward us. I look away and notice Desiree talking to a woman with red hair who is wearing a red dress that molds every curve of her body, not leaving much to the imagination. The two women turn to me just as I hear Jay's voice behind my shoulder.

“May I?” he suggests, showing me his key.

I jump, turning to him.

“Hey!” Liam interferes, brutally knocking his palm against Jay's chest and pushing him away.

His face flushes with anger. I wonder if I have the right to refuse someone trying their key? I'm not comfortable at all with this concept. I don't care who my “partner” is, I'm with Liam.

“Calm down, Liam, it's just a game.”

“You have a key, handsome?” an alluring voice asks Liam.

I turn to her, outraged. She moves her hips like a cougar ready to tear her clothes off and pounce on him. How can we not think that all of this is a set up from Desiree?

Speaking of her, here she comes.

“Come on guys, be good players. You have to participate! Don't worry it's just a game and it's only for the evening.”

Liam grabs my hand to pull me towards him.

“Don't tell me that your relationship is so fragile that it could be threatened by a small key?” she adds.

This is pure manipulation! No, our relationship is strong and it will conquer this evening. I almost want to prove it to her. I hand my wrist to Jay and he tries his key. Oh, surprise! It works. And surprise again, Liam's key works in the padlock of the cougar with a red mane standing beside him.

“Fantastic!” exclaim Desiree. “We have our first two matches!”

She applauds before leaving us. The discomfort is instantaneous, but Jay breaks the silence by talking to Liam. Around us, people try their keys in different locks again and again. Couples are formed and people flirt. Then, Desiree announces a special dance for the evening couples. Jay and I head to the dance floor, and Liam and Jane do the same. The atmosphere has slightly relaxed, but I still don't like knowing he’s with this woman.

I look away from Jay who's speaking to me, but I’m not listening. I look for Liam, but I don't see him anymore. Suddenly, I notice Jay’s eyes are riveted on my breast and I tear myself out of his arms.

“Is something wrong?” he worries.

“Yes, I…I have to go.”

I leave, almost running, looking for Liam and the cougar in this big house. I can't find him anywhere.

“It’s not going to work!” a woman gets angry in a room a little further.

“I’m not asking you to marry him, I only want you to fuck him!”

“He loves her too much!”

I move closer to find Desiree speaking with Jane. I had figured she purposely matched her with Lia
m
I knew there was something fishy! However, I'm pleased to hear this woman say he refused her advances.

“Jane,” sighs Desiree. “He's a man. Like me, you know how to take advantage of a man by his feelings, right?”

“And what will you get out of it, anyway?”

Desiree's glare is revealing; she’s trying to split us up. It's obvious that if I caught him cheating, I would leave him, and the way would be clear for her.

“So we understand each other,” Desiree confirms. “You make him come harder than he ever has. Remind him what he loves and what he will never get from her.”

I'm speechless! She's going too far. Desiree knows exactly what he’s done in the past, and Jane probably knows what he was doing with her, too. I'm not the kind of girl to put up with this, and I'm not going to waste anymore of my time here. I need to find Liam. If he knew what was going on, he wouldn’t let it happen. In fact, I would hope he wouldn't let it happen anyway, but no way I’m taking that risk!

I go back into the main room where the guests are gathered and I still can't find Liam. I don't know where he is and it worries me. What is he doing? With who? I shouldn't get so nervous, but knowing Desiree's intentions, how do I not? I go into the kitchen and find no one. I sigh.

“Carly!” exclaims a woman behind me.

I turn to see Desiree coming in.

“What do you want?”

“You're not with Jay?”

“What do you think?”

She sighs and approaches me, a hypocritical expression on her face.

“Carly, I don't know why you're so upset with me. I only wish we could become friends.”

“Yeah, sure.”

“I'm serious. It's true that I'm a little jealous that you're with Liam, but I know now that he's in love with you. Obviously, we're going to see each other often, it will be easier if we can get along. Liam is my best friend, and that’s not going to change.”

Now her tone becomes almost threatening. If she thinks I'm going to believe this, she's wrong.

“I heard you, Desiree. I know what you're trying to do!”

She sighs and her expression darkens.

“I'm doing this for your own good, Carly. Basically, you should thank me. You and Liam will never work, and you will never be enough for him. He will eventually get tired of you and leave you. You will suffer and he will come back to me.”

“You're wrong! What's between us is stronger than that, and stronger than you!”

“Really? Then why are you so nervous? I think you don't know him as well as you think you do.”

She takes an envelope from a cabinet above the sink, and hands it to me.

“If you see this and your relationship still stands, then I'll believe you.”

She leaves. I look at the envelope, hesitating to open it. It's just another trap, that's obvious, but at the same time, if there is something about Liam I should know… I’m unable to resist the curiosity, though I fear what I will find inside.

Too bad! I need to know. Otherwise I'll spend my nights regretting it and continue to wonder what was in the envelope. My heart races and I gulp as I take out pictures. My hands tremble and tears come to my eyes when I see the first image. I knew it would be difficult, but I didn't know how much. I try not to cry as my breathing picks up.

In the picture, Liam is kissing a woman with his finger inside her. It's just seeing him so passionate with someone else; and here I thought what we had was unique. I feel like I'm getting hit with the cold hard truth. I'm only one more. I find the courage to take a look at the second picture and this time, I see him with two women in his secret room. He is looking at the person taking the photo, and I assume that it’s Desiree.