With interconnected stories between ten people about devotion and betrayal wrapped into one book, you will discover that in life you may never know one simple action can cause a bigger impact in someone else's life.
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Liam tapped the send button on iMessage to Kirsten asking if she was home yet. A few minutes later, his ear caught two dings from his phone. Fishing it out of his coat pocket, he saw two new texts from his girlfriend saying:
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Smiling to himself, he assumed she would arrive any minute now. Right now, he was sitting on the doorsteps of Kirsten's dormitory building, waiting for her to come back from her errand with Joey. After his today's exam, Liam hadn't known what came into him but he had felt like seeing her tonight. He just missed her so much and this little surprise was expected to turn around his bad mood the whole week.
Next to him on the doorstep lay a bouquet of white roses. Kirsten's favorite flower. On the way here, he had spotted white roses in front of a florist and it reminded him of her. Just imagining her beautiful smile when she received it made him smile, too.
A frosty breeze blew against Liam's skin. As he rubbed his hands together to warm himself, he gazed upon the night sky. The moon hid behind the clouds with only a few stars flickering. He slipped his hands into his coat pockets.
The sound of rustling leaves was the only noise Liam could hear until the sound of laughter shred the silence. It was Kirsten's. Pushing himself up with a smile spreading from ear to ear, he swept up the bouquet and concealed it behind his back. But his expression diminished quickly as two figures of a guy and a girl came into view. The girl was Kirsten, but the guy wasn't Joey. It was Kyle.
Liam's hands hung down weakly beside his thighs right when Kirsten noticed his presence. She gaped at him, her smile drooping. The bouquet in his grip dropped to the ground.
"Liam?"
Liam stormed menacingly toward Kyle. His wrath, disappointment, jealousy and hurt muddled into one that he couldn't think of anything else but throw a hard punch at this guy and knock him out right now. Kyle's intention coming back to Kirsten's life was clearly to ruin their relationship. Liam was about to yank Kyle's collar, but she blocked him. Tears trickled down her cheeks.
"No!" Kirsten screeched, shoving Liam's strong arm away.
"You son of a bitch!" he roared at Kyle, trying to break free. "I'm going to fucking beat the shit out of you!"
Kyle just stood motionless and speechless.
"Liam, no! P- please leave him alone a- and we'll talk!" she entreated chokingly between sobs.
Liam's eyes blazed. "He wants to fucking mess with you all over again, Kirsten!"
"No, I—" Kyle stammered.
"No! It's not his fault!" Kirsten cried out.
Liam stopped, panting. With his jaw tense, his eyes steadied on hers and he could see his anguish reflect there. His heart pulverized excruciatingly knowing she had lied to him and now she was defending her ex-boyfriend instead. And by saying it wasn't his fault, did she mean she wanted it to happen? Did she actually welcome Kyle back into her life again? Shaking his head in disbelief, Liam laughed on the other side of his mouth then scurried away.
