ONE LAST KICK TO A DEAD BODY

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The school park was full of children running around and having fun. The day was grey as always, with thick clouds up above and the imminent threat of rain. Still, that did not discourage the little boys and the little girls who spent their last few minutes in the school going about being happy.

There was not a single care in the world; not a bill to pay, no work the following day or making dinner for the family. They were enjoying their life in the purest of forms: all joy. All that mattered now was whose time was on the swing or who was first on the slide. Simple and beautiful.

Liam glanced at his watch, seeing the clock ticking closer to the hour. It was almost time. He was anxious for this last-minute surprise to take place. So, he allowed Jaimie to have a few more minutes of fun, waving at the boy as he ran across the yard.

Time passed differently for him. While the others lived full of romance under the Italian sun, he stayed in gloomy London with all his bitterness. While the couple had no way of counting the minutes and the hours, Liam's day was monitored by meetings or calls, he was always booked and busy. He was an important man now.

However, no matter how much he worked, the emptiness never really abandoned him. In the quiet moments, that's when it became the most obvious. When the phone calls stopped and the meetings were done; when it was just him and his thoughts, that's when he felt the most lonely. Which gave way to anger. He couldn't help but think about what was going on a few miles away and in a different time zone. Was his other one happier now? Was he truly smiling with his eyes and dimples as he used to do? Was he walking barefoot or creating something new?

The businessman's heart was heavy. How so much had changed and lost in so little time. All he had now was this soft layer of anger and resentment that he couldn't even translate into anything anymore. After all, from the outside looking in, his life was perfect.

Professionally, everything was going amazingly. The Wellness Centres were a success throughout the city, helping people achieve a healthier lifestyle and walking in large strides in the wellness department. Simon had taken him under his wing, introducing him to everyone as a prodigy and he had managed to create a voice for himself within the business world. Little by little the investor moved to the background, acting more as a silent partner and advisor, while Liam came to the front with management and day-to-day practices.

They kept most of the staff, making them more qualified while also hiring a new batch of professionals. He was adored and admired by the people who worked with him. The Centres were doing so well, there were already talks about opening in other parts of the country and venturing on their first opening abroad, in France. Liam worked well with his other investors who believed in his vision as the administrator and, surprisingly, didn't argue much. Inside the board room what he wanted, happened. He was able to play his cards and twist the game in the direction he wanted. Everything was perfect.

Family-wise, his relationship with his son was better now. While before, the businessman relied on his husband to take care of the little boy and attend to all his needs, now the businessman was a very present father. However, this was not done just out of the sheer goodness of his heart. Sure. From the outside looking in, one could see the presence of a father making his best to minimize the pain the boy had gone through with the separation. But, deep in the corners of the businessman's mind - where no one had access, but him - Liam was skewing the little boy's affections towards himself.

Zayn's distance had affected Jaimie deeply and so he thought that replacing one for another was the best way to go. He would pick up the boy from school and take him too. They would go to the park, movie nights, walks and ice cream. All the good things that Zayn used to do with Jaimie, Liam was now doing with his boy.

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