To the Ends of the Earth

Chapter Fourteen: (Liam) Escalate

Reluctantly, I gave Lottie some privacy with Alex and left to grab some breakfast for all of us. I hurried to the bagel shop near her apartment and placed an order. I was bouncing on my feet, anxiously waiting for our bagel sandwiches to be prepared so I could return to Lottie, when my phone vibrated with a text.

Unknown Number: You're such a liar!!! You say you want me, but you're still seeing Lottie.

Ugh, Vivi made me sick. Lottie wanted me to try to tempt her out of her hiding place, but every message I received from her made my skin crawl. Hesitant to entertain her when all my thoughts were with Lottie, I forced myself to compose a text.

There is no need to be upset with me, Vivi. You're the one who's being flaky. I told you I was interested in our night together since I don't remember much of it. Plus, Alex is in town and I was visiting him.

I pressed send and swallowed down the groan I was tempted to release. Lottie wanted me to flirt with Vivi, but I couldn't do it. I was simply trying to lure her out by constantly mentioning my curiosity about our night together. Lottie's lawyer, Camilla Mendez, recommended to keep my interactions with Vivi neutral and to never contact her first. I gave her permission to use all of our correspondence, and she wanted to ensure I didn't tamper with the case.

With a lost appetite, I grabbed my order and rushed back to Lottie's apartment. Once I made it to her building, I noticed Alex was outside pacing around with his fists clenched. Before I could reach him, he turned toward the wall and started punching it.

"Alex!" I called out. "What's going on? Is everything okay?"

He faced me with tears running down his face. "No, everything isn't okay. Why didn't anyone tell me?" he roared, closing in on me.

I raised my hand and took a step back. "Calm down, man. It wasn't my story to tell."

"I know," he admitted, looking ashamed. "It's just... she's my baby sister. My baby sister! And, I wasn't there for her when she needed me. She kept it all a secret for seven fucking years, Liam."

Blowing out a breath, I reached out to him and patted his shoulder. "Come on, Alex. Let's go find somewhere to sit and talk." Then, I led him inside the building's lobby and we sat down in the lounge area. Thankfully, it was empty and we had some privacy.

"Why did she keep it from me, Liam?" Alex asked, as his eyes remained downcast.

"I don't know, but do you wanna know what my therapist told me?"

"What? Hold on...you're seeing a therapist?"

"Yeah, Lottie is actually the one who suggested it."

"Right," he breathed, rubbing his neck.

"Alex, he said everyone's healing journey is different. Lottie decided to keep her pain to herself and only recently felt comfortable enough to share it. We can't judge her for that. As long as she's healing, all we can do is be supportive and love her."

"I know, Liam. I know...I'm not judging her. I could never judge her. I just feel so helpless. I feel like the worst brother in the world."

"But you're not, Alex. She's reaching out to you now, so this is when you have to be a good brother and be there for her."

"I am...I plan on being there for her. Liam, you should know that I'm gonna stay with Lottie until those two are arrested. If they," he paused and took a deep breath, controlling his rage. "If they're not thrown behind bars soon, I won't be responsible for my actions."

"I'm with you, Alex. If Lottie doesn't get the justice she deserves then I will be taking it into my own hands. I'll be willing to be the one behind bars if it means those fuckers pay for what they did to her."

"Good," he said, nodding at me. "I'm glad we're on the same page. Now, I just have to see when Lottie wants to talk to our parents. It'll be best if they know what's going on before Vivi is arrested."

"Yeah...I just think she's been worried about their reaction."

"She doesn't need to be. I'm on her side. I'll defend her from our parents if I have to. But, I think she's worried for no reason. Our parents might not be the most loving people but —deep down— they care. It's just not in the same way as parents who have close, intimate relationships with their children. Seeing Athena's relationship with her parents, I learned how much my own family has been lacking."

"Well, maybe you should take the initiative and demand more from them," I suggested.

"Yeah, maybe," he mumbled.

"Come on, Alex. Let's get back to Lottie before she worries."

"Sounds good, but you should know that I told her I was coming to help you with the food," he admitted. "I didn't want to lose my temper in front of her. And, I needed a minute to release all the anger boiling inside me."

"Got it," I said, standing up and heading toward the elevators. Alex followed behind me.

For all of our sanity, I was hoping Camilla would just escalate things soon.