Love's Dangerous Game

Chapter XIX - Lucy's side

The tension hung heavy in the air, thick with accusations and unspoken truths, the kind that had festered too long and now demanded reckoning.

"Why don't you ask her? She's the one who started this shit!" My brother's voice was a sharp, jagged edge, slicing through the chaotic noise as Hallie barely managed to keep her grip on him.

I marveled at Hallie's strength—so small, yet somehow able to hold back the tempest that was my brother. But it was clear this storm wasn't going to be contained much longer. Things were unraveling fast. Too fast. I swear I'd only turned my back for a second, and now everything was teetering on the brink of violence. How had it come to this?

"He's lying. I didn't do anything. What the hell is your problem, Liam?" Lucy's voice was strained, filled with a venom that made my stomach twist. Her eyes, burning with accusation, were locked on my brother's.

"Both of you, stop! Look at yourselves, being held back like a couple of rabid dogs. God," I snapped, stepping between them, desperate to put out the flames before they consumed us all.

Sinking down onto the cool sand, I crossed my legs, trying to find some kind of calm within myself, something to anchor the storm brewing around me. I glanced at Hallie and Marcus, nodding for them to let go. Liam's fists were still clenched, trembling with rage, but I knew he wouldn't hurt her. No matter how much he hated Lucy, Liam wasn't the kind to hit a woman. At least, I didn't think he was.

Liam finally leaned back, the tension in his body easing slightly as Hallie's hands gently pressed against his shoulders. Lucy's wrists relaxed too, though Marcus still hovered close, his grip lingering as if he didn't trust the shift in atmosphere. I didn't blame him. I wasn't sure I trusted it either.

"You can let go, Marcus. I'm fine," Lucy said, her voice brittle. But the mask she'd been wearing all night cracked, and for the first time, I could see the fear in her eyes—the vulnerability she worked so hard to hide.

"You know I can't trust you, Lucy. Not after what you did. Almost decking my best friend? You had no right," Marcus bit out, disbelief tightening his features.

Wait, what? My mind reeled. Lucy... resorting to violence? That wasn't the Lucy I knew. She was fiery, sure, but this? I struggled to reconcile this new image of her with the girl I'd known for years. And more questions surfaced, swirling in my mind, demanding answers that I wasn't sure I was ready to hear.

"He deserved that shit. I'm still pissed you swooped in like some personal bodyguard before I could land one on him," Lucy spat bitterly, her words sharp enough to draw blood.

"Lucy, enough. What the hell? I get it, you hate him, but he's my brother," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. The conflict inside me was suffocating. My loyalty to Liam was a part of me, but so was the bond I shared with Lucy. And now? Now I was stuck between them, drowning in the wreckage of their animosity. If anyone was going to hurt my brother, it should be me.

"I don't need your pity, Karla, okay?" Lucy's voice wavered. "I probably deserve a punch myself for what I've done to you, but not from him." Her gaze flicked to Liam, her anger coiling tight like a viper ready to strike. Liam's fists clenched again, but Hallie pulled him back before he could say something that would ignite the situation further.

"Relax, Liam. This is ancient history," Hallie soothed, her voice a balm against the fury threatening to consume him. She wrapped her arms around him, forcing him to calm down. But I could see the rage simmering just below the surface, waiting for its chance to explode.

The whole scene felt surreal, like I was watching it unfold from a distance, an outsider in my own life. Hallie's words hinted at things I didn't know, truths that had been kept from me. How much had I missed? How much had I been blind to?