Second Chances [On Hold]

Chapter 27

Liam cheated on you.

After he left, I'd rehearsed that phrase a thousand times, over and over again. The more times it repeated in my head, the more the pounding grew against my skull. The pain accelerated. Physically and emotionally. As I squeezed my eyes closed, my face contorted as I tried to remember my past.

My hand shot forward, holding the handles on my wheelchair. A shot rippled through my body like an igniting fire, burning me from the inside out. I could feel my head spinning out of control when my breaths came out short and choppy.

I grabbed a fistful of my shirt, clutching the area around my chest. It was like I couldn't breathe. The dread and anxiety I felt was maximized as I played with the idea that Liam could've possibly cheated on me.

But I knew him. He was always faithful towards me. He couldn't have changed that much in the past two years . . . could he?

He was Liam. My Liam. The goofy little kid that used to ransack my house whenever we were together. My partner in crime whenever the babysitter came over. The guy who would've done anything to make me smile—including falling flat on his face. The person who made my life worthwhile to live. Without him, I would've given up writing a long time ago. He was the one who encouraged me to keep working towards my dream. He had believed in me. 

Even when I didn't believe my writing could take me anywhere, he had invested so much for me. He paid for my editor when I didn't have the money to and he stayed up late during school nights and helped me whenever I needed to run a line or two by someone. Even though he wasn't a reader himself, he would've gladly read the chapters I wrote just to help me whenever I was stuck. He wasn't great in grammar, nor spelling, but he tried. And his opinions mattered. He was my everything growing up—he's still my everything now.

As I took a deep breath, I knew I needed to find something—anything to prove that Wyatt's lying. I have to prove Liam's innocence.

So, I did the only thing I could do. I called Christian.

"Sky," he spoke on the third ring. "How are you—"

"This may sound weird," I started saying, fidgeting with the hem of my shirt. "But, did Liam, did he ever cheated on me?"

There was a long pause before he said, "What are you talking about, Sky?"

"Did he ever cheat on me?"

Again, Christian didn't say anything for the longest time. But I knew he was still on the line. I could hear him breathing loudly.

"I don't think it's best if I talk about your past, Sky. The doctor said—"

"—Wyatt. He came over today." Christian sucked in a big gulp of air at the news. "He told me Liam cheated on me. He told me we divorced two years ago. He said I hated Liam. Tell me this isn't true."

I held my breath as I waited for a response.

"That fucking bastard," he cursed, while a loud sound could be heard on his end. "I thought Liam—"

"—Christian." I swallowed loudly, my voice shaking. "Please just tell me. Is this true?"

"Skylar." He sighed. "You know I can't. The doctor said—"

"Forget about the doctor, Christian," I cut him off, slamming my hand on my knee. "If you don't tell me, I'm going to have a panic attack. And if you don't want to see me back in the hospital, you'll tell me."

Another long pause, before he said, "There's a manuscript—"

I squeezed my eyes closed, and slapped my forehead. Leave it to Christian to talk about his job at a time like this. "—this really isn't the time to be talking about your job, Christian. I really need you to tell me—"