Happy Valentine's Day :)
Chapter Twenty Six
Arianne
My mom's eyes watered when she saw me standing in the doorway. Then she hugged me tightly. On the way here, I told myself I wouldn't cry, but I couldn't help it. I buried my face in her shoulder and sobbed wretchedly.
"Come inside, honey," she murmured, pulling me into the living room. "I'm so glad you're home."
Obviously, I couldn't tell my mum anything that had happened to get me here. At the same time, I couldn't bring myself to lie to her. I had called her from the airport, just before I began to board. Harry was sitting beside me, a hidden gun pressed into my side to keep me from talking. All I said was that I was coming home and that I would be there the next morning.
I didn't really want to go home, to leave Liam. But what could I do? A week passed and he never found me. Harry was too good, too calculated. Even Liam would want me to choose to go home over choosing to be sent to be a prostitute. Right? He'd want what was safest for me.
"He'll forget about you within a week," Harry grumbled when I started to cry after talking to my mom. "That should make you feel better."
I pictured Liam, in my apartment, holding me until I fell asleep, letting me paint his nails, helping me try desserts from pinterest. A lot had changed since we first reconnected. A whole lot. As scary as he was, I knew deep inside that he wouldn't ever truly hurt me. But I had thought that of my last boyfriend, the one that made me want to leave the country. Liam was different though. So much different. He had taken me in when I was absolutely alone, terrified, and soaking wet from the rain. Anyone else would have just kicked me off of their property or called the cops.
My mom brought me from my thoughts by passing me a mug of homemade hot chocolate. "Can you tell me what happened yet?" she asked, stroking my hair.
I shook my head, taking a tiny sip of the steaming drink. "I wish I could, Mom. Can you just trust me when I say I didn't have any other choice?" I asked.
"Did he hurt you? That's all I need to know and I will leave you alone."
I gave a bitter laugh. "No, no. Of course not. Liam would never lay a hand on me. I promise."
Was he still worried about me? Or was he starting to forget, like Harry had assumed? I hated having to leave, I really did. But Harry had a gun to my side and the other option was horrifying. Maybe it would be best for Liam if he just forgot me. He could go on with his career and find a girlfriend with less baggage. Maybe even someone that could sing better and perform with him professionally.
Days passed and I thought that I would start to feel better, but realistically, I was feeling much worse. I missed all my friends and especially Liam. I had his phone number memorized and so many times had dialled it, but stopped before pressing the "call" button. Harry had threatened that he had friends here in the States that could ruin my life if I didn't follow his strict rules. These rules were no contacting Liam, no returning to the UK, no media posts about anything, and most importantly, no tattling.
"Are you sure you don't want to contact him, Ari? It won't hurt, just to get some closure, you know?" Mom asked for the dozenth time. I just shook my head sadly, looking out the window.
"It isn't that I don't want to, Mom. I just really can't."
I loved Liam. Without a doubt. Every day that I was away from him, I was more and more sure about it. That man was tearing me apart from the inside out each time I thought about him - which was almost always. Did Liam make some mistakes towards the beginning? Yes. Very much so. But that was to be expected and I believed him when he apologized for it. He never got physical with me, which was more than what could be said about my ex.
