Chapter 9
Liam’s cooking was amazing. It would’ve been even better if my hands weren’t tied and he wasn’t feeding me one spoonful at a time. “Liam…” I dragged out his name, trying to sound sweet. The silver spoon paused just before my lips. “Lila.” His tone was calm, indifferent even. “The last time you acted like this, you almost got me arrested.” He was just stating a fact, but under the table, my leg brushed against his. He froze for a moment. A faint blush crept onto his pale face, making him look almost innocent. If I hadn’t been pinned to the bed just hours earlier, feeling him devour me like a starving wolf, I might’ve believed it. “Liam, do you believe in fate?” He didn’t answer, so I continued. “I had a dream last night. A dream about the future.” “In the dream, I married Josh. You broke your leg trying to stop me. Later, Josh and Danielle conspired to kill me.” “You dragged that broken leg of yours halfway across the world, hunting them down to avenge me.” I stared into his eyes, making sure every word sounded as sincere as possible. “So now, I really, really hate Josh.” I poured my heart into those words, but Liam’s expression didn’t change. His beautiful eyes were as cold and reflective as a frozen lake. “Oh, really?” he said finally, leaning in close. His breath skimmed over my neck, sending goosebumps down my spine. “Funny. I had a dream too.” “In mine, my little sister was so desperate to escape me that she made up a beautiful lie.” “She tricked me into believing her, made me think I finally had her… and then she left me behind.” … For a second, I wondered if Liam had been reborn too. Because in my last life, that was exactly what had happened. The night I drugged him, I’d held his face in my hands, promising I’d never leave him. I could still remember the way his eyes had turned red, how he’d clung to my wrist like it was the only thing keeping him alive. “Lila, you won’t leave me, right? You’ll stay, right?” he’d asked, his voice trembling. And then I’d put him to sleep and left him behind. … If that’s what he dreamed, then maybe it wasn’t so strange that he wanted to keep me tied up. I chuckled lightly, and Liam frowned at me. “Forget it, Liam,” I said, my voice soft. “No matter what you do to me, I’ll accept it.”