The air in the room felt heavier than it should have. My chest tightened as he stood there—watching me, eyes unreadable, waiting for something I wasn't sure I could give.
I forced myself to look away, focusing on Jia instead.
"How long was I out?" My voice came out rougher than I expected.
Jia sighed, folding her arms. "Almost a full day. Your BP crashed from stress and exhaustion. The doctor said you're lucky it wasn't worse."
A full day? That long?
I exhaled slowly, rubbing my temples. I should've been more careful.
"You should eat something." Jia's voice softened, her worry slipping through. "The IV helped, but you still need real food."
I nodded absently. But before I could respond, a quiet voice cut through the air.
"I'll go get something."
Him.
I flinched.
I had almost forgotten he was still here. Almost.
Jia turned to him, blinking in surprise. "Huh?"
"I'll bring her food." His voice was firm, but not in the commanding way I remembered. It was softer, careful. "She needs to eat."
I swallowed, forcing my gaze to stay on my hands. "You don't have to do that."
"I want to."
Damn it. Why did he have to sound like that?
Jia raised an eyebrow at him, glancing between us before rolling her eyes. "Fine. Whatever. Just don't take forever."
He nodded and—after one last lingering glance at me—turned and left.
The room fell into silence.
Jia crossed her arms, watching me closely. "So… that happened."
I sighed, sinking back against the pillows. "I don't want to talk about it."
"Yeah, well, your face says otherwise."
I shot her a glare, but she only frowned.
"You should've seen him when he carried you to the hospital," she muttered. "He looked like the world was ending."
I stiffened. "Jia—"
"He didn't say a word the whole time," she continued, ignoring me. "Not until we got here. He just sat next to you, staring, like if he blinked, you'd disappear."
I swallowed hard, fingers curling into the blanket.
Jia huffed. "And I don't even know the guy. He's just some random neighbor, right? But damn, he looked so shaken, I almost felt bad."
A sharp pain twisted in my chest.
She doesn't know.
I hesitated for a moment, my lips parting before I forced the words out. "Jia…"
She tilted her head. "What?"
I swallowed the lump in my throat and whispered, "That's Liam."
Silence.
Complete, utter silence.
Jia didn't move. Didn't breathe. Just stared at me as if I had just told her the sky was green.
And then—
"WHAT?!"
She shot up from the couch, her voice echoing through the room. Her face was pure rage.
"THAT—THAT WAS LIAM?! THE LIAM?!"
I cringed. "Jia, lower your voice—"
"ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME?!" She grabbed a pillow and chucked it at the door, as if he was still standing there. "I LET THAT SCUMBAG BREATHE NEAR YOU?!"
I groaned, rubbing my temples. "Jia, please—"
"NO. NO, NO, NO!" She pointed at the door like she was ready to chase him down. "He just—just waltzed in here like nothing happened?!"
"He didn't waltz—"
"HE BETRAYED YOU! HE BROKE YOUR HEART! AND NOW HE THINKS HE CAN JUST BUY YOU FOOD AND IT'LL BE FINE?!"
I sighed. "I never said—"
"YOU SHOULD'VE LET ME PUNCH HIM!"
A headache throbbed behind my eyes. This is why I didn't want to tell her.