The brief, fleeting contact of our lips was enough for Sky's ex to pause at the door at a loss for words.

His attention bounced from me to Sky as if he couldn't fathom what he'd witnessed. However, I didn't see distress— I saw anger and bafflement in the steely eyes he turned on the girl next to me.

"Unbelievable," he gritted through his teeth before stalking off and running down the stairs.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Sky asked with a withering look on her face before shoving me away and pushing past me.

I saw her rush to her bedroom, still wearing her heels that clicked on our wooden floors.

Cursing under my breath, I locked the front door and went after Sky.

I should've knocked on her door, but I  didn't. She was sitting on her bed, looking at her manicured nails.

"Sky."

"Go away."

I hated the stricken look on her face. It was even worse because I knew that what I had to say would hurt her more than the show I put up in front of that prick to make him disappear.

"Sky, I—"

"You what, Liam?" Sky turned her head toward me, giving me a stern, almost belligerent look. "You think it's okay to go ahead and kiss me against my will to prove a point? What did you want to prove, anyway? You went out with someone yesterday, and you get all pissed when I want to do the same?"

"That's not it."

"Right." Sky got up from the bed and kicked off her high heels, making one of the shoes fly across the room and land dangerously close to me. "You're confusing. I don't know what you want from me. Let me tell you this: what I do and who I do it with is none of your business."

"It is my damn business," I bit out. "I sure as fuck didn't want it to be, but it is. If I didn't want you to go out with that dickhead, it was for a valid reason, Sky. I wouldn't have kissed you if I hadn't been desperate for you to stay at home."

A flicker of something crossed Sky's face. "I know," she whispered. "I know you wouldn't kiss me, Liam. Now go away."

I crossed my arms in front of my chest and leaned against Sky's bedroom door, blocking the exit. "I won't go anywhere until you listen to what I have to say. First of all, about yesterday—"

"Fuck whoever you want. I don't care. Anything else?"

My gaze traveled over Sky's face before I found the courage to look her in the eye.

"Today wasn't the first time I'd seen your ex," I said.

Sky frowned. "What do you mean?"

I uncrossed my arms and let them drop to my sides before I shoved my sweaty hands in the pockets of my slacks. "A week after I moved in with you, I went to a business lunch in a restaurant and saw you there with him. I overheard your conversation. Then, when you left, I heard that dickhead say shit about you to his coworkers."

I prayed Sky wouldn't want to know all the cruel, intimate details. I hoped what I said would be enough.

"What did he say?"

"Sky, if you don't believe me—"

Sky raised her voice. "What did he say? Repeat that right now, word for word. I want to hear everything."

A well of emotion pulled at me, making me avert my eyes.

"Liam. I need to know."

The words finally left my mouth, but I didn't feel relief. I told Sky about every filthy thing he said, every detail, exactly the way I remembered it.

"I heard you talking to him on the phone yesterday. I couldn't let you go anywhere with him, knowing what I knew. I didn't want him to hurt you more than he already did. That's why I behaved like a jerk, kissing you against your will today. I didn't know what else I could do to make you stay at home, Sky. Fuck, you need to understand me here. What would you have done if the roles were reversed?"

Sky's eyes swirled with hurt, making me feel like the biggest asshole on Earth. Then, I saw the tears roll down her cheeks.

"Sweetheart, come here." I took a few steps toward her bed.

Swiftly, Sky moved away from me and pressed her back to the headboard.

"Go away, Liam. Leave me the hell alone."

"No."

"Please, just go away."

"Damn, Sky."

"I've had enough for today. Go away."

Sighing, I turned around and left Sky's bedroom. If she didn't want me there, there was very little I could do to make her change her mind. What happened in that restaurant wasn't my fault, but I was the one who delivered the message.

I didn't know how Sky felt. Pausing in the hallway, I leaned against the wall and heard her loud, uncontrollable sobs.

They didn't cease. Two hours passed, and at some point, I stopped giving a fuck about what Sky wanted. I was going to give her what she needed.

She needed a friend.

I went to her bedroom and opened the door before crossing the room and heading toward Sky's bed where she was shaking with tears, curled up into a tight ball.

Sitting on her pale pink comforter next to her, I pulled Sky into my arms. Her body was tense like a string about to snap, but it didn't matter to me.

She wouldn't spend the night crying her heart out.

"Sweetheart, come on. I know it hurts, but you need to let me help you. Ellie is not here, and you need a friend. Let me be a friend to you, okay?"

It took one more hour for Sky to relax and let me comfort her. I stroked her back and kissed the top of her head, hating how miserable she was.

Sky refused to eat. All I could do was make her drink a cup of herbal tea.

I decided I'd spend the night in her bed. She didn't object when I encased her in an embrace and held her until she was sound asleep.

I woke up to the horrible feeling of throbbing temples and a dry throat. Looking at the clarity hurt. A glance in the mirror confirmed what I knew— my eyes were red and puffy.

I found aspirin and a glass of water on my bedside table, courtesy of Liam. Knowing he'd left for work brought me relief.

Not having any plan, I undressed and went to take a blistering shower, hoping to forget the previous day as if it were a nightmare.

Unfortunately, it wasn't. Everything Paul said was real. The fact that Liam heard it all was even worse.

Liam heard that I was cold, and that's why Paul cheated on me. He cheated on me while we were dating. Could I be surprised?

I wondered who he slept with. Was it one of my classmates? My roommates? Anyone I knew?

What if I was too naive to notice the sneering glances? What if everyone around me knew and kept quiet just like Liam did at first?

Liam...Now, it was crystal clear— his tenderness when he kissed my cheek and called me sweetheart wasn't anything but pity. He pitied the poor girl who was publicly humiliated because Liam was a good guy who hated injustice.

Paul exposed every intimate part of our relationship, making me look like a joke.

Of course, he didn't talk about his shortcomings and the way he treated me. He would deny it if I called him on it.

I hated how stupid I was to forgive him after that first time. I should have run away after the second one instead of wasting a year on him and letting him suck the life and joy out of me.

I feared being alone, influenced by the peer pressure, seeing every girl go out with someone, have sex, and experience everything college life had to offer. I didn't want to be different. I tried to fit in, to blend in. I was desperate for someone's attention, and I ended up with the wrong guy.

I wished I listened to Ava, who didn't give a damn about others' opinions. She did what she wanted and stood her ground even when outgoing girls like Gia called her weird.

Maybe if I hadn't gone to that disastrous date and hadn't let Paul take my virginity, nothing would have happened.

The hot water cascaded over my body, bringing me physical relief. It would take me much more than that to bounce back and restore what Paul had broken.

I hated that Ellie was far, and I couldn't talk to her, but then again, even if I did, I wouldn't be able to tell her everything. I tried several times but couldn't.

Just like I couldn't stand Liam's pity and the sadness in his eyes when he looked at me.

Pressing my forehead to the tiled wall, I let the sobs rake through me once again.

Then, I left the shower and got dressed. I wanted to go out, but who would I do it with? Liam wasn't an option— not after yesterday's conversation. Not after his pity and the kiss that wouldn't have happened hadn't it been for Paul.

Without giving it a second thought, I grabbed my phone and sent a message to my classmates in our class group, hoping I'd be lucky and some of them wanted to go out.

The reply of one of the girls made me grin. She was just as desperate to go somewhere at night as I was.

We agreed to meet in one of the areas famous for its night clubs.

I wasn't okay, and I didn't know if being surrounded by people would make me feel better, but it surely wouldn't hurt me.

Not like the words and fake kisses did, anyway.