Chapter 5

The next few days were a blur of forced normalcy. Liam was attentive, almost suffocatingly so. He brought me breakfast in bed, bought me a new dress, and insisted I rest. It was a performance, and I was his unwilling co-star.

The peace, however fragile, was shattered on Saturday morning by a loud, insistent buzzing from the intercom.

"I'll get it," I said, grateful for an excuse to get out of bed. I was still in one of Liam's old t-shirts, my hair a mess. I pressed the button. "Hello?"

"It's Sophia. Let us up." Her voice was crisp and demanding.

Before I could reply, the line went dead. I glanced towards the bedroom. Liam was still asleep. I quickly pulled on a pair of sweatpants and went to the door, opening it just as the elevator pinged.

Sophia Davis stood there, looking perfect as always in a cream-colored pantsuit. Next to her was Brittany Lewis, whose sneer was a permanent fixture on her face. They both looked me up and down, their expressions a mixture of pity and disgust.

"Is Liam here?" Sophia asked, not bothering with a greeting.

"He's still sleeping," I said, trying to block the doorway.

Brittany scoffed. "Of course he is. Can you get us some coffee, please? Black for me, two sugars for Sophia."

They pushed past me as if I were a piece of furniture, walking into the apartment like they owned it. Which, in a way, they did. I was the intruder in their world.

I felt a surge of defiance. "I'm not the maid."

Brittany just laughed. Sophia, however, turned to me with a look of feigned sympathy. "Oh, honey, we know. But you're so good at being helpful."

I stood there, humiliated, as they made themselves comfortable on the expensive white sofa. I wanted to scream, to throw them out. But I knew it would just make things worse. It would be my word against theirs, and I knew whose side Liam would take.

Just then, Liam emerged from the bedroom, rubbing his eyes. "What's all the noise?"

His face lit up when he saw Sophia. "Soph! What are you doing here?"

He walked right past me, giving Sophia a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek. He barely glanced in my direction.

"We decided to stop by," Sophia said, her voice sweet as honey. "We're going to that new brunch place. We wanted to see if you'd join."

"I would have called, but your... friend here was taking forever to answer the door," Brittany added, shooting me a venomous look.

"Chloe, why didn't you tell me they were here?" Liam asked, his tone sharp with annoyance.

"I..." I started, but what could I say? That they' d treated me like dirt? That he was making me feel invisible in my own home?

The familiar ache of menstrual cramps twisted in my stomach, sharper this time. I pressed a hand to my abdomen, trying to breathe through the pain.

"I don't feel well," I mumbled. "I think I'll just stay here."

"Don't be silly," Sophia said, her smile not reaching her eyes. "It's the biggest social event of the season. Everyone will be there. You have to come."

"Yeah," Brittany chimed in, "You wouldn't want people to think Liam is ashamed of you, would you?"

The barb hit its mark. I looked at Liam, pleading with my eyes. Please, don't make me go.

He just shrugged, his expression cold. "Get dressed, Chloe. We're leaving in ten minutes."

The brunch was torture. I was seated at a long table, surrounded by Liam's friends. They spoke a language of inside jokes and shared histories that I was not a part of. I sat in silence, a ghost at the feast.

Sophia, playing the gracious hostess, leaned toward me. "Chloe, you haven't touched your mimosa. You must try one. They're divine."

She pushed a champagne flute towards me.

"No, thank you," I said, my voice tight. The cramps were getting worse, a constant, throbbing pain. "I can't drink right now."

"Oh, why not?" Brittany asked loudly, drawing the attention of the whole table. "Are you pregnant again?"

The table fell silent. Everyone stared at me. My face burned with humiliation. I looked to Liam for help, for any sign of support. He just stared down at his plate, swirling his eggs with his fork, completely detached.

"Come on, Chloe, don't be a spoilsport," Sophia insisted, her voice dripping with fake concern. "Just one drink. For us."

She and Brittany exchanged a look, a shared, malicious gleam in their eyes. They were enjoying this. They were enjoying my pain.

Liam finally looked up. His eyes were cold, empty. "Just drink it, Chloe."

It was a command. An order to play along, to swallow my pain and my pride for his convenience.

A wave of nausea and pain washed over me. I stood up abruptly, my chair scraping against the floor.

"Excuse me," I whispered, my voice shaking. "I need to use the restroom."

I fled to the bathroom, locking the door behind me. I collapsed against the cool tile, curling into a ball on the floor as a fresh wave of cramps wracked my body. I could hear their laughter from the other side of the door, a bright, carefree sound that felt a million miles away from the dark, private hell I was in.