Running from Him, Running from Myself

I should have stayed.

I should have fought.

I should have figured out a way to fix this.

But instead?

I ran.

Because for the first time since this started—I wasn't just running from Jax.

I wasn't just running from the cops.

I was running from Ethan.

And worse?

I was running from myself.

The cold night air burned my lungs as I walked fast, too fast, through the dimly lit streets.

Ethan's voice still rang in my head.

"I never wanted this for you, Liv."

"I'll get out of this. I promise."

I had wanted to believe him.

Had wanted to hold onto that last fragile piece of hope.

But the truth?

I didn't believe him.

Not anymore.

Because Ethan had been making promises since the beginning.

And we both knew—he was never going to keep them.

I didn't know where I was going.

Didn't have a plan.

I just knew I couldn't stay.

Everywhere I turned, I saw pieces of him.

The way he looked at me when we first met—like I was something he wasn't supposed to want.

The way he kissed me like I was the only thing keeping him sane.

The way he fought for me—reckless, violent, unstoppable.

And now?

The way he looked at me before they took him away—like he knew I was already gone.

Like he knew I wouldn't wait for him.

My phone buzzed in my pocket.

I ignored it.

Then—

It rang again.

I clenched my jaw, finally pulling it out.

Tessa.

A part of me wanted to throw the phone into the street.

But I answered anyway.

Because no matter what she had done—she was the only person I had left.

"Liv," she breathed.

I swallowed hard. "Don't."

She hesitated. "Where are you?"

I let out a sharp, bitter laugh.

"Does it matter?"

Silence.

Then—

"I know you think I betrayed you."

I clenched my fists. "You did."

Tessa exhaled. "I was trying to save you."

I stopped walking.

Because she sounded—broken.

Like she had lost something too.

And I hated her for that.

For making me doubt her.

For making me wonder if maybe—just maybe—she wasn't the villain in this story.

"You turned him in," I whispered.

Tessa didn't deny it.

"I had to."

I shut my eyes. "No, you didn't."

A pause.

Then—

"You still love him."

I let out a bitter breath.

"Of course, I do."

And maybe?

Maybe that was the real problem.

Because love wasn't supposed to feel like this.

Like running.

Like losing yourself in someone else's darkness.

Like knowing, deep down, that this was always going to end in disaster.

"I don't know what to do," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.

Tessa hesitated.

Then—

"You do know."

I let out a breath. "Tess—"

"You have to let him go."

My stomach twisted.

Because even though I had spent the last hour running from him—

The truth was?

I didn't know how to let him go.

I sat on a bench near the park, my breath coming too fast.

I knew what I had to do.

I had to walk away.

I had to leave town.

I had to forget Ethan Carter.

But who was I kidding?

He was already a part of me.

And no matter how far I ran—

He was always going to be there.

Because Ethan wasn't just someone I loved.

He was the only thing that had ever made me feel alive.

A car pulled up near the curb.

I stiffened.

Watched.

Waited.

The door opened—

And my breath caught.

Because stepping out?

Was the one person I never expected.

Jax.

He leaned against the car, arms crossed, smirking.

Like he had been waiting for this moment.

Like he had been waiting for me.

"Well, sweetheart," he drawled.

"Where do you think you're going?"

My heart stopped.

Because suddenly?

I wasn't just running from Ethan.

I was running straight into another nightmare.

Liv tries to run from Ethan, but she runs straight into Jax.

Tessa's betrayal isn't black and white—was she really trying to help?

Liv realizes that leaving Ethan won't be as easy as she thought.

Jax has plans for Liv. And this time? She might not escape.