Chapter 10

  The bowl of porridge in my hands trembled.

  "I wasn't trying to snoop." Lily’s voice was barely above a whisper. "I was just getting you some clean clothes, but then I saw… I saw—"

  Her voice cracked. Tears streamed down her face.

  "This is my fault." She covered her mouth, choking on a sob. "I took him away from you. He was supposed to be yours, and I kept him for five years. I—I'm so sorry, Ava. I really am."

  The kind girl standing before me was now a broken mess.

  I set the porridge aside and looked at her, my expression calm. "Lily, you didn’t wrong me."

  Her lip trembled. "But Liam is Brooks."

  I shook my head, wiping away her tears.

  "No." My voice was gentle, yet firm. "Liam loves you. Brooks loved me. I said he's not the same man anymore, and I meant it."

  Her shoulders shook as she sobbed.

  "I risked my life to save you, not to make you call off the wedding."