The Man Who Shouldn’t Love Me

Evelyn Carter fought hard, gripping the towel around her body as if her life depended on it. Her eyes were fixed on Liam Hart's face, filled with fear and anger.

"What are you covering up for? I've seen every part of you," Liam said with his usual arrogant smirk. He was the type of man who enjoyed tormenting her; he had done it for five long years.

Slap!

Her shaking hand hit his face with all the strength she could muster.

Evelyn had to admit that if it weren't for Liam, she might not have survived the war zone. But that didn't erase the nightmares he had planted in her mind.

"One day as a husband, a hundred days of grace. We were married for five years in Sudan, and this is how you greet me?" Liam stared at her with false pain in his eyes.

He was stunning, with sharp, defined features and a towering six-foot-three frame. His volatile energy made people instinctively keep their distance. With his mixed heritage, he had a striking exoticness that made him stand out everywhere. Even in the harsh desert, he seemed to shine.

Evelyn had been speechless the first time she saw him. His presence was impossible to ignore.

She had once asked him how a man born in America ended up working for a terrorist group.

He replied simply, "For profit."

Everyone lived for something, and for him, it was gain. He was a smuggler, once hunted by customs. Desperate, he joined Lucas, a notorious warlord and leader of the terrorist group. Lucas trusted Liam deeply. Not only was Liam, but he was also a master of strategy, using his knowledge of ancient military tactics to become Lucas's chief advisor. Within the organization, his influence was second only to Lucas's.

"Shut up," Evelyn signed angrily, refusing to speak aloud. War had taken her voice long ago.

Liam, one of the few who understood her sign language, leaned against the wall with both hands raised in mock surrender. "I came to give you a phone. Your loving husband didn't even notice you didn't have one? What if something happened while you're stuck here?"

His tone was filled with disdain for Adrian Carter. He may as well have shouted that her husband didn't love her anymore.

"I don't need your fake kindness," Evelyn signed again, her hands shaking.

Liam grabbed her arm. "Evelyn Carter, do you even have a conscience? Fake kindness? If it weren't for me, do you think you'd have survived Lucas's compound?"

Furious, Evelyn raised her hand to hit him again, but he caught her wrist easily.

His hands were large and warm, wrapping around her slender arm gently, as if afraid too much pressure would break her. A flicker of something unreadable—pain?—passed through his eyes, but it vanished quickly.

Evelyn knew Liam was cruel and vicious. He took pleasure in making her life difficult. But he had never forced her into anything. Everything he'd done was to maintain appearances for Lucas and his men.

She had once asked why he helped her.

"Because you're beautiful," he'd said wickedly. "I'm waiting for the day you fall for me and agree to be my wife."

She had shot back, "Give it up. I'm married. I love my husband."

Evelyn had hoped that returning home would end the nightmare, that she would be free of Liam forever.

Reality hit her harder than any war ever could.

"Why are you here? Aren't you afraid I'll call the police?" she asked in sign.

Liam didn't answer right away. Instead, he opened the medical kit, pulled out iodine and cotton swabs, and took hold of her injured wrist.

He seemed angry.

After a long silence, he finally spoke. "Who did this?"

He had protected her for five years in a place where life was worth less than a bullet. He hadn't even let her lose a strand of hair. Now, back in their own country, she was hurt—and badly.

"It's none of your business," Evelyn signed, looking away. But her emotions broke free, and tears streamed down her face, silent and unstoppable.

Liam didn't let go. Instead, he tended to her wounds with a seriousness that unsettled her. It was as if he cared.

Evelyn didn't dare look him in the eye. He was a monster, part of a terrorist group. A traitor to his country.

She knew he had shielded her all those years, but she couldn't let that cloud the truth. He was dangerous.

"If I didn't care, you'd be dead by now. Don't push me," he muttered. Tossing the bloodied cotton swab into the trash, he opened a new smartphone, slid in a SIM card, and handed it to her. "My number's in there. If anything happens, call me. That'll get you better results than your newly remarried bargain-bin husband."

Evelyn's blood boiled. She didn't want to hear another word about Adrian Carter. She lunged to hit Liam again, but this time, he pinned her down on the bed.

"Evelyn, have I spoiled you too much over the years?" he growled, yanking the towel off her body with such force it felt like he might swallow her whole.

He always scared her senseless.

And Evelyn broke.

She sobbed, her tears a flood she couldn't control.

For the first time, Liam panicked.