Chapter Seventy Six
As Liam turned the corner, he saw Aiden leaning against a wall, smoking a cigarette. Liam’s heart started to race, and his hands balled into fists. He knew that he shouldn’t be there, that he should walk away and try to forget everything. But the jealousy and anger he felt were too strong to ignore. He walked up to Aiden, who looked up and smiled.
“Well, well, well,” Aiden said. “Look who decided to show up. I was starting to think you were too chicken to face me.”
Liam gritted his teeth. “I’m not afraid of you,” he said. “I just wanted to talk.”
“Talk?” Aiden scoffed. “What is there to talk about? You lost, Liam. Chloe chose me. Get over it.”
Liam’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t deserve her,” he said. “You’re just using her, like you use everyone else. You don’t care about anyone but yourself.”
Aiden took a drag from his cigarette and blew the smoke in Liam’s face. “You’re just jealous, man,” he said. “You had your chance with Chloe, and you blew it. Now you’re just trying to stir up trouble.”
Liam’s fists clenched even tighter. “I didn’t blow anything,” he said. “You stole her from me. You’ve been manipulating her from the beginning. And I’m not going to let you get away with it.”
Aiden laughed. “Let me get away with it? What are you going to do, Liam? Punch me? That’s not going to solve anything.”
Liam felt his blood boiling. He didn’t care about the consequences anymore. He lunged at Aiden, throwing a punch at his face. Aiden stumbled back, but quickly regained his footing. The two men circled each other, throwing punches and insults. The fight was intense, with both men landing blows and taking hits.
“You’re never going to win, Liam,” Aiden said, dodging a punch. “Chloe loves me, not you.”
Liam’s heart was pounding in his chest as he confronted Aiden in the deserted alleyway. The streetlights flickered above them, casting eerie shadows on the walls. Liam could feel his anger building with every passing moment.
“You stole Chloe from me,” Liam spat. “You’re no good for her. You’re just using her.”
Aiden rolled his eyes. “You’re delusional, Liam. Chloe chose me. Get over it.”Contentt bel0ngs to N0ve/lDrâ/ma.O(r)g!
Liam stepped closer, his fists clenched at his sides. “You don’t deserve her. You’re just a playboy, using her for your own pleasure.”
Aiden smirked. “You have no idea what you’re talking about, Liam. But if it makes you feel better to believe that, go ahead.”
Liam’s anger boiled over, and before he knew it, he had swung a punch at Aiden’s face. Aiden stumbled backward, his eyes wide with surprise. He tried to recover, but Liam was on him in an instant, raining blow after blow on his face and body.
“You’ll pay for what you’ve done,” Liam growled. “You’ll pay for stealing Chloe from me.”
Aiden tried to fight back, but Liam was too strong and too angry. In the end, Aiden lay unconscious on the ground, his face bruised and bloody. Liam stood over him, panting with exertion and triumph.
But then, something unexpected happened. As Liam turned to leave, he heard a soft moan coming from Aiden’s body. He rushed over to check on him, and that’s when he saw it. Aiden was holding a locket, a locket that Liam recognized. It was the locket that he had given to Chloe as a symbol of his love for her.
After the confrontation with Aiden, Liam felt lost and alone. He didn’t know who to turn to or what to do next. So he decided to go see Caleb, his closest friend and confidant. As he walked into Caleb’s apartment, he could feel the weight of the world on his shoulders. “Caleb, I messed up,” Liam said, his voice trembling. “I let my jealousy get the best of me, and now Aiden’s in the hospital. I don’t know what to do.”
Caleb looked at Liam with concern. “What happened?” he asked.
Liam told Caleb everything that had happened with Chloe, Emily, and Aiden. He explained how he had been struggling to deal with his emotions and how it had all boiled over into a violent confrontation with Aiden.
Caleb listened patiently, nodding along as Liam spoke. When he was finished, Caleb took a deep breath and looked at Liam. “Liam, you need to take responsibility for your actions,” he said firmly. “You can’t just blame your jealousy or your anger. You need to own up to what you did and make things right.”
Liam hung his head in shame. He knew that Caleb was right, but he didn’t know how to make things right. “But what can I do?” he asked.
Caleb leaned forward, his eyes intense. “First, you need to apologize to Aiden,” he said. “And then you need to work on yourself. You need to figure out why you’re so jealous and why you’re so quick to anger. Only then can you start to move forward.”
Liam nodded, knowing that Caleb was right. “Okay,” he said. “I’ll go see Aiden now.”
As Liam left Caleb’s apartment, he knew that he had a lot of work to do. He needed to confront his own demons and try to become a better person. But he was determined to do it, no matter how hard it might be.
When Liam arrived at the hospital, he found Aiden lying in his hospital bed, his face bruised and battered. Liam took a deep breath and walked over to him. “Aiden, I’m sorry,” he said. “I shouldn’t have hit you. I was wrong, and I take full responsibility for my actions.”
Aiden looked up at Liam, his eyes filled with anger and pain. “You’re damn right you were wrong,” he spat. “You think you’re the only one who’s hurting? You think you’re the only one who’s been betrayed? You have no idea what I’ve been through.”
Liam felt a pang of guilt in his chest. He knew that Aiden was right. He had been so focused on his own pain and anger that he hadn’t even considered how Aiden might be feeling. “I’m sorry, Aiden,” he said again. “I didn’t mean to hurt you. I just… I don’t know what to do.”
Aiden sighed and leaned back against his pillow. “Look, Liam,” he said. “I don’t know what’s going on between you and Chloe, and frankly, I don’t care. But what I do know is that you need to figure your shit out. You can’t keep taking your anger out on other people. You need to deal with your own demons and figure out how to move on.”
Liam nodded, feeling a sense of shame wash over him. He knew that Aiden was right. He needed to take responsibility for his own emotions and work on becoming a better person. It was going to be a long and difficult journey, but he was ready to start.