A sliver of afternoon sunlight crept through the heavy drapes, landing on Emma Johnson's face. She didn't even have the strength to open her eyes.
Her stomach growled in protest, forcing her to wake. But her body felt like it had been torn apart and reassembled. Every inch of her ached.
What happened?
Emma sat up, running her fingers through her tangled hair.
Her gaze dropped to her chest. There, against her skin, were dark purple marks. Like brands, they burned into her vision.
It took her sluggish brain a long moment to start working again. She pieced together fragments: the Thai restaurant, the Jinglin Hotel, the waiter who appeared out of nowhere. Then nothing—just darkness after a cloth was pressed over her mouth and nose. She tried to remember more, but a sharp headache stopped her.
Before she could make sense of anything, the bedroom door swung open. Her head turned toward Liam Williams in slow motion. She was shocked to see him smiling at her. Gently.
She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen that expression. Liam hadn't smiled at her in days, and certainly not with such warmth.
"Finally awake," he said, walking over. He bent down and pressed a soft kiss to her forehead. Seeing her dazed expression, he chuckled and ruffled her hair. "You must be exhausted. I had the chef prepare your favorite dishes. You're probably starving."
Emma blinked.
"If you want to know what happened, get up and come eat. I'll explain everything."
She let out a small sound, realization dawning. She and Liam had... been intimate last night.
She yanked the blanket up to her chin, scrambling backward on the bed. Her eyes were wide with disbelief. How could this have happened?
But the ache in her body confirmed it was real.
Wrapping the blanket around herself, she rushed into the bathroom, slamming the door behind her. She stared at her reflection in the mirror. Her skin was covered in marks. Even her neck.
That man was an animal.
She lingered in the bathroom for a long time before finally emerging, dressed in clothes that covered every inch of her. The chef had already left. It was just her and Liam in the apartment.
He was sitting on the sofa, an open first-aid kit on the coffee table. He was spraying medicine on a wound on his bare shoulder.
When he saw her, he spoke casually. "Come here. Spray this for me."
Emma didn't know why she wasn't angry. She'd rehearsed a dozen angry speeches in the bathroom. But when she saw the wound on his shoulder, she remembered how he'd taken a bullet for her.
Maybe she should just let it go. She'd repaid his life-saving debt with her body. Now they were even.
She took the bottle from his hand and began spraying his shoulder. But then she noticed something else.
The small bottle wasn't enough.
Because besides the shoulder injury, Liam's back was covered in fresh scratches—marks from her fingernails. The wounds were still red. She'd done that. She'd clawed him like a cat.
"What happened?" she asked, her voice quiet. "I only remember going to the Jinglin Hotel to get medicine. Then a waiter knocked me out. How did we... how did this happen?"
She finished bandaging his shoulder, but she couldn't bring herself to eat. She needed answers.
But when she got to the last question, her voice dropped. This was her first time. No matter how much she'd prepared herself, it still felt awkward.
Besides, they were only married on paper. He had a sexy girlfriend now. This was just... embarrassing.
But Liam didn't seem uncomfortable. He took her hand and led her to the dining table, pressing her into a chair and filling her bowl with rice.
"Eat first. I'll tell you when you're done."
Emma knew he wouldn't say anything until she ate. She finished a bowl in a hurry, then set it down, staring at him expectantly.
"All of this has to do with your childhood," he said.
His opening words caught her off guard. Childhood? What was he talking about? Did this have something to do with Elijah Clark?
"I know you won't believe me easily. But it's the truth."
Liam explained everything, though he left out the part about the ghost's true identity. He only told her that her relationship with Elijah wasn't what she thought.
Emma took a long time to process it all. The man who'd always seemed like a demon might actually be sick. But she couldn't believe Elijah would work with someone to hurt her.
How could this be?
She'd grown up with Elijah. She didn't want to believe he would harm her. If she'd woken up today and seen Elijah instead of Liam, she would have lost her mind.
"Emma, you always judge people by your childhood memories," Liam said softly. "You think they'll stay the same. But time changes people. Sometimes they've been wearing a mask from the very beginning, and you just never noticed."
"But we grew up together. I see him as a brother."
"He might not see you as a sister."
She couldn't argue with that. She was silent for a long time, unsure what to do.
"I'm going to ask him why he did this," she finally said, standing up.
This time, Liam didn't stop her. He knew she wouldn't give up until she confirmed it herself.
His little woman was stubborn, but that was part of why he loved her.