Page 88 of Mercy
She runs to the bedroom, and I go in to find her packing clothes.
“Baby girl, what’s going on?”
“It’s over, Liam. I’m leaving.”
I stand frozen, watching her pack, watching my heart crumble before me, “No, baby girl, please don’t do this. You said you’d be my wife.”
She swings her bag over her shoulder, “Liam, he will destroy everything. Your career will be left in ashes. I won’t do that to you, I love you too much,” she sobs.
“I don’t want a life without you. I don’t care about my career, Mercy. Please, baby girl, don’t go.”
She shakes her head, “Those kids need you and I think you need them too.”
Putting her ring in my hand, she kisses my lips softly and leaves me with her parting words, “I love you, Liam. I always will. Thank you for the best time of my life. I’ll never forget you. But this is how it has to be. I’m sorry.”
Placing her hand on my chest, more tears roll down her cheeks as she whispers, “Goodbye, Liam,” then she turns and walks away.
Standing frozen I just watch her leave my life. I run both of my hands through my hair. How can I go on without her? I can’t. I’m wrecked. There’s no me anymore without her. I sit drinking because I don’t know what else to do with myself. Fuck. My chest aches, and it’s only been an hour. How the hell am I going to get through this?
I send a few drunk texts to her, begging her to change her mind but they all go ignored.
Thirty-One
MERCY
It’s beena week since I ended things with Liam, and my heart is still broken. I’m not sure how I’ll ever get through this. Seeing him at the hospital is the worst torture I’ve ever been through. The pain is evident every time he looks at me. I hate that I’m responsible for breaking his heart. But I know my dad and what he’s capable of. He has connections that he will not hesitate to use. When he threatened Liam, I knew he was serious, and I’ve seen firsthand what he’ll do if someone didn’t heed the warning. Liam would be lucky to not go to prison and simply lose his medical license.
Dad, of course, has connections in the police department, the FBI, and also criminals. You would think that a police officer who vows to serve and protect, would be a good man. He’s not a good man, quite the opposite. He skirts the line between legal and illegal. More often than not, he’s on the illegal side. Gilbert Madison is what they call a dirty cop. No one will ever bring him down because he’s got too many powerful men in his pocket. He joined the force at twenty-one and made detective at twenty-three after rescuing twenty-six women from a human trafficking ring. It’s ridiculous that he’s been involved with the very thing that made his career.
I’m not an idiot, and I knew my dad wouldn’t be happy with Liam being so much older than me. But I didn’t expect this, and I really thought he’d be pissed, yell and scream, and eventually get over it.
I’m sitting in Ivy’s room when Liam comes in and flips through her chart.
“Miss Madison,” he nods at me as my heart breaks even more.
He takes a deep breath and looks at Ivy, “How are you feeling, Princess?”
“Okay,” she says, adding, “I’m tired of throwing up.”
“Let’s try some new medication for your tummy, okay?”
He leaves, and I can finally breathe again.
Perceptive little Ivy asks, “Don’t be sad, Mercy.”
I paste on a smile just for her, “I’m not. How can I be sad when I’m here with my favorite girl? Let’s watch a movie!”
She smiles brightly, I grab her tablet and putSnow Whiteon.
I stare at the screen, but I’m not really watching it because all I can think about is Liam. After she falls asleep, I put the tablet beside her and go so she can rest. I walk towards the break room when I’m stopped in my tracks. I spot Liam with a nurse standing pressed against him, her finger trailing down his chest. He gazes down at her with a heated stare. Bile rises in my throat as I turn to run out of the hospital.
“Mercy!” he shouts, but I keep running until I’m outside. I get in my car, and Liam rushes over banging on my window. I drive away because I don’t know what else to do. My emotions are overwhelming me. I told him it was over; I had no right to be upset about seeing him with another woman. My brain understands this, but my heart does not. It’s as if it’s been ripped open. As I drive home, my phone rings, and it’s Liam. I dismiss the call because there’s nothing to say that hasn’t been said. Again, my phone rings and I answer it because it’s not Liam. It’s my doctor’s office.
“Hello?”
“Miss Madison, it’s Dr. Shein’s office.”
“Yes, how can I help you?”
