…his older brother, Declan, casually walking out of my kitchen holding two mugs of coffee.<\/p>\n
The color completely drained from my boyfriend\u2019s\u2014ex-boyfriend\u2019s?\u2014face. “You!” he spat, pointing a shaking finger at Declan. “You couldn’t even wait two months to move in on my life?”<\/p>\n
Declan didn’t flinch. He just set the mugs down on the counter, his expression completely unreadable. “She thought you were dead, Liam. Or at least decent enough to send a text. But we both know decency isn’t exactly your strong suit.”<\/p>\n
I stood frozen between them, the shock of Liam’s sudden proposal colliding violently with the reality of the last six weeks. When Liam had vanished, Declan was the only family member who eventually answered my desperate calls. But Declan hadn’t come over to sweep me off my feet. He had come over to tell me the truth.<\/p>\n
“Liam,” I started, my voice trembling but finally finding its edge. “Declan isn’t here because we’re together. He’s here because he spent the last month helping me untangle the absolute mess of lies you left behind.”<\/p>\n
Liam scoffed, his fake proposal smile morphing into an ugly sneer. “What lies? I was in Washington. I needed space.”<\/p>\n
“You were living two towns over with Sarah,” Declan stated coldly. “Until she found out about your little ‘pause’ and threw you out onto the street yesterday.”<\/p>\n
The silence in the apartment was deafening. Liam’s eyes darted between the two of us, frantically looking for a way out of the corner he’d backed himself into. His grand romantic gesture\u2014the sudden reappearance, the talk of marriage\u2014wasn’t born out of love. It was pure desperation. His double life had blown up in his face, and he thought I’d be naive enough to just be his oblivious backup plan after six weeks of agonizing silence.<\/p>\n
“You called me a traitor?” I said, the disbelief finally giving way to pure, unadulterated anger. “You abandoned me. You ignored me while I was crying myself to sleep, wondering if I had done something to drive you away. And then you have the audacity to kick down my door and accuse me of betrayal?”<\/p>\n
“Baby, listen\u2014” Liam took a step forward, reaching for my hand.<\/p>\n
I stepped back, entirely disgusted. “Don’t. The pause is permanent, Liam.”<\/p>\n
I walked over to the front door and pulled it wide open. The hallway felt suddenly cold, but the clarity washing over me was electric.<\/p>\n
“Leave,” I demanded. “And take your fake proposal with you.”<\/p>\n
Liam looked at Declan, expecting his brother to intervene, but Declan just crossed his arms and stared him down. Muttering a string of bitter curses, Liam stormed out, the door slamming shut behind him.<\/p>\n
I leaned against the wood, letting out a breath I felt like I’d been holding for six weeks. The mystery was solved, the ghost had returned, and I had never been more ready to exorcise him from my life completely.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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