Chapter 44: A Rift in Time.

Chloe's room blurred in shadowy contours through a haze of unshed tears. She sat on a crumpled bed, still, her knees held tightly up to her chest, as a parade of memories scrolled by in agonizing clarity. Their first meeting was at that nightclub. Liam's mischievous smile when he offered to buy her a drink. The blistering chemistry that had instantly flared up between them was light and fire from the very beginning. A trembling sigh slid past her lips as she willed back the tears. God, she remembered everything—the smoky scent of his cologne, the low timbre of his voice when he whispered dirty invitations against the shell of her ear. Every electrifying brush of his fingers along her bare skin. Was it an act all along, from the very start? Were the lies and manipulations woven by a grand deceiver? She choked out a sob at the thought. Oh no. Those times had pulsed with what had felt real—parts of her awakening that had been buried for so long. Then, Liam's touch felt like salvation;