The Betrayed Oath

Chapter 9

"Sophia, don't move."

Liam's voice sliced through the air, sharp enough to freeze me in place. My heart thudded in my chest, a frantic drumbeat that seemed to fill the entire room. The chandelier overhead cast long shadows, making Liam look like a stranger, his once warm features now replaced with something cold, calculating.

"What's this about, Liam?"

I kept my voice steady, though my knees threatened to buckle beneath me. I gripped the edge of the table for support, trying to anchor myself as the storm inside me raged. Liam stood just a few feet away, holding a folder with Elise's handwriting scrawled across the top, familiar and unsettling.

"You're smarter than I gave you credit for," Liam said, his tone dripping with mock admiration. The smirk that curled at his lips felt like a slap to my face. How long had he been pretending?

"Pretending to be my friend?" I shot back. "Was it fun, watching me fall apart while you pulled the strings behind my back?"

My words were sharper than I intended, but I didn't care. The sting of betrayal was too deep to be polite. Liam didn't even flinch. If anything, my anger seemed to amuse him.

"Friendship, Sophia? Really? Did you think that's all I wanted?" His words sent an icy chill down my spine.

"What are you talking about?" I asked, my voice trembling, a mix of confusion and fear creeping in.

He stepped closer, the folder dangling from his hand like a weapon. "I did everything for you, Sophia," he said, his voice softening, but the edge was still there. "All the lies, all the sacrifices… all of it was for you."

His tone was smooth, but the venom in his eyes was unmistakable. My mind was spinning. Was he delusional? Or was I missing something?

"You call this love?" I demanded, incredulous. "Ruining Alex? Manipulating Elise? Playing with my life like it's a game?"

I barely recognized my own voice, raw, trembling with emotion.

"Alex deserved it," Liam spat, his mask slipping. "After what he did to me? To us?"

Us? The word hit me like a punch to the gut. My eyes narrowed, searching his face for answers. And then it hit me.

"This isn't about me, is it?" I said, the realization slowly crashing into me. "This is about Alex. You're using me to get to him."

His silence confirmed everything.

"What did he do to you?" I demanded. "What could possibly justify this?"

Liam's jaw tightened, his eyes darkening like a storm cloud. "He took everything," he said, his voice trembling with barely contained rage. "My family's company, my father's legacy… everything. And you, "

He stopped, taking a deep breath, steadying himself. "You were just collateral damage."

The room spun, his words crashing into me with the force of a freight train. Collateral damage. Was that all I'd ever been?

"You're a monster," I whispered, my voice barely audible.

Liam chuckled, a bitter, hollow sound that made my skin crawl.

"No, Sophia," he said, leaning closer. "I'm what Alex made me. And if you think he's innocent in all this..."

He paused, his lips curling into a cruel smile. "You don't know him at all."

His words were like daggers, twisting in my chest. Had Alex been hiding more than just Elise? Was Liam's vendetta justified, or had I been blind to everything?

"You're lying," I said, but my voice was weak, uncertain. "Alex isn't perfect, but he wouldn't, "

"Wouldn't what?" Liam interrupted. "Wouldn't betray you? Wouldn't keep secrets?"

He stepped back, tossing the folder onto the table with a casual flick of his wrist.

"See for yourself," he said, his tone taunting. "But be ready. The truth isn't as pretty as you think."

My hands shook as I reached for the folder. A part of me wanted to rip it apart, throw it in his face, and tell him to go to hell. But another part, an anxious, desperate part, needed to know.

"What's in here?" I whispered, the words barely leaving my mouth.

"Proof," Liam said simply. "Of who Alex really is. Of who you really are."

His words sent a jolt of fear through me, and I suddenly felt like I was drowning in the weight of everything he'd said.

"What do you mean?" I demanded.

Liam's smile widened, and for the first time, I saw something truly unhinged in his eyes.

"You think Alex is the only one with secrets?" he said, his voice low, almost gleeful. "Oh, Sophia… you have no idea who you really are, do you?"

The room tilted, his words sinking in. "Stop playing games," I said, my voice cracking with frustration. "What are you talking about?"

"You'll find out soon enough," Liam said, his tone almost joyful. "But let's just say... your past is as tangled as your present."

He turned to leave, but not before throwing one last parting shot.

"When you're ready for the truth," he said, pausing at the door, "come find me. But don't take too long. Time isn't on your side."

And with that, he was gone, leaving me alone with the folder and the weight of his words. I stared at the table, my mind racing. Could I handle what was inside?

"What are you hiding, Alex?" I whispered to the empty room.

The folder sat there, like a Pandora's box waiting to be opened. And Liam's last words echoed in my mind, cold and haunting: Time isn't on your side.

For the first time, I realized… he might be right.