Liam POV:
My head was splitting open.
Sunlight stabbed brutally through the hotel blinds, and I groaned, rolling over. I was hungover. Badly.
A sweet, overly floral scent filled my senses. Clara was curled against my side, her golden hair spread like a halo on the pillow. Last night was her birthday. We'd partied hard, drank way too much expensive champagne, and I vaguely remembered making her some kind of promise in the heat of the moment.
I reached for my phone on the nightstand to check the time. As the screen lit up, a memory from last night pierced through the alcoholic haze. Avery had called me. I remembered her voice sounding frantic, claiming she was bleeding and in agonizing pain.
A surge of intense irritation went through me. I scoffed, tossing the phone back onto the table. Games. It was always manipulative games with her. Ever since she got pregnant, she'd become so needy, so desperate to keep my attention on her 24/7. She was perfectly healthy; the family doctor had just examined her last week and said everything was fine. She was obviously just trying to ruin Clara's birthday because she was jealous.
My movement stirred Clara. She blinked her eyes open, stretching like a satisfied cat, her voice husky. "Morning, Liam. Do you remember what you promised me last night?"
It came back to me. Fueled by alcohol and the throbbing bass of the club, I'd agreed to go with her to the hospital today. She'd said she needed to visit an important business partner who was admitted for a minor surgery.
"Of course I do, babe," I said, kissing her forehead. I pushed the thought of Avery's dramatic, attention-seeking stunt completely out of my mind. She always had a knack for ruining my good mood.
I got up and showered, pulling on a custom-tailored Tom Ford suit. As a Sterling, and as one of the NHL's most marketable stars, my public image had to be flawless at all times.
My private driver was waiting downstairs. Clara linked her arm intimately through mine, her face glowing with radiant happiness as we walked out. The hospital she wanted to go to was NewYork-Presbyterian. A funny coincidence, considering the Sterling Group's charitable foundation was currently in talks to fund a massive new pediatric wing there.
The car moved smoothly through the morning city traffic. Clara rested her head on my shoulder, chattering excitedly about our dinner plans for tonight. I nodded along, my mind already drifting to a crucial meeting I had later with the team's General Manager regarding my contract extension.
At the hospital, we were walking down a quiet corridor toward the VIP wards to see Clara's friend. Suddenly, a familiar, incredibly sharp voice cut through the sterile silence like a knife.
"Well, look what the cat dragged in. If it isn't the cheating husband and his little stray."
I stopped dead in my tracks. Delaney Sullivan. Avery's loud-mouthed best friend. She was standing outside an elevator bank, glaring at us with a look of pure, unadulterated disgust.
"Delaney? What the hell are you doing here?" I frowned, my patience already wearing dangerously thin.
Delaney let out a harsh, mocking laugh that echoed down the hall. "Is it weird for me to be at a hospital? I think it's much weirder for you two to be here. What, don't tell me Clara is pregnant? Because last I checked, your actual wife is the one carrying your child."
Clara's face flushed a deep, ugly red. She stepped forward. "Excuse me? Watch your mouth, Delaney!"
"Oh, did I hit a nerve?" Delaney sneered, taking an aggressive step closer. Her voice grew louder, intentionally drawing the attention of passing nurses and doctors. "The former 'aloof goddess', now reduced to desperately clinging onto a married man. You knew damn well yesterday was his and Avery's wedding anniversary, yet you still dragged someone else's husband away to celebrate your pathetic birthday. You really have absolutely no shame, do you?"
My face turned livid. I could feel the stares of the hospital staff burning into my back. "Delaney, that's enough! Shut your damn mouth before I make you!"
"Make me!" Delaney shot back, her eyes blazing with a terrifying intensity. "You two make me sick to my stomach. You deserve each other."
My jaw clenched so hard my teeth ached. People were starting to whisper and point. I couldn't afford a public PR scandal right now.
"I'm going to the restroom," I muttered to Clara, needing to escape the suffocating embarrassment before I lost my temper completely. I practically fled down the hall, my face burning with anger and humiliation.
I ended up in a secluded hallway near the stairwell, leaning against the cold wall. I pulled out a cigarette, needing the nicotine to calm my nerves, but a passing nurse immediately shut me down. "Sir, there's no smoking in the hospital."
Annoyed, I viciously stubbed it out in a nearby trash can. Just then, I overheard two nurses talking in hushed, urgent voices nearby.
"Did you hear about the patient in room six? So tragic," one said.
"I know," the other whispered. "Brought in last night, massive hemorrhage. She was bleeding out everywhere. They almost lost her and the baby. It was a terrifyingly close call."
"And the absolute worst part? The hospital couldn't reach her husband all night. His phone was on, but he just ignored it. He left her to die alone."
I frowned, a flicker of genuine disgust rising in my chest. What kind of heartless bastard ignores his wife's critical condition? That guy was a true piece of trash. He didn't deserve to be a father.
For a split second, the memory of Avery's phone call last night flashed in my mind again. But I quickly shook my head, dismissing the ridiculous thought. Avery? Impossible. She had been perfectly healthy, and she always had so much energy to nag and annoy me. Right now, she was probably sleeping like a pig at home, completely fine, plotting her next tantrum.
Just then, Clara found me. "Liam, there you are. I was looking all over for you. Let's just ignore that crazy woman. She's just jealous of us."
She walked up and straightened my tie, a familiar, highly proprietary gesture that stroked my ego.
"You're right," I said, my mood lifting instantly as I looked down at her beautiful face. "Let's go. In fact, Avery texted me earlier saying she went away on a trip to relax for a few days, so I have plenty of free time to spend with you."
Clara's eyes lit up with delight, her previous anger completely forgotten. "Really? That's wonderful!" She threw her arms around my neck and enthusiastically offered her lips for a deep kiss right there in the hallway.
I kissed her back hungrily, feeling a massive surge of satisfaction. Finally, some peace, quiet, and freedom without my annoying wife constantly breathing down my neck.
