Chapter 005

Liam's heart tugged in his chest as he walked out the door, leaving behind Ruby and Rowan. He walked aimlessly without direction because he felt used by his wife. He had been the driving force in her acting career, and now he was being repaid in this way.

But then, realization dawned on him, mixed with anger. He remembered that this was his home, and the ones who should be leaving were his cheating wife and her lover, not him!

The sudden ringing of his phone brought him out of his reverie. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and placed it to his ear.

"Good news, sir. The new movie is set. The director has agreed to your terms, and your wife has been cast as the female lead," Lilia's voice came through.

A bitter, cold laughter escaped Liam's mouth. "Too late, Lilia. We are already divorced."

Lila, on the other hand, was thrilled as she voiced out, "Finally, this is great news!" Liam was taken aback by her reaction.

"What was that, Lila? You seem so happy about the news."

"Nothing, sir. I'm so sorry, sir. I didn't mean to react that way. It came as a shock, and some good news just dropped on my desk, hence my reaction."

"It's okay. Just cancel the movie plans. I don't want her involved."

"Yes, sir. Right away," Lila responded, thrilled that Ruby was finally out of her way to get Liam. She had liked Liam even before he married Ruby and had shown much effort to win him over, but it had been futile.

Once she dropped the call, she did a twirl dance that made her subordinates in the office wonder what had gotten into her.

"Get back to work, everyone. Show time is over," she barked at them, and they all went back to their tasks.

Thrilled with the news of Liam's divorce from his wife, she knew she had to act right away. Without wasting time, she called the director. "Cancel the earlier plan of making Ruby the lead actress in the movie."

Murphy hesitated for a moment, thinking he hadn't heard right. "Are you sure?" he asked again, wondering about the change in plan.

"Yes, I'm positive. After due consideration, we believe she isn't right for the role," she said with glee, knowing that Ruby wasn't a good actress without Liam's help.

"Okay, I'll cancel it," Murphy said, though he thought to himself, "She's not that talented anyway." It was a great relief to Murphy that Ruby wasn't part of the cast any longer. She had always been a handful whenever she was cast in movies and had always been disrespectful to fellow actors.

Once she ended the call, she had a broad smile on her face, happy that she had protected Liam from the painful reminder of his past. Now that Ruby was out of the way, she had a chance to get closer to him.

"I did it for you, Liam," she whispered to herself, her heart filled with hope as she stared into space, imagining how perfect her life with Liam would be.

Once Liam ended the call with Lilia, his heart was heavy. He found his way to his mother's cemetery. It had been a long time since he visited her, and his heart grieved for his failed marriage.

"Mum, I wish I had done better. I made a promise to you to love and cherish my wife, but now she has left me for another man despite my sacrifices. Mum, the pain in my heart is so grave. I wish you were here to console me..."

But before he could complete the statement, he heard a faint cry for help not far from the cemetery.

"Help, please! Somebody help me!"

Liam's instincts snapped into action, and he followed the desperate voice to an alley not far from the cemetery. He rushed to help, and there he saw a group of thugs cornering a young woman. Anger surged within him as he couldn't bear to see the ugly sight.

"Leave her alone right this minute!" his voice boomed with anger. The thugs turned their attention to Liam.

"Who are you to tell us to leave her alone? Do you know who we are?" one of the thugs said, moving closer to Liam.

"I don't give a fuck who you are. Just leave the young woman alone and come face me like a real man."

One thug immediately rushed at Liam and tried to punch him in the jaw, but Liam dodged it and countered with a punch to the thug's jaw. The thug crumpled to the ground, moaning in pain.

The second thug charged at Liam but was met with a rapid, angry punch that left him reeling. Liam then kicked the thug, causing his head to hit a nearby headstone, and the thug cried out in pain.

The third thug attempted to grab Liam from behind, but Liam quickly flipped him over his shoulder and slammed him to the ground. The first thug, having regained his strength, rushed at Liam with a rod and hit him on his side. Liam tried to get up again to defend himself, but the thug landed a few blows that made Liam stagger and fall to the ground.

Just as the thug was about to deliver another punch, the woman kicked him in his balls. The thug came crashing to the ground, groaning in pain.

Satisfied with the outcome, she went to each of the other thugs on the floor, took off her shoe, and hit them in their balls as well. They all cried out in pain, unable to cause more harm.

Liam was in awe of how the woman exacted her revenge on them. "You're... quite fierce," he said, wincing in pain as he clutched his injured side.

Her attention turned back to Liam, and she helped him up. "They deserved it. Let's get out of here and tend to those wounds."

They walked away together from the scene, with Liam leaning on the young woman for support. Liam looked at her with admiration for the way she had given the thugs what they truly deserved.

"Thank you for your help," Liam told her.

She let out a small laugh, and that smile captivated Liam's heart, drawing him to her in an inexplicable way.

"You are funny, young man. I should be the one thanking you for saving me. If it wasn't for your intervention, they would have gotten away with their plan," she said in a trembling voice, still shaken from the earlier attack.

"Are you okay?" Liam asked, noticing her shaken state while his heart was still racing from the fight.

"Yes, thanks to you. The whole thing is just so overwhelming; it happened in the blink of an eye."

Unknown to Liam, the young woman he had just saved from the thugs was one of his past girlfriends. He had ended things with her to pursue a relationship with his now ex-wife and, in doing so, had also chosen his wife for a lead role over her.