Chapter 8
I agreed quickly, maybe too quickly for their liking. It took them a while to finally send me the address.
The place was etched in my memory. It was where I had first met them.
It was also where Amber had gotten drunk, demanding Liam feed her, and where I had lost my temper, flipping the table and calling it quits, only for Liam to fall to his knees, begging me to stay.
The same Liam who had once sworn his undying love now only made me sigh with bitter irony.
I called Samuel to take care of Jason for me.
“Do you want me to come with you?” Samuel asked.
I shook my head. “No, this is something I need to do alone. I need to face them and see what they’re up to.”
Samuel insisted on driving me to the building, then took Jason to a nearby lounge to wait for me.
As I reached the private room’s entrance, I could already hear their lively chatter from inside.
“I told you Jessica couldn’t live without Liam,” Warren Foster was saying, laughing. “Look how fast she replied when I messaged her. Barely ignored her for a few days, and she’s already desperate.”
He smirked at Amber. “Liam, you really owe Amber for this. She’s the one who suggested giving Jessica the cold shoulder. Works like a charm.”
Amber sat quietly, her gaze lowered. Despite the food in front of her, she still waited for Liam to serve her.
“I want that rice cake,” she murmured. “Liam, get it for me.”
Without missing a beat, Liam reached over, picked up a piece, and fed it to her.
Amber smiled sweetly. “It’s not that I wanted it, it’s, “
She whispered something in his ear, making him flush bright red.
“What secrets are you two hiding from us?” Leo Hamilton, the one who hated me most in their group, stood up and wedged himself between them.
When neither Liam nor Amber responded, Leo pressed on. “So what’s the plan for today? Just a friendly dinner, or is there more?”
Liam glanced at Amber. “It’s up to her. Mostly, we just want Jessica to apologize. The whole situation’s been tough on Amber.”
“Right,” Amber added, putting on her most wounded expression. “I won’t make it hard on Jessica. She’s the one who’ll be with Liam forever, raising their child. I just want her to apologize.”
She then turned to the others, feigning concern. “But I have a feeling she’ll be stubborn. That’s where you all come in.”
The implication was so clear that everyone exchanged knowing looks.
Warren checked his watch. “Why isn’t she here yet? Is she standing us up?”
That’s when I pushed the door open.
Liam frowned. “You didn’t bring the baby?”
I shook my head. “It’s inconvenient. A friend’s watching him for now.”
His face fell. “I was hoping to see him. I haven’t even laid eyes on him since he was born.”
“We’ll see,” I said, sitting down.
Amber immediately positioned herself between Liam and me, her smile sickeningly sweet.
“Jessica,” she began, “this whole mess must be weighing on you. Just apologize, and Warren will use his media contacts to clear everything up. Easy.”
Warren grinned. “One word from me, and it’s handled. Just stop making trouble, and I’ll take care of it.”
Liam grabbed my hand. “Amber doesn’t mean any harm. Just focus on recovering. You shouldn’t be stressing right now.”
“I never wanted drama,” I replied coolly. “At the hospital, I was going to greet you both, put the past behind us. But you left too fast. I followed and saw you heading to the OB-GYN.”
