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Liam wondered, as he sank into the dark depths of the lake, if it was possible to cry yourself dry underwater. As it was, the pain and disappointment from the afternoon's meeting had become too much, and he screamed until he was out of air, wishing for anything to take the pain away. Finally, breathless and desperate for air, he surfaced, taking in deep breaths as he trod water, shivering as the wind sliced through his wet hair.
Now he knew why his parents had been so set against him meeting his birth mother and grandmother. He'd known enough about Kate to know she was Bad News, but he'd held onto hope that sixteen years away from her son wouldn've perhaps softened her. Those hopes had been shattered the moment Nora had slapped him, but in truth, they'd already cracked when Kate had been so cruel to Iseult. Liam knew a bit about the bad history between the two women, and he'd been furious at Kate's treatment of the woman who'd been more of a mother to him than the woman who'd actually given birth to him.
He shivered again, the pain sending him back underwater. Here, at least, no one could hurt him, but it was only a temporary reprieve. Kate and Nora would not let him go, and they'd do all they could to put his parents through the legal wringer. And no doubt they'd spin a tale to make even the most shark-like attorney think twice about advocating for any course of action that went against their interests. And their interests were clear.
Liam swore under his breath, before realising he had almost none left, and he kicked his way back to the surface, wishing he could stay underwater forever. At least while he was under the surface, nothing could hurt him, but on dry land, pain rushed back in a wave to slam him full in the face like a freight train going a hundred miles an hour. Desperate to avoid it, he went under again, unable to look his pain and shattering disappointment in the eye just yet. Morning would bring some surcease, but for tonight, he needed to stay away from the surface in order to start a measure of healing. Tomorrow would be time enough to confront his demons.
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