Forced To Love | ✔

Chapter 29

Alyssa's POV

I sat at one of the park benches, waiting for him to arrive.

I checked my phone and there were no messages or calls from Henry.

I was grateful that he didn't bother me. But another part of me was concerned about him.

I wondered what he was doing now. I couldn't help but fear that he had lost control of himself once again.

I still remembered how he had broken all his belongings in his room and hurt his hand after he had found out about Anna's wrongdoings. I had been the one to console him. He's all by himself now.

Stop it, Alyssa!

I should stop being worried about him. He can't keep on doing what he wants and get away with it. He tore the letter without any regard for my feelings. He had deliberately hurt me. He was right. He was hurting me over and over again. And, I did nothing to stop him.

Instead, I was enabling him to step all over me. No matter how sweet or loving he could be, he was just as controlling and intractable. I couldn't continue being with him like this. We will have to talk about this once both of us have cooled down.

"Alyssa, are you alright?", I hear a familiar voice from behind me.

I turned around to see Liam looking at me with concern.

He rushed to my side and sat down beside me.

“What happened? You look like you have been crying.”, he asked.

“Henry and I got into a fight. Actually…it doesn’t matter. Let’s not talk about it.”, I sighed heavily.

“Wait, why did you guys get into a fight?”, he had a quizzical expression on his face.

I contemplated as to whether I should tell him about what Henry did.

There was a reason why I wanted to meet Liam. I wanted to know if he knew anything about the letter. I realized that I had no other choice but to tell him.

“Henry tore the letter that you gave me.”, I confided.

“What? You’re joking right?”, his jaw dropped open in disbelief.

“I wish I was. But, no I’m serious. He tore the letter and threw into the river below the town’s bridge.”, I explained.

“Why in the world would he do that?”, Liam was flabbergasted, struggling to comprehend why Henry would do such a thing in the first place.

"I...I really don't know.", I lied.

How could I tell him the truth? I could see that he had no clue that Henry and Anna were once together.

I hope Anna had not told him anything. It seemed unlikely that she did, at least from how he has been behaving so far.

He hadn't asked my any questions or raised any suspicions that he knew  what had transpired between Anna, Henry and myself. And, I wanted it to stay that way.

I didn't want any sort of trouble brewing again between Henry and Liam. I just didn't want any more drama in my life. I wanted to live in peace.

Before I could do that, I had to find a way to forgive Anna and move on. I loved her without a doubt but there was a part of me that didn't want to let go of the pain she inflicted upon me.

The only way I could that was to read the letter with her final words to me. That would be the end of it. No more pain, no more grudges...absolutely nothing.

"Alyssa, you okay?", Liam nudged my shoulder lightly.

I snapped out from my daze and refocused my attention on him.

"I'm sorry...I'm just out of it. I can't seem to focus or think straight.", I rubbed my temples with my fingers.

"I know how it feels. To lose someone that you love so dearly. I miss Anna so much. She....she was everything to me.", he smiled sadly at me.

I placed my hand on his shoulder to comfort him. His body tensed slightly at my touch. I didn't know why but it made me feel awkward.

"I'm sorry. No one really ever showed any concern or empathy towards me...except for Anna. I was pretty much alone for most of my life. Fending for myself...learning to be independent from a young age. It was hard but I got used to it.", he looked lost as he spoke.

"What happened when you were young?", I asked out of concern.

"I'll save it for another day. It's pretty heavy stuff. I don't think you are in the mood to hear it now.", he shurgged nonchalantly.

I figured it would be best not to pry any further. But, I was certainly intrigued about his past. Something in me wanted to learn more about him.

We sat in silence for a moment before Liam cleared his throat and his hand reached into the inside pocket of his jacket to retrieve something. My eyes grew wide the moment I realised what it was.

"No way! But...how....I mean Henry tore the letter.", I blabbered like a mindless fool.

"Your sister wanted to make sure that you received the letter. I guess she had a gut feeling that writing just one letter alone wouldn't be such a bright idea, in case it were to get lost or be destroyed...So, she made additional copies of the letter she wrote, sealed them in envelopes and handed them over to me for safekeeping...until...", he paused and swallowed hard. This must be hard for him to talk about.

I nodded, acknowleding that I understood what he meant. Talking about Anna just so soon after her demise was excruciating for all us, more so for Liam.

"Ok, I have to get going. Please read the letter. She told me that it was her last wish. If there is anything you need, message me Alyssa. I'm here for you.", he placed his hand that laid on my lap and squeezed it firmly. His eyes briefly locked with mine. There was a sense of familiarity about him. I just couldn't put my finger on it.

"Wait, why are you leaving? We can read the letter together?", I offered, wanting his company now more than ever. I didn't feel like being alone now. I needed to feel the warmth and security of someone next to me. I couldn't do this alone.

"I'm sorry Alyssa. Anna gave me clear instructions that you are to read this alone. No one is to next to you when you are reading this. She even warned me that no one except you can read the letter. She wouldn't even allow me to help her by placing them into the envelopes. That's why I invited you alone to speak with you in private after the funeral service. Oh I remember now...she said something else too." he looked upwards, as though he was recollecting what she had told.

I knew better than to interrupt his thinking. I waited patiently for his response. But, my heart rate accelerated at the thought of what she could have possibly said.

He finally remembered what she had said.

"She told me to tell you that once you read this letter, you will learn the  truth."

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