"What?" I push myself up onto my elbows. "What are you saying? When... When you were five?"

The weight of this unlikely information presses down on me, like a heavy mantle suffocating me. My mind is a jumbling mess, a whirlwind of thoughts and confusing emotions.

"Yes." Liam nods, his head between his hands. "No one ever knew except Nico. Not even Nana O'Grady. It... it happened in our house."

I'm overwhelmed with having his trust, torn between wanting to hear more and trying to shut out the horrific images that Liam has just painted in my mind.

I can see the scene so clearly. A decorated Christmas tree in the corner with presents underneath it, a lovely home, the flickering lights casting warm, pleasant shadows on the walls.

Liam's parents, terrified and helpless, begging for their lives.

And my father, standing triumphantly amidst it all. Kieran, the devil who had taken everything from Liam, presiding over them, his face twisted in a cruel sneer.

"He killed them all, Alex," Liam says, his voice choked with emotion. "Kieran killed them because of a debt they owed him. He even did away with... my little brother."

My heart sinks. I know my father is a dangerous man, but I have never imagined he is capable of such brutality.

Ending the life of an innocent child?

"He's a monster," I decide, my voice trembling. "A cold-blooded murderer."

Liam nods, looking through the window, his eyes filled with tears. "He is. And he almost turned me into one."

I feel a surge of anger. I can't believe that Kieran The Knife Murphy had gotten away with so much. Now, I fully understand why Liam wants to bring this man down. It's a deeply rooted personal vendetta Liam needs to fulfill.

"I don't know why he spared me," I hear Liam add. "Perhaps he was feeling sentimental. Maybe... he was thinking of his own son he already knew he had, far away in Albania, and left me alive to supplement that absence. To become his puppet; an obedient marionette, an heir to his empire in case he could not find you."

"That's just so twisted." I reach out for Liam's shoulder and caress it in rhythmic, soothing movements.

"Whatever the reason, Kieran placed all his endeavors on turning me into a copy of himself. Mere months after he murdered my family, he had already put my first gun in my hands," Liam continues, his voice barely above a whisper. "He taught me how to handle it, how to load it, how to fire it."

A chill runs down my spine as I picture the heartbreaking scene. A small, scared kid, being so abruptly initiated into the world of violence by his soon-to-be villain of a father figure.

"He said it was for my own protection. But I knew it was more than that. He wanted to make me tough, to make me into a man just like him."

I reach out and take Liam's hand in mine, feeling all the pain and anger coursing through him.

The entire weight of his childhood, marred by dysfunction.

"I hated it. I hated the gun, I hated the way it made me feel. I hated Kieran for making me do it," he says softly, latching his emerald eyes onto mine.

A kid. He was just a kid. How could my father do this to him? When other kids were playing football, riding bikes, he was being turned into a killing machine.

At this point I can even comprehend, I can even empathize with my mother over her decision to take me away from Kieran's sphere of influence, as far away as she could.

I squeeze Liam's fingers gently, and oh how I understand this broken boy with a broken heart.

He was forced to become a mobster, to learn how to shoot, kill and steal, from a very young age.

The scars of childhood sometimes never fully heal, but I hope that by sharing his story with me, Liam can begin to find some peace.

"Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night screaming, from this recurrent nightmare. I see my true family die right before my eyes over and over again, and I'm helpless to do anything."

"I'm so sorry." A tear slides down my cheek.

"I wonder who I would be if my life path hadn't crossed with Kieran's. Maybe I wouldn't be so damaged."

"You're not damaged," I say, filling my voice with as much conviction as I can muster. "You're a survivor. Those are the wounds from the past. But they scar over."

He looks up at me, and his eyes are filled with gratitude.

"Thank you, Alex. Thank you for believing in me."

Liam leans into my embrace, and places his head on my breasts. I slowly caress his raven locks and his breathing is almost even, when I hear him ask:

"What was yer ma like? Before?"

I sigh as I recall my earliest years. "My mother was wonderful. She gave me all I could ever need, and more. I think she was trying too hard to replace the missing father figure I never had."

I let out a melancholy breath. That sharp, briny scent of the sea still lingers around Liam, transporting me to the Adriatic coast. I inhale the familiar smell of his cologne that seeps into the sheets.

It's quickly becoming my favorite. Perhaps it always has been.

"My childhood was like a fairytale. A world of laughter, love, endless possibilities. Zerina was always there for me. My mother was my pillar of strength. She taught me all I know, and most of all, the importance of having a dream."

"I am happy you got to grow up like that," Liam whispers, craning his neck and casting me a small, reluctant smile. He then snuggles back under my chin.

"Too bad it was all just a lovely lie." I sigh.

"Seems like ye and both 'ave our demons to face," Liam says.

"But it feels better knowing we will do it together."

"Yes." He hums in response, and I'm so thrilled.

Thrilled that the dam has been breached, that we opened up to each other, at least a little. Talking about the past is cleansing. Sometimes we carry around emotional baggage that weighs us down.

Sharing these experiences, even if they are painful, helps us process them.

Release them from our minds and hearts.

Restart us as a blank slate.

On the one hand, I want to change the topic and drift away from all this sadness; but then again, this was the most intimate glimpse I've ever had into Liam's life.

"So you somehow adapted to your new life with Kieran, over time?" My voice echoes in the silence of his bedroom.

He snorts.

"As much as I could. Kieran brought me straight to his mansion to live, and while I did relish in the luxury of his home, he ran his household like a well-oiled machine. His word was law. His rules were absolute."

In essence, he gave his childhood to Kieran's ambition.

A deep ache spread through my chest.

"Please, don't feel sorry for me, Alex," Liam says. "Believe me, I've done enough of that on my own."

"It was inevitable, once I heard the story. But you're right. What counts is now. There's more to life than the past. There has to be. And we can overcome it all in the present," I say softly, ruffling his hair.

Liam Cavanaugh I met that day at my grandmother's funeral was a stern figure, his brow perpetually furrowed, his voice sharp with command.

But this Liam, my Liam is different. He is more open, more tender.

Being in the presence of his true inner self is a feeling of comfort, of being surrounded by something soft, and enveloping.

It is a feeling of both seeing him, understanding him, and being seen, being understood.

Liam is struggling to find his way in this world, just like I am. And in this moment, I feel a connection to him that I haven't felt before.

Tonight, we have freed each other from the shackles of our emotional armor.

My face crumples as I confess what has been weighing heavily on my chest.

"I can't help but feel like it was all my fault. If I hadn't been so consumed by revenge I wanted to exact on my mother..."

Liam leans on his elbow and gently takes my hand in his. "Alex," he says, his eyes filled with concern. "You're not responsible for what happened to Nico."

"But I was the one who organized it all with Kieran. The entire plan, the heist on the Albanian warehouse..."

"And the plan worked," Liam says.

"Yes, but..."

I suddenly understand what he means.

"It worked because... Because my mother didn't know what we were going to do!"

"Exactly. So her intention to murder me, because I was the original target..."

"It wasn't a revenge move. It was planned independently from what Kieran and I orchestrated," I finish his sentence.

"Yes, sweetheart. She was going to do this at Kieran's Christmas Eve party anyway. She must see me as a threat. And eliminating me would kill two birds with one stone: remove Kieran's right-hand man, and hurt him deeply at the same time. Just like he hurt her."

I swallow. He is right.

"Alex," Liam repeats, his voice firm but gentle. "You are not responsible for what happened. Yer ma is the one who took Nico away from us."

I look up at him, my eyes searching his face. "But I could have stopped her. I thought I recognized her at the party, moments before... Moments before it happened. If I had just been more alert, more prepared..."

Liam squeezes my hand reassuringly. "No, Alex. Your mother is a dangerous woman, I am realizing that now. We thought her a victim of circumstances, but she swims incredibly well in these waters. The way I see it, she would stop at nothing to get what she wants." He gently lifts up my chin. "Listen. I know how compassionate and empathetic you are."

"Must be a professional deformation. Comes with being a nurse, and all that," I stutter, suddenly very aware of his proximity.

He smiles. "But you must know one thing: you are not a superhero. You cannot save everyone from everything. Neither can I. But we can choose how to respond to this tragedy. Wallowing in self-pity and guilt is the worst we can do. We need to present a united front."

"You're right," I admit, and I can hear my voice gaining strength. "We can't let my father and my mother win. We have to keep going, for Nico and for ourselves."

"That's the spirit. That's my lass." He gently cups my face in his calloused hands, their warmth contrasting with the cool bedroom air.

His touch is so tender yet firm.

Time comes to a standstill as his emerald eyes gaze into mine, a storm of emotions swirling within their depths.

My stomach flutters in anticipation as he leans in slowly, his lips parting.

The world seems to fade away, leaving only Liam and me, our hearts beating in sync.

The tension between us is palpable, an electric charge that crackles in the air.

As his soft and warm lips meet mine, and our tongues intertwine in a dance of desire, a spark ignites in my heart. It's a surge of heavenly chemistry: his breath brushes against mine and the kiss is so powerful, so intimate.

A wave of warmth washes over me, a feeling of complete surrender to the moment. No one has ever kissed me like that before in my entire life.

Liam pulls away slightly, rubbing his nose tip against mine. His eyes are filled with such tenderness that it makes me melt.

He puts my exact thoughts into words, breathless and dazed. "Never had a kiss like that before, sweetheart. I've never felt this way about anyone before. Never trusted anyone like this."

My breath hitches as I meet his green eyes, my heart thudding in my chest. "I want you so much, Liam," I whisper, sliding my fingers over his muscular chest.

And then it's all vulnerability and affection, as his nude body presses against me. We move in perfect sync as beads of sweat drop from his forehead on mine. I gasp euphorically time and time again, pulling him impossibly closer, as I bury my fingers into his hair, slide them against his shoulders, drag them against his back.

Liam's palms cup my face and he gazes into my eyes adoringly, thrusting his member inside me with such care and tenderness I let out a whimper.

My breasts are flushed as I stare back at him, his hips picking up speed, and my body squirming with delight.

"Aye," Liam groans, his tongue savoring my nipple, and my insides clench around his cock; I meet him thrust for thrust. "Just like that, lass."

His fingers intertwine with mine as I cry out his name.

We both come undone at the same time, and Liam screams "Alex!" trembling in my arms.

He recaptures my lips with a sensual moan like reclaiming a long lost territory and I pull him even closer, impossibly closer.

He collapses on top of me, his member trembling inside me.

The warmth of Liam's embrace envelops me, a soothing balm of his presence and his life force working wonders against the chill of tonight's horrid happenings.

Against pain and death.

My eyelids grow heavy, the gentle rhythm of him breathing next to me a lullaby in my ears.

Liam's arms tighten slightly, a comforting gesture that sends a wave of contentment through me.

I nestle my head into his chest, my breath mingling with the scent of his warm skin.

As everything around me fades into a blur, I feel my consciousness slipping away, my body almost surrendering to the inviting embrace of sleep.

"Ye are precious, Alexandra," Liam whispers, kissing my temple. "So fragile, yet so strong in your own way."

He holds me closer and I cherish the moment of intimacy. I find such solace in the warmth of Liam's body; in his closeness.

The world outside can wait.

For now, it's just the two of us, safe and secure in each other's arms.

My mind races with thousand thoughts and emotions, but one burns more brightly than the others: I'm in love with Liam.

I've known it for a while, of course, but I've been too afraid to admit it to myself.

Now, with Nico's death and Liam's revelation, everything's changed.

I don't want to spend my life consumed by hatred. I wish to be happy. By Liam's side.

And for that to happen, we have to take down my father. I want to, I need to do it, not just for myself but for Liam, too.

Kieran will never go down without a fight. He's powerful, ruthless, and will stop at nothing to protect his legacy.

But I'm not afraid of him.

I'm stronger than anyone gives me credit for.

I'll do whatever it takes to take down Kieran and protect Liam.

And I know I won't be alone in this fight. We'll stand together, and we'll topple Kieran The Knife Murphy's empire.