Chapter 97: He Hasn’t Let Go

Clara drove him to get his wrist checked before allowing him to argue about breakfast. Liam sat beside her with his hand resting on a folded towel, watching the swelling rise around the marks Lin’s fingers had left. The pain had settled into a steady ache, becoming sharp whenever he tried to turn his palm. He stopped testing it after Clara caught him doing it for the third time. Knowing that something hurt apparently wasn’t enough. He kept needing to check whether it still did.

"It still hurts," she said.

"I noticed."

"Then leave it alone."

He leaned back and looked through the windshield. The recovery elixir remained unused, and for a moment he considered taking it simply to end the inconvenience. Then he remembered how quickly Lin had crossed the marked area. Using his only bottle before he even knew what was wrong would be another decision made because he disliked waiting. He left it where it was and let Clara find a parking space.

The examination and X-rays took most of the morning. No fracture showed, but the doctor wanted him to protect the wrist and return if the numbness came back or the pain worsened. Liam listened, accepted the brace, and answered the question about how it happened without mentioning the part where he had tried to fly away from the man holding him. By the time they left, his stomach was making enough noise that Clara finally stopped looking angry and started searching for somewhere to eat.

They found a table near a window. Liam ordered with his good hand holding the menu and waited until the server left before taking out his phone. Lin’s message remained unanswered. He read it once more, then opened the conversation and typed a reply.

There won’t be another round. Don’t contact Clara about this.

He showed her before sending it.

"What about you?"

"He can message me. That doesn’t mean I have to meet him."

Clara nodded. Liam sent it, silenced the conversation, and put the phone facedown. He had already given Lin enough of the weekend. There was nothing useful left to prove by staring at the screen until another unpleasant sentence appeared.

Their food arrived just as Megan called.

Clara answered because Liam was trying to open a packet with one hand and refusing her help. He heard Megan laugh when Clara explained what he was doing, then the laughter disappeared as soon as she mentioned the brace. Liam gave up on the packet and took the phone.

"What happened?"

"Training went badly."

"You sent me a picture of your hand."

"That was before Friday. I kept it working for the performance."

"That isn’t funny."

"No. Apparently, it isn’t."

He waited for her to continue scolding him. Instead, Megan went quiet, and he could hear movement on the other end, followed by a door closing. Liam looked toward Clara. She had stopped reaching for her coffee.

"What is it?"

"Can we meet?"

"Yeah. Where are you?"

"Campus."

"We’ll come after we eat."

Megan hesitated.

"Clara too?"

Liam glanced across the table.

"Unless you want to speak alone."

"No. It’s fine."

He ended the call without telling Clara it was probably nothing. Megan had sounded too careful for that. They finished eating, and Clara drove while Liam checked the last conversation he had with her. There were rehearsal times, a picture of the song pages, and a message thanking him after the performance. Nothing explained why she now wanted to meet somewhere she could close a door before speaking.

’Please don’t tell me we’ve gone straight back to this.’

Megan was waiting outside when they arrived. She came toward the Bentley, looked at his wrist first, and gave him the kind of expression that made another joke pointless. Clara suggested they sit somewhere quiet. A few minutes later, the three of them occupied a table away from the busy part of the café, with Megan’s phone lying between her hands.

"Did someone come to see you?" Liam asked.

"No."

"Call?"

She nodded and unlocked the screen.

"Rudolf."

Liam’s good hand stopped against the edge of the table. He remembered the name well enough. Erto’s involvement had made room for Megan to breathe, but nothing about the man’s interest had ever suggested he would simply forget her. Liam had known that. He had still allowed several quiet days to begin feeling like an ending.

"What did he want?"

"He said he’d seen the performance."

Clara straightened.

"I only sent the video to you."

"It wasn’t yours. Someone else posted a clip."

Megan opened the link. The angle came from farther back in the room, with someone’s shoulder blocking part of the stage. Liam could hear the final chorus beneath the café noise. Their names had been added to the post, and several people had left comments asking whether there was a full recording. He watched enough to recognize it, then handed the phone back without reading the rest.

"What did he say about it?"

"That he was pleased I was using what I’d been given."

Megan’s voice became flat on the last few words. Clara looked as though she wanted to take the phone and call him herself. Liam kept his eyes on Megan.

"And then?"

"He asked if I was coming home soon."

"Did you say yes?"

"No."

Her answer came quickly enough that he nodded and waited. Megan rubbed one thumb over the side of the phone, then set it down again.

"He put Granny on."

For a moment, Liam said nothing. The children, the orphanage, the woman Megan still cared about—those were things Rudolf could bring into a conversation without ever making a direct threat. He didn’t need men standing behind McCosh Hall if he could make a phone call sound like somebody asking when she would visit.

"What did she say?"

"That she missed me. That everyone wanted to see me."

"Did she ask you to come alone?"

Megan looked up.

"Yes."

Clara reached across the table and caught her hand.

"You aren’t."

"I didn’t agree."

"I know. I’m saying it anyway."

Megan held her hand for a moment, then looked back at Liam.

"He didn’t threaten me. That’s what makes it difficult. If I explain it to someone, it sounds like I’m upset because the people who raised me want me to visit."

Liam thought about the men watching her, the questions about who she spent time with, and the way Rudolf’s supposed concern always seemed to require Megan surrendering something. He had heard enough himself that she didn’t need to build a convincing case for him.

"You don’t have to make it sound worse. Tell me what happened."

She did. Rudolf had asked about her classes, praised the song, mentioned the cost of keeping the orphanage running, and wondered aloud whether success had made her too busy for the people who supported her. Granny had come onto the call afterward. By then, Megan had been angry enough that every ordinary sentence felt like another accusation.

She had ended the call by saying she would think about visiting.

Now she regretted even that.

"I still want to see her," she said.

Liam nodded.

"That’s allowed."

"She stayed there."

"I know."

"And I know what he’s doing. I’m not stupid."

"I didn’t say you were."

Megan looked away, blinking hard before reaching for her drink. Clara stayed beside her without filling the silence. Liam let her take a moment, then asked whether she would mind if he spoke to Erto. She agreed, but caught his sleeve when he began picking up the phone.

"Don’t arrange something without telling me."

He looked at her hand, then back at her.

"All right."

Erto answered after several rings. Liam gave him the short version, keeping his voice low and leaving out the performance itself except where it mattered. The older man asked whether Rudolf had sent anyone in person. When Liam said no, he asked whether Megan was with him.

"She is."

"Let me speak to her."

Liam handed over the phone. Megan listened, answered several questions, and corrected one detail Liam had misunderstood about the call. Rudolf hadn’t asked when the semester ended. He had asked whether she could make time before then. The difference made Liam’s mouth tighten, though he kept quiet while Erto finished.

Megan returned the phone.

"He wants to talk to you."

Liam put it to his ear.

"I’ll speak to him," Erto said.

"What did he actually agree to before?"

There was a pause.

Liam continued before it could become another vague reassurance.

"Did he agree to leave her alone, or did he agree to stop sending people?"

"To stop interfering with her while she was studying."

"And he thinks a visit doesn’t count."

"I imagine he would describe it as a family matter."

Liam looked toward Megan. She was speaking quietly to Clara now, but her attention kept returning to the phone.

"Then ask him to describe the rest of it."

"Liam."

"The watching. The marriage. Why she’s supposed to travel alone."

Erto’s voice cooled slightly.

"I know what needs asking."

Liam breathed out through his nose.

"Then I want to know what he says."

"You will."

He ended the call and explained exactly what Erto had promised. Megan nodded, but didn’t look reassured enough to make him pretend it was solved. They stayed another twenty minutes, long enough for the conversation to move away from Rudolf and for Clara to complain about how loudly she had shouted during the introduction. Megan laughed when they replayed that part. It was a real laugh, though it didn’t last as long as Friday’s had.

Before leaving, Liam stopped beside her.

"If you decide to visit, tell us before you book anything."

"I will."

"And if you decide not to, you don’t need a better reason than not wanting to go."

She nodded and glanced at his wrist.

"You should listen when people tell you something like that."

Liam looked down at the brace.

"Yeah. I’m working on it."

Clara drove Megan back first. Once they were alone, she asked whether Liam thought Rudolf would listen to Erto again. He watched a group of students cross in front of the car before answering.

"I think he’ll change how he asks."

"That isn’t stopping."

"No."

At the apartment, Liam put his bag away and finally changed out of the shirt he had been wearing since leaving the warehouse. Clara went to finish an assignment, leaving the bedroom door open while he sat at the kitchen table with his phone. There were messages he could answer and work he could pretend was urgent. He left them alone and opened a blank note instead.

He wrote down what Megan had actually said.

Then he wrote down what Erto had actually promised.

The second part was much shorter.

’I keep letting "for now" turn into "finished."’

His phone rang before he could add anything else.

Erto.

Liam answered and sat back.

"He spoke to you?"

"Yes."

"What did he say?"

"He says Megan misunderstood the invitation."

Liam shut his eyes briefly.

"Of course."

"He also says he has never prevented her from visiting with friends."

"That isn’t what she was asked."

"I’m aware."

Something in Erto’s tone made Liam open his eyes again. The older man sounded irritated now, though Liam couldn’t tell how much of it was directed at Rudolf and how much at the situation.

"What else?"

"He wants to meet you."

Liam’s gaze moved toward the bedroom. Clara was still working, one knee drawn up on the chair, her attention on the screen.

"Me?"

"He asked who was encouraging Megan to distrust him. Your name came up."

"Did you give it to him?"

"He already knew it."

Liam thought of the clip, the names beneath it, and Jim standing behind McCosh Hall. Of course Rudolf knew. His attention had never needed to begin with Friday’s performance.

"What kind of meeting?"

"He offered to receive you at the orphanage."

"With Megan?"

"With or without her."

Liam stood slowly and walked to the window. He could see the Bentley below, sunlight catching the white roof. His wrist ached inside the brace as he rested his other hand against the frame. A few hours ago, he had been worrying about a man who could cross a room faster than he could escape. Rudolf had found a way to reach Megan without leaving his chair.

"Don’t accept anything yet," Liam said.

"I haven’t."

"Tell me exactly how he asked."

Erto repeated the invitation. Liam listened without interrupting, then asked one final question.

"Did he call her his daughter?"

The silence on the line lasted several seconds.

"No."

Liam looked back toward the bedroom.

"What did he call her?"

Erto answered quietly.

"His future wife."