Chapter 62

EMILIA

The days on the cruise go by quickly.

Or maybe I’m the only one who sees it like that, maybe time isn’t passing quickly, it’s just that I don’t care enough anymore about everything that would have once killed me on the inside.

And this time feels different.

Because this time… I have Liam.

Liam, who isn’t scared to post public statements defending me. Liam, who shares pictures of us on his socials—even if it doesn’t stop the whispers from those articles or that mysterious “source,” he does it anyway, like he’s proud to be seen with me.

And I don’t feel anything for him. Obviously.

Still, somehow, he’s managed to become this… constant. Someone I know will be there when everything else gets loud. Someone who shows up, even when I don’t ask.

I’ve tried to ignore it. Tried to pretend I don’t notice the small things.

Like yesterday, when I finally asked him why he always picks the non-seafood meals. I mean, it’s not like he has