“Liam,” I said finally, my voice shaky as I took a cautious step toward him. “I need you to talk to me. Tell me what’s happening. What are you feeling?”
He didn’t answer. His eyes were still full of anger, his body still radiating tension, and it was all I could do to keep my voice calm. Krampus had nearly killed me, and I couldn’t even focus on that, because my son—my everything—was slipping further away with every second that passed.
I wanted to go after Krampus. I wanted to stop him before he could hurt anyone else. But Liam was my priority right now, and I was losing him. I had to figure this out before it was too late for both of us.
Liam’s voice broke through the thick tension, sharp and cutting. “Why did you kill him?” he asked, his words laced with a mixture of pain and fury. His hands were shaking now, his jaw tight, but his eyes burned into mine like they could strip away every lie I’d ever told him. “Did you just… want to get back to the supernatural life? Is that what this was about?”
I staggered back a step, the desolation of his question slamming into me like a physical blow. “No,” I said quickly, my voice cracking as I tried to hold it together. “No, Liam. Itwasn’t like that. I loved your father more than anything in this world.”
“Then why?” he snapped, his voice rising. “Why did you do it?”
My throat tightened, my heart pounding so hard I could barely hear myself think. “I had no choice,” I said, my voice trembling. “Your father was already gone before I… before it happened. He wasn’t himself anymore. I didn’t kill him, Liam. Not really. The man I loved, the father you knew, was already gone.”
Liam’s expression twisted, his disbelief as plain as day. He took a step closer. “You’re lying,” he said, his voice shaking with anger. “You’re always lying.”
“I’m not,” I said desperately, my eyes stinging with unshed tears. “Liam, I swear, I didn’t want to do it. But I had to. I had to protect you.”
“Protect me?” he snarled, his face contorted with rage. “You call this protection?” He raised his weapon, the motion swift and fluid, and pointed it straight at me.
The sight of it made my stomach plummet, but it wasn’t the gun that hurt. It was the look in his eyes. There was no recognition, no warmth, nothing left of the son I’d spent my life protecting—just raw, unrelenting hatred.
“You’re a monster,” he hissed, his voice trembling with fury. “A murderer.”
I put away my blade and raised my hands slowly, my heart shattering into a million pieces. “Liam,” I said softly, my voice shaking but steady enough to meet his gaze. “I know you’re angry. I know you’re hurt. But you don’t understand the full story?—”
“I don’t need the full story,” he snapped, his finger twitching on the trigger. “You killed my dad. That’s all I need to know.”
I stood frozen, my breath caught in my chest, staring atthe boy I’d raised, the boy who now saw me as his enemy. My mind raced for the right words and explanation, but I knew deep down that nothing I said would change his beliefs.
“I’m still your mom,” I said quietly, my voice barely above a whisper. “And I love you, no matter what.”
His eyes flickered, a brief hesitation, but then the rage surged back. “You don’t get to say that. Not after what you’ve done.”
The weapon remained in his hands, but my heart wasn’t steady at all. It was breaking.
Liam’s hands trembled, his grip on the weapon faltering. I thought he might pull the trigger for a moment, but then, slowly, he lowered it. The tension in his shoulders eased just slightly, and a flicker of hope sparked in my chest for the briefest second. Maybe he still loved me. Perhaps he’d give me a chance to explain.
“Liam,” I started softly, tentatively approaching him. “I can make this right. Just… let me explain. Please.”
He shook his head, his expression twisted with pain and anger. “No,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper. “I don’t want to hear it. I don’t want anything from you.”
His words hit harder than the claws that had slashed my shoulder, and I froze, staring at him as my heart cracked wide open. “Liam, don’t do this,” I said, my voice breaking. “Please. You’re my son. I love you.”
Something flickered in his eyes—doubt, hesitation—but then it vanished, replaced by cold resolve. “I never want to see you again,” he said, his voice hard and final.
I stood there, helpless, as he turned and took off, disappearing into the shadows of the woods. I wanted to scream, to chase after him, but my legs wouldn’t move. I could only watch as he left, the sound of his footsteps fading into the night.
My heart dropped, the hope I’d felt moments ago crushedunder the weight of his words. I didn’t even feel the pain of my dripping wound anymore; it was nothing compared to the ache in my chest, the hollow, gnawing emptiness that threatened to swallow me whole.
I sank to my knees, the cold snow soaking through my jeans, but I didn’t care. My son was gone. Not just physically, but emotionally. The bond we’d shared, the love I’d thought would always endure, felt shattered beyond repair.
Tears burned in my eyes, but I blinked them away, my breath hitching as I tried to pull myself together. I couldn’t afford to break down, not now, not here. But as I pressed a hand to my shoulder, feeling the warm, sticky blood beneath my fingertips, I knew that the wound was nothing compared to the one in my heart. The pain of losing Liam—of watching him walk away from me—was unbearable. And I didn’t know how to fix it.
The moment Liam disappeared into the trees, something snapped inside me. I couldn’t let him go—not like this. Not with those words hanging between us, ripping through my heart like a jagged blade. I bolted after him without thinking, my feet pounding against the frozen ground. “Liam!” I shouted, my voice raw with desperation. “Stop! Please!”
He glanced back, just once, his eyes meeting mine for the briefest moment. But what I saw there shattered me all over again. It wasn’t just anger—it was fear. Fear of me. His gaze hardened, and then he turned away, picking up speed, running faster, as though he could escape everything I’d just tried to tell him.
“Liam, wait!” I yelled, pushing myself harder, the cold air biting at my lungs and the wound on my shoulder screaming in protest. But none of it mattered.
