She nodded slowly.
For years she had wondered what happened to the boy who saved her life.
The family moved away shortly after the accident, and she never saw him again.
Until now.
Liam sat down slowly on the edge of the bed again, stunned by the realization.
“I never knew your name,” he murmured.
“And I never knew yours,” Elena replied softly.
The air between them felt different now.
Not like a forced marriage.
Not like a strange agreement made for money.
But something far deeper… something neither of them had expected.
Liam looked down at his scarred legs again.
“You shouldn’t feel grateful,” he said quietly. “Saving you cost me everything.”
Elena frowned.
“What do you mean?”
“My father built this entire lie around my life,” Liam said bitterly. “The wheelchair, the rumors, the isolation… all to hide what happened.”
Elena sat beside him.
“Why would he do that?”
Liam took a slow breath.
“Because the fire wasn’t an accident,” he said.
Elena’s stomach dropped.
“What?”
“My father’s company owned the building next to your house,” Liam continued. “Faulty wiring caused the explosion that started the fire.”
Elena felt the room spin slightly.
“They paid people to stay quiet. The story became a simple house fire caused by an old heater.”
He looked up at her, his eyes filled with quiet pain.
