Leave Me

XXI

I swear I'm usually a pretty on time kind of person, but lordly lordly I'm not good at this haha. Forgive the time delay but here it is, guys. Enjoy xo

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***

Liam stared at the slim piece of metal and glass in Zayn's hand. His mind spun. Had Zayn seen the video? Does he know? He had to, with the way Zayn was diverting his eyes to the floor as he came back and sat down at the edge of the bed. If Zayn has seen, Liam didn't know how he'd live with it.

He never wanted Zayn to know; this was unforgivable. Zayn wouldn't be able to look at him the same ever again. They were going to fall apart and it was Liam's fault. Leaving, betraying, lying- Zayn was a better man than most and Liam was sure he could forgive all of that, but this.

"You didn't..." He couldn't say it.

Zayn nodded, still looking at the phone he held in his lap. "I did. I watched it." He didn't say anything else.

Liam couldn't get a read on what he was thinking, didn't know what to say, what to do to fix it. "I'm sorry," was all he could think to say.

The Master's eyes slipped closed on a pained, tired sigh. "Liam," he choked out.

Fuck. "I'm sorry," he said with more vigor. "I'm so sorry. I didn't want to. I-" He broke off, tears clogging his throat. After he swallowed down his self-hatred, he finished. "I didn't want to."

"Jesus, Liam," Zayn grit out. His hand tightened around the phone. "Of course you didn't."

"I'm so sor-" The slave's mouth went slack with surprise. "What?"

Zayn finally looked up at him and there were tears teetering on the line of his lid. There was so much pain in his eyes. Liam never wanted to see that much pain, and surely not on the man he loved. "Of course you didn't want to. You were kidnapped, Liam!" He was yelling but not at Liam.

He took a deep breath and started again. "No one can blame you for what you did. You had to."

"I-" He did have to, right? "Yeah."

"Exactly. You didn't have a choice. You had to."

Why did it sound like Zayn was trying to convince himself as much as Liam? Liam only nodded. Zayn slipped the phone into his own pocket and leveled Liam with a serious look, slipping a hand under one of the slave's. "None of this leaves this room."

"What?" Liam asked again, mind still hazy from the accident...the kidnapping...the murder? God, he didn't know anymore.

"Listen to me, Liam. Repeat after me." Liam nodded. Zayn squeezed his hand tighter and said, "Marcus killed Louis."

Liam snapped his hand away like he was burned and screeched, "What?"

Zayn stood, stepped closer so he was leaning over Liam. "Marcus killed Louis."

"How did you..."

"He didn't turn off the recording. That bastard kept recording when you put the phone down." Zayn looked like he was a few seconds from exploding out of his skin. "That fucking monster recorded the whole thing, even though most of it is just black."

No. Marcus recorded Liam...Zayn watched- or heard at least- him kill Louis. There was documented evidence that Liam shot Louis. Zayn knew. The whole world was going to know. "Oh, fuck," Liam cursed and covered his face in his hands.