The following days Harley hadn't seen much of Liv, she was always off taking care of whatever it was that needed her attention and she wouldn't come to bed until Harley was fast asleep, she wouldn't be there in the morning. It was starting to worry her a little but she took the free time to get to know Rose and Enzo a little better. She loved being around Enzo just as much as she loved being around Liv, he was a beautiful little boy inside and out, he was always smiling.
Harley let out a small chuckle as Enzo soaked her from the pool. "Hey! Cheeky." She said with a loving smile splashing him back with a small amount of water as Rose stood next to him since they were in the shallow end of the pool. "I got you!" He giggled. "I got you back." She teased making him giggle once again as Sofia and Antonio came into view.
"Hi, sweet boy!"
"Nonna!" He screamed as he swam with his big duck printed arm bands towards his grandparents. Rose looked up to Harley shaking her head with a smile. "How are you?" She questioned as she wrapped a towel around his small body.
"I'm happy... I'm living with mama now and aunty Rose is staying too!" He said with excitement. "Oh wow. Is she?" Sofia questioned looking to Rose who walked out of the pool wrapping a towel around herself drying herself off. "Just until Christian's men have been taking care of."
"Who knows maybe you two will work things out." She said with wishful thinking as Harley shook her head letting out a sigh getting to her feet. "Uh... I don't think so." Rose said squinting her eyes getting the feeling Sofia didn't think highly of Harley.
"You never know." She said looking at her with hope as Harley walked by her letting out another sigh heading into the house wanting away from this woman, Antonio she didn't mind and he held a gun to her head, but Sofia she had zero respect for her and Liv's relationship.
Harley walked down to the basement area after changing in simple lounge wear to where the bar was, wanting a large drink of whatever was there. She felt like she couldn't handle being around Sofia sober, but to her surprise someone else had the same idea.
"Hey, everything okay?" She questioned walking towards the woman that both excited her and calmed her, giving her a quick peck on the lips. Liv smiled softly at her as Harley caught sight of her knuckles gently picking her hands up as Liv swallowed her drink.
She wanted to ask why she hadn't seen her the past few days, it felt like she was avoiding her but right now the state of her knuckles were far more important.
"Oh, I'm fine." Liv mumbled but still somehow kept that same power in her voice.
"What happened?" She questioned locking eyes with her this time. "Harls..."
"No, tell me. I want to know." Liv let out a sigh of defeat knowing she couldn't keep the illegal side of her business from Harley for much longer, not that it would be a problem for now anyway unknowingly to Harley. "Christian."
"He did this?" Liv shook her head bringing her fingers out of Harley's hold, interlocking them instead. "No, I did this to myself from beating him." She explained as Harley nodded. "For taking Enzo?"
Liv pulled Harley close to her feeling a slight pain in her knuckles before pulling her up and onto her lap, wanting to feel her loving embrace before she did what she had to do to make Harley hate her.
Harley instantly wrapped her arms around Liv's neck. "Yes, partly. The other part was because he beat you. I told you no one gets away with hurting the people I care about." She said placing her hand onto Harley's cheek caressing it ever so gently.
She looked deep into Harley's brown eyes feeling herself getting lost in them. She could tell Harley was searching her eyes for any sign of where she was going with this conversation. "And I do care about you Harley... I really do, and I know what you're waiting for..." She paused as Harley took a deep breath in clicking, her heart began to race with a hint of fear, her stomach was churning.
"But I can't say those words to you." She said shaking her head as Harley frowned. "Why?" Her voice became quiet with pain etched in it. "Because I can't... I just can't. I can't give myself to someone like that again, it hurt too much when..." Liv knew she had already given herself to Harley in every way, but that didn't mean Harley knew it and she intended to keep it that way.
"I'm not Rose."
"I know you're not..."
"Then maybe don't compare me." She stated wanting off of her lap, but Liv had a tight hold on her, not ready to let her go just yet. "I'm not comparing you two."
"You are! Liv... let me go!" She said loudly as Liv let out a sigh removing her arms lifting them slightly allowing Harley to get off of her.
"Harls I am not comparing you two, I'm just telling you how I feel. I know that every word that comes out of my mouth isn't the three words you want to hear... but that doesn't mean I don't care about you."
Harley ran her fingers through her hair rubbing her lips together as she felt a lump in her throat forming, but she wasn't going to cry. She focused on her anger instead. "Not giving me the benefit of the doubt is comparing. If you don't feel the same way about me then let me know, tell me you don't love me... don't lead me on." She said, her voice beginning to break as Liv locked eyes with her.
"You're in love with me?" She questioned as Harley shook her head, letting out a nervous sigh. "Of course I'm in love with you!" She screamed at her, this time unable to fight her tears. "How the hell could I not be!?"
"Because I'm bad for you! Your father's right... he'll end up finding your body one day if you stay with me!" She screamed back getting up off her stool. Harley shook her head before bringing her hand up. "Don't you dare! Don't you dare try to push me away! I told you I was with you, I wasn't going anywhere."
Liv nodded folding her arms. "Yeah, well that's not really up to you, is it? If I don't want you here, then you go." She said. Harley felt as if someone was ripping her heart out. She brought her hand up to her mouth, her hand shaking uncontrollably.
"What happened to I can't lose you? That you'd threaten anyone to keep me safe, do anything!?" Liv shook her head taking a deep breath in. "I... my mother was right... you were a fling. I was blinded by that, I know that now... you can stay here until we find you something else but-"
"No! I refuse to believe this... you just said no one gets away with hurting someone you care about! I'm someone you care about so how can you say I'm just a fling?"
"Because it's the same way I care about Layla or Myla. You're good for a fuck and that's it!" She screamed harshly as Harley shook her head in disbelief that this was happening. This wasn't her Liv, this wasn't anywhere close to her Liv.
"What happened? Something had to have happened for you to be acting this. This isn't you!" Her voice was filled with panic, pain and confusion. None of this made sense.
"No, baby this is me! I was just clouded by..." She took a deep breath in looking her up and down, flashing an evil grin across her lips. "A good fuck, but now I'm bored of you."
Harley gripped her chest as tears fell from her eyes, they were stinging as she began to hyperventilate. Liv let out a sigh biting her bottom lip so hard that she made herself bleed. "I thought I was special?" She wanted to stop this more than anything but she knew she couldn't. Harley needed to hate her for this to work.
"Well I'm not going to tell my son I enjoy fucking you, now am I?" She hissed as Harley felt like she was going to throw up due to her tears. She wiped her watery eyes taking a few deep breaths in controlling her breathing. "Don't do this... I know this isn't you."
"What will it take for you to learn it is me?" Harley shook her head as she moved quick, closing the gap between them smashing her lips against Liv's surprising her. Harley didn't feel her resitaiting the kiss one bit in fact she pulled her close, slipping her tongue in exploring her mouth, before bringing her hand up to her cheek caressing it gently as she began to slow the kiss down, but deepened it as if she was saying goodbye to someone she loves but suddenly she felt a hand wrapped around her neck pushing her away, almost causing her to choking on her own breath.
Harley gripped her throat shocked at Liv's sudden rough action as they locked eyes. "Tell me what happened, I know this isn't you, I know you don't want to end this. I know you want this, that you want me."
Liv frowned as her eyes darkened with anger, anger she had at this situation. "No I don't want this, I don't want a relationship with you and I certainly don't want you in any other way. I'm done with you... like I said you bore me." She said coldly before walking away from the now broken woman causing her to break down once again feeling like her world was coming down around her.
She knew she was in love with Liv, but this was different. She's felt love before and this whatever it was, it was stronger as if she needed her to breathe to just be in this world. She fell to the floor as she leaned against the bar, bringing her knees up crying into them softly, soon hyperventilating from her hard they became.
She didn't know how long she had been there for, but it had become duller outside not that she cared, she didn't care about anything anymore. She looked down at her phone hearing it ping telling her she had a message.
Investigation has been taken care of for now, one will probably start back up in a few months or so though, but for now your girlfriend is safe.
Harley began to shake her head as she cried harder at her father's message putting it all together, Liv was playing her this entire time, she felt nothing for her. "No." She cried as she heard footsteps coming her way.
"Harley?" Rose questioned with a hint of worry etched in her voice as she took a seat next to her. Harley shook her head handing Rose her phone letting her read the message. "Okay that's good, why are you crying?"
"Because... she ended things with me... b-before I g-got that." She stuttered gripping her chest, feeling as if her heart was being ripped open. "What!?" Rose screamed getting to her feet as Harley buried her face into her knees once again.
She had never felt this type of pain, it didn't hurt this much when she ended things with Seth. Her heart felt true pain every-time she cried, causing her to clutch her chest begging for it stop, to wake up and have this be a nightmare.
Rose shook her head walking out of the basement heading straight for Liv's office as she knew she'd be in there.
She didn't bother to knock, she swung the door open slamming it shut behind her. "Are you out of your mind!?" She screamed with such rage as she passed the phone to her. Rea stood up from the chair in front of Liv's desk frowning.
"You used her! This entire time Liv!?" Rea put her hand up stepping forward. "Rose... you don't know the full story."
"I did what I had to do." Liv said sternly as she looked to the phone nodding placing it onto her desk.
"What are you talking about?" She questioned frowning. "Liv is protecting her. We all are and that means we..." Rea let out a sigh looking to Liv to see her emotionless, something she was far too good at was shutting her emotions down. "That means she needs to get away from here, from Liv."
"Explain." Rose ordered Liv who frowned at this demand.
****
Hello lovelies! Hope everyone is well!!
A/N - Well that took a turn, I'm sorry... what's your thoughts of Liv's reasoning behind breaking Harley's heart. I'll give you a hint it's a simple one that's been mentioned through the book.
Big thank you to everyone who reads my book, it's highly appreciated 🫶
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