A SECOND CHANCE AT FOREVER Chapter 97: CHAPTER NINETY-SEVEN

KYLE

Thanks to Jack's help, I finally had everything I needed to deal with Liam fucking Hemsworth. Today, he was going to regret ever reaching out to Ashley again.

I had barely kept myself together yesterday after Ashley told me what the bastard had said. Her voice had cracked halfway through, and even though she tried to brush it off, I saw the tears brimming in her eyes. I saw the way her hands shook when she handed me her phone, the way she stared at nothing for too long after reading the message he had sent to her

“You really think any of this is real, Ashley? The store, the confidence, the smile you put on like armor—it's all a cover, and you know it. You were never like this before me. I made you strong. I gave you something to become. And deep down, you’re still that scared little girl who ran from everything the second it got hard. That’s why you left me."

“You think these men you surround yourself with care about you? They see a pretty face, a broken past, and an opportunity. I knew you before the lies and the perfume. I knew the real you. You can’t erase me, Ashley. You’ll never be able to forget me—because no matter how far you run, I’m the only one who ever really saw you. I still love you, and I know you feel it too. But if you won’t come back, don’t expect me to sit by and watch you pretend. Don’t think I won’t remind you of who you really are. One way or another, I’ll be part of your life again. You’ll see.”

That fucker really thought he made her. As if everything she’d built—the empire she’d bled for, the strength she clawed back after being shattered—belonged to him.

The way he kept pushing, kept trying to worm his way back into her life—it wasn’t just persistence, it was an obsession. And I knew that obsession, it mirrored the same shit he pulled back in high school after he cheated on her. I had warned him before, but apparently, that threat hadn’t sunk in deep enough. Now, it was time to back up my words with real action.

It only took about fifteen minutes to drive from the office to the gym Jack had pinpointed as Liam's possible location. I pushed open the door, the sound of weights clanking and people grunting filling the air. The sharp, musky scent of sweat hit me instantly. As I stepped inside, my eyes immediately scanned the gym, the tension in my shoulders growing with every second.

And there he was. Liam, standing near the free weights, looking like he didn’t have a care in the world. He was lifting, his body straining with the effort, but his expression was focused—too focused, like he didn’t even realize who was standing at the door, watching him. 

I I felt my pulse quicken, the taste of vengeance sharp on the back of my tongue. Liam was about to learn the consequences of pushing me too far—and messing with someone who mattered to me.

“You really thought you could worm your way back into her life after everything you’ve done?” I said, my voice cold and controlled, though every part of me was burning with rage. “You should’ve known better than to cross me like this.”

Liam whipped around, surprise flashing in his eyes. But he didn’t have time to process before I reared back and drove my fist into his face, the sound of impact sharp in the tense air.

Liam stumbled back, his hands flying up to clutch his jaw, but it was too late. The shock on his face only fueled my rage. He opened his mouth to say something, but I didn’t give him the chance. I wasn’t interested in hearing his pathetic excuses.

“You think you can just come back into her life after everything? It's been so long” I growled, my voice like a razor’s edge, each word dripping with venom. "You have no idea what happens when you cross that line.”

Liam whipped around, eyes widening in shock, but I didn’t wait for him to recover. I took a step forward, my body shaking with barely contained fury.

“You’ve made her life a fucking mess, and now you’re gonna pay for it,” I spat, my chest rising and falling with the heat of my anger.

His eyes narrowed, the surprise quickly replaced by arrogance. He wiped the blood from his lips and sneered at me.

“Pay for it? What the hell are you talking about, man?” He stood up straighter, his fists balling as he glared at me, clearly trying to regain some composure. “You’re still pissed she left you, huh? You’re still pissed she divorced your sorry ass? Maybe you should’ve been a better husband. Or maybe you should just mind your own damn business.”

I felt the anger tighten in my chest, but I wasn’t done. Not by a long shot.

“You’re so deluded,” I muttered under my breath, but loud enough for him to hear. “You think I’m here because I can’t get over her? You think this is about me?” I stepped closer, narrowing the space between us, making him feel the weight of my presence. "This is about you trying to weasel your way back into her life after you hurt her. And that shit ends now."

Liam's laugh was bitter, like he’d heard this kind of threat a thousand times. “You’re really gonna play the ‘protective ex’ act, huh? What, you think she’s gonna go running back to you now? She’s free of you, Kyle. She divorced you for a reason. What makes you think she even wants you back?"

I grabbed the front of his shirt and yanked him toward me, slamming him against the weight rack with a sharp metallic crash. His breath escaped him, and for a moment, I saw that flicker of fear in his eyes again, but he tried to mask it quickly.

“You should’ve stayed the fuck away from her,” I growled, my voice dark and full of threat. “I’m not protecting her for my own sake, Liam. I’m protecting her because you don’t get to destroy everything she’s worked so hard to rebuild just because you’re too stupid to let go. She doesn’t need you. And you sure as hell don’t get to come back into her life.”

He gritted his teeth, trying to push against me, but I wasn’t having it. I pushed him harder into the rack, feeling the steel press into his back.

“You don’t know anything about her,” I hissed. “You’ve never known her like I have. So don’t you dare stand there and act like you have any claim to her anymore.”

Liam struggled for a moment, but then his anger flared, and I could see him trying to shake off the fear. He spat, his words laced with bitterness and defiance.