I got out of bed.
I went over to the window.
Liam got out of the car.
He held something and walked over to my door.
“Sarah.”
He was whispering, trying to not wake up the
neighbors.
I opened the door. “Liam?”
<
Liam’s eyes were tired, but they shone with
purpose. “Sarah, I drove back to get my birth
certificate.”
“If you want, if you don’t mind that I’m older
than you, let’s get married today.”
13
“Get married?”
“Yes, get married.”
Liam said, “If we get married, you’ll have a
home, Sarah.”
“Home” was the most important word for me.
Ben had said it was something unimportant, but
for me, it was everything.
But as a kid who’d been tossed around, I’d
learned to be quiet.
<
I had never asked him to get married.
I wasn’t going to ask anyone else either.
“Sarah, when we were kids, I was too young to
take care of you.”
“When I went to college, I asked about you.”
“Then when I heard your family had found you, I
was so happy.”
“Your parents are rich, I thought they would take care of you.”
“And I was just a poor student. I shouldn’t get
involved.”
Liam’s eyes were sad. “If I knew they weren’t treating you right, I would’ve taken you away.”
“My parents talked about you a lot. My mom
even said your name before she died.”
<
“If they don’t want you, I want you.”
“Sarah, I was going to stay single.”
“But then fate brought you back.”
Liam’s voice broke. “I don’t want to lose you again.”
I was crying.
When I was a kid, I’d been sold away.
My foster mom hated me after she had a son.
I was always beaten and cold.
Liam’s parents took me in.
Then she sold me to another family.
I ran away.
<
DD
I stayed at orphanages, and foster homes.
I thought it would never stop.
I’d always wanted to see the family again.
But I was afraid they’d sell me.
I was surprised that Liam had been looking for
- me.
I didn’t think I’d see him again.
Maybe this was just meant to be.
Everything with Ben was just meant to get me
here.
I cried, then I smiled and said, “Liam, we can’t
get married today.”
“Sarah…”
Г
I saw the look on Liam’s face.
I touched his hand. “My birth certificate is at
my family’s house, and it’ll take a day to go
back and forth.”
14
I went back to my family’s home and got my
birth certificate. It was easy.
My parents were nice.
I used to want that.
But now it was meaningless.
As I left with my certificate, they told me,
smiling, “When you get married, bring Ben over
for dinner.”
I knew they were confused.
94
But I just left. It wasn’t my problem.
They’d hate that I was going to marry someone
who had nothing.
I went to the airport.
As I drove there, I got a call from Liam.
“Sarah, I can’t wait. I’m at the airport, get here.
Let’s get married in New York.”
I smiled and said, “Okay, I’m coming.”
I told the driver, “I don’t want to go to the
airport, I’m going to the marriage license
bureau.”
I got married to Liam the next day.
He bought me a bunch of things.
Gold clothes and some expensive nurses
<
Gold, clothes, and some expensive purses.
I didn’t want them, but Liam said that I needed
to have them.
Then he brought me home and we paid our
respects to his parents.
Then we had a party with the locals.
He was going to throw me a big wedding in the
city.
He’d even gotten me a red dress, for the party.
I wore it when we had our outdoor gathering at
my place.
It was the most perfect spring day.
I looked over at Liam, thinking of Ben.
“I don’t look good in red, right?”
Liam shook his head, then took my face and kissed me. “My wife is beautiful.”
I just stood there, then I smiled.
When Liam pulled away, I kissed him back.
994
Ben stood by the fence, the red roses fallen on the ground.
He saw me smiling.
I had a pair of dimples.
He lost control, then kicked down the gate.
The noise made me and Liam turn around.
“Ben?”
I was surprised.
Liam stood in front of me, eyes hard.
<
Ben didn’t look at Liam.
He walked over to me and grabbed my hand.
“Let’s go home.”
But I didn’t move.
I pulled away from him.
Ben looked at me, “I said, let’s go home.”
“I already told you that I wasn’t coming back…”
“You always wanted a license, right?”
Ben showed me his papers. “Come with me
now, and we can get married tomorrow.”
“I’m already married.”
Ben looked like he was going to explode.
“What?”
<
“Ben, I’m married.”
16
“Yesterday, I got married to Liam.”
I looked at him. “I got the papers at my
parent’s home.”
Ben just laughed.
“Sarah, don’t forget, you were with me for four
years, and you gave me Ethan.”
“I didn’t forget, but I need to correct you.”
“We weren’t married, our marriage is not valid.”
“So, I didn’t marry you.”
“You can go home now, and you can take care
of Ethan.”
く
I turned away from him.
“Liam, let’s go inside, I’m tired.”
I took Liam’s hand. Liam squeezed it. “Okay,
let’s go get some rest.”
“Sarah.”
Ben walked closer and grabbed my arm again.
“Ethan misses you.”
My heart skipped a beat. My eyes teared up.
Ethan was just three years old. He didn’t
understand.
Even if we weren’t close, I never hated him.
Maybe some mothers and children just don’t
have that connection.
