He Proposed to Me to Punish Her Chapter 03

He Proposed to Me to Punish Her Chapter 03

I first met Liam when I was rushing to a part-time job.

I stepped right onto a water pipe in the middle of the road and crashed hard onto the pavement.

Loud laughter surrounded me. I kept my head down and scrambled to get back on my feet.

My knee scraped against the pavement, stinging badly.

I looked up and met his calm eyes. There was no mockery, no pity, no disgust in them at all.

He handed me band-aids and a bottle of water, then walked away without saying a single word.

Our second meeting was at his birthday party, which Gillian had dragged me to.

I’d come unexpectedly and had no gift for him.

The room was packed full of people, and I was relieved to blend into the crowd.

Just as I thought I’d gotten through the night unnoticed, Liam’s lazy voice rang out behind me.

“Manning, is your friend afraid to be seen?”

My face burned bright red, and I wanted nothing more than to disappear on the spot.

My reaction only amused him more. He held out both hands toward me.

“Hey, where’s my birthday present?”

I grew even more flustered and tried to slip away.

Gillian stood on her tiptoes and tapped the top of his head.

A soft smile appeared in his eyes, and he bent down easily to let her touch him.

“Stop teasing Chris. You’ve got her all flustered.”

Before I left, he waved at me with a playful grin.

“You still owe me a birthday gift. Don’t forget next time.”

I kept his words in mind and asked Gillian what kinds of things he liked.

She listed off his hobbies one after another.

He loved model planes, luxury watches, racing cars, skiing and rare exotic flowers.

All of his favorite things were far too expensive for me to afford.

I stared at the preserved flower arrangement I’d spent half a month making by hand.

Gillian suddenly popped up behind me.

“You have a crush on Liam, don’t you?”

I turned the question back to her.

“What about you? Do you like him?”

She stayed quiet for a long time and never gave a clear answer.

“I’ll never date or marry anyone. If you like him, go after your own happiness.”

After that day, she always brought me along whenever she met up with Liam.

I finally worked up the courage and handed him the handmade flowers.

He stood facing the window with his back to me, his brows furrowed. He tapped his fingers slowly against the tabletop.

“The party’s already over. No need for gifts now.”

I pulled my hands back stiffly and hugged the flowers tight to my chest.

I thought we’d just stay casual acquaintances after that.

A month later, he blocked my path on my way to the library.

He tossed a bouquet of flowers and a necklace straight into my arms.

“Chris Hill, be my girlfriend.”

Joy overwhelmed me completely. I never noticed the pained look on his face.

A sharp pain in my foot pulled me out of my memories.

I must have scraped my ankle while rushing out earlier that morning.

Liam knelt down, cleaned the wound carefully and placed a band-aid over it.

“You can head home on your own. The rideshare stop isn’t far from here.”

A notification popped up on my phone.

[Payment received: $10,000]

I stayed quiet, so he added a few words awkwardly.

“Manning didn’t get a chance to eat breakfast this morning. I’m going to grab her some food.”

“Liam,” I said firmly. “Let’s break up in half a month.”