5

The next morning, the bright sunlight came through the broken window, hitting Cass right in the eyes. She groaned and stretched her sore arms and legs. She expected to feel the hard, lumpy sofa against her back. Instead, her hands touched a mattress, and she realized she had a lot of room to move.

Cass opened her eyes quickly. She looked down, then looked around the room. She was lying flat on the small wooden bed.

Her eyes went wide, and she sat up fast. "Huh? How did I get here?!"

She turned her head and saw Liam right away. He was sitting quietly at the shaky little table, holding a chipped cup of black coffee. He didn't even look at her. He seemed completely unbothered by her sudden shouting.

"You are too loud," Liam said flatly, taking a slow sip. "The day is just starting, and you are already screaming."

"Hey!" Cass got off the bed and marched over to him, pointing an accusing finger. "Did you move me here while I was sleeping?!"

Finally, Liam looked up. His dark eyes looked bored, and he did not care at all about her anger. "Wow, you love to blame me. Maybe you just sleepwalked."

"Are you crazy?!" Cass shouted, her head spinning with frustration. "Never in my entire life have I sleepwalked! Not even once!"

"There is a first time for everything, Cassandra," Liam answered calmly. He blew on his hot coffee before taking another sip. "How should I know how you got over there? Besides, you were holding onto me so tightly last night. You acted like I was your personal pillow."

Cass froze completely, losing her breath. "W-What?! Holding onto you?!" She took a quick step back, her face turning bright red from embarrassment. "You liar! I would never do that! And stop calling me Cassandra!"

Liam just watched her get mad, a small, teasing smile in his eyes. "Well, if you say so. Maybe it was just in your dreams that you hugged me tightly while whispering my name over and over again—"

"You idiot!" Cass shrieked, her cheeks burning.

Liam let out a low laugh, a sound that made Cass want to punch him even more. He went back to drinking his coffee, keeping quiet for a moment before his face turned a bit more serious.

"Anyway, since we are married now, you need to learn to wake up early," Liam said, putting his cup down on the table. "And you need to learn how to cook. You can't expect me to do everything around here. I guess you know how to do basic house chores, right?"

Cass twisted her face into a disgusted look. "Excuse me?! Who told you I am going to do any of that?"

Cass wanted nothing to do with house chores anymore. She had spent years being treated like a servant by Loreen in their big mansion, scrubbing floors and doing everything her stepmother demanded. She was completely sick of it. She had promised herself that once she left that house, she would never clean again.

Liam frowned deeply. "Well, you are my wife, aren't you?"

"We are only married on paper!" Cass snapped back quickly, tossing her hair behind her shoulder and crossing her arms. "That doesn't mean I am going to become a submissive housewife like the ones you see in TV shows! Duh!"

Liam stared at her, tilting his head. He thought for a few seconds, then nodded slowly. "Oh, I see. So you want me to be the house husband instead?"

Cass blinked, completely surprised. "That is not what I meant!"

"But it works," Liam continued, his teasing smile coming back. "Sure, let's do that. You go out to work every day and make money, and I will stay behind, relax, and take care of the house. Does that sound like a good deal?"

Cass stood there, her mouth open in shock. "What?! Liam, I don't even have a job!"

"Then go out and look for one," Liam said simply, leaning back in his shaky chair. "Because you need to work hard so we can make money and buy food."

The words hit Cass hard. Her mouth hung open as she realized the truth of her situation. Oh right... I don't have a single cent to my name, she thought miserably, her shoulders dropping as she pouted. I am completely broke. I have nothing.

Liam shook his head at her dramatic face, shifting in his chair. "It all depends on how you look at it. If you want to survive, you have to work hard and keep trying."

Cass glared at him, her mind filled with stubborn pride and fear. She didn't know how to answer him, and she didn't know how she was going to live in this poor neighborhood. But as she looked around the small, sunny room, one thing became clear to her.

She was not going to stay in this kind of life forever. This place was just temporary.

"You just watch me, Liam Lucas Javier," Cass muttered, her eyes flashing with determination. "I am going to get out of this place, and I am going to make you pay for making me sleep on that terrible sofa."

"I'll believe it when I see it," Liam replied with a lazy grin, picking his cup back up.

"Shut up!" Cass snapped, turning around to face the wall, already thinking about what to do next.

The silence in the room lasted for just three minutes before Cass turned around again, unable to keep her annoyance inside. The smell of cheap, bitter coffee filled the tiny space, and her stomach reminded her that a single bowl of instant noodles from last night was not enough.

"Is that all you do? Drink coffee and look smug?" Cass asked, walking over to the small table and pulling out the other shaky chair. She sat down hard and crossed her legs. "If I am supposed to find a job, I need food first. Where is breakfast?"

Liam didn't even blink. He slowly lowered his cup, staring at her through his messy hair. "Breakfast? Did you bring any food with you yesterday? Because last time I checked, your stepmother's guards only threw two small bags of clothes on the ground. I didn't see any rice or cereal."

"Don't blame me!" Cass barked, hitting her hands against the table. "You said you would handle your responsibilities as a husband! Is starving your wife part of the plan?!"

"The plan was to keep you safe, not to give you a twenty-four-hour buffet," Liam shot back, his voice getting colder. "I spent my last money on dinner last night. If you want breakfast, you have to wait until I go out, find some quick jobs, and bring back enough coins to buy bread. Until then, stop complaining."

Cass gasped, genuinely offended. "Complaining?! I am not complaining! I am just hungry! Back at my house, breakfast was served at exactly seven in the morning, with fresh juice, eggs, and—"

"Then go back to your house," Liam interrupted, leaning forward until his face was very close to hers. His dark eyes locked onto hers with a stubborn look. "Go back to your mansion and your evil stepmother. Go tell her that you couldn't handle one single morning without your fancy juice. Let's see how fast she ruins your father's life."

Cass bit her lip, her angry eyes meeting his. She wanted to scream, to throw the chipped cup right at his face, but the mention of her father took all the anger out of her. It left her feeling bitter and sad. She pulled back and turned her head away.

"You are completely annoying," she whispered.

"And you are incredibly spoiled," Liam replied, pulling back too and finishing his coffee. "But sadly for both of us, we are stuck together. So get used to reality."

An hour passed, and the heat inside the small room started to rise as the sun went higher. Cass had gone back to the wooden bed, refusing to sit near him, while Liam kept himself busy by fixing a small box of tools in the corner. Every few minutes, a loud metal sound echoed through the room, irritating Cass even more.

"Can you please stop making that horrible noise?" Cass complained, covering her ears with the pillow. "Some of us are trying to think."

"Thinking requires a brain, Cassandra," Liam said without looking up, wiping a rusty tool with an old cloth. "And if you're trying to sleep again, forget it. The sun is up. Only lazy people stay in bed past eight."

Cass threw the pillow straight at his back. It didn't hurt him, it just bounced off his broad shoulders and landed on the floor, but it made him stop. Liam slowly turned around, picked up the pillow, and tossed it back onto the sofa.

"Are you a child?" Liam asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Are you a machine? Why are you always so mean?!" Cass stood up, stomping her feet. "I am going through a huge crisis here! My father is trapped with a monster, my money is gone, I am married to a stranger who collects trash, and to top it all off, I woke up on a bed I didn't even fall asleep on! I have every right to be upset!"

Liam stood up, looking down at her as he walked to the center of the room. The playful look was completely gone, replaced by a serious expression that made Cass hold her breath.

"Let's get one thing straight," Liam said, his voice low and firm. "I don't care about your money, and I don't care about your luxury. But do not look down on how I make money. Collecting scraps kept me alive when the rest of the world ignored me. It might look dirty to a girl like you, but it's honest work. I don't steal, and I don't beg."

Cass opened her mouth to argue, but she couldn't find the words. She looked at his firm jaw, his rough hands, and the pride in his eyes. Even though he was sarcastic and rough, Liam had his own dignity.

"I... I didn't mean it like that," Cass muttered, her voice losing its sharp edge. She looked down at her shoes, feeling guilty again. "I'm just... I'm just scared."

Liam stared at her for a long time, his shoulders relaxing. He let out a quiet sigh, running a hand through his messy hair. "I know," he said softly, his voice surprisingly gentle. "But fighting with me won't change anything. We have to move forward."

Cass looked up, trying not to cry. "How? How do we move forward when we don't even have money for breakfast?"

Liam walked over to the door, grabbing his old hat from the wall. He put it on, pulling it down slightly to shade his eyes. "Like I said, I'm going out to find some work. There's a construction site three blocks away that hires extra workers for daily pay. If I get in, I'll have enough money by noon to buy us a proper meal."

He opened the wooden door, stepping out into the dark hallway of the building. But before he left, he paused and looked back at her over his shoulder.

"While I'm gone, stay inside. Lock the door from the inside and don't open it for anyone unless you hear my specific knock—three quick taps, then two slow ones. Understand?" Liam said, completely serious. "This neighborhood is dangerous. People here notice new faces, especially faces that look like they don't belong here."

Cass felt a strange feeling in her chest at his words, but she quickly hid it with a frown. "Are you calling me pretty, Liam Lucas Javier?"

Liam grinned, the annoying spark coming back to his eyes. "I'm calling you a target. Don't flatter yourself."

"You are a jerk!" Cass shouted, but she couldn't help the small smile on her lips.

"Just lock the door, Cassandra," Liam said, his voice softening a bit before he stepped out and closed the door firmly.

Cass immediately marched over to the door and locked it with the heavy iron bolt. She rested her forehead against the wood, listening to the sound of his heavy steps fading down the hallway until everything was quiet, except for the noisy streets outside.

She turned around, looking at the empty room. It was still small, still ugly, and still dusty, but for the first time since she arrived, it didn't feel like a total prison. It felt like a fresh start.

"Just you wait, Loreen," Cass whispered to the empty room, her face setting into a firm line. "You thought you destroyed my life by throwing me here. But I'm going to survive this. And I'm going to do it with him."