Old Dreams No Return (Serena) novel Chapter 8

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8

Suddenly, a massive crystal chandelier from the ceiling came crashing down. And right beneath it? Liam and Tiffany, still laughing and chatting! In the nick of time, Liam reacted purely on instinct. He whirled around, throwing his entire body over Tiffany, cradling her tight against him! CRASH!

The massive chandelier slammed into his back and head, glass shards flying everywhere! Liam let out a guttural groan as blood instantly gushed from his temple and back. He swayed, then collapsed hard to the ground, completely out cold.

The scene exploded into instant chaos! Screams, cries, and shouts tangled together. An ambulance arrived fast, rushing a blood-soaked, unconscious Liam straight to the hospital.

My parents, pulling a ghost-pale me, followed right after.

The surgery light glowed for what felt like forever. Everyone only breathed a collective sigh of relief when the doctor finally came out, announcing the surgery was a success and he was out of the woods.

My parents glanced at my utterly lost expression, sighed, and without another word, took me home.

The drive back was dead silent.

After a long, quiet stretch, Mrs. Reed finally spoke again, her voice soft. “Rennie… are you really sure? About… ending things with Liam?”

I watched the blur of city lights outside the window, a slow, weary smile spreading across my face. It was heavy with exhaustion, but also a strange sense of peace. “Yeah, I’m sure.”

“Mom, you both saw it today.

I’m just not the one he loves anymore.”

My parents glanced at me in the rearview mirror, their hearts aching something fierce as they took in my calm, yet unnervingly pale, profile.

A long silence hung heavy in the car. It was clear they’d made up their minds about something big.

Mr. Reed finally spoke up. “Rennie, if you’ve made your decision, your mom and I are behind you.”

“Perfect timing, actually. Dad was already planning to expand the Holding Group’s business out to the West Coast. So, since that’s happening, we’ll just move the whole family. The company, our home, everything. That way, we can be right there with you through college.”

I froze. My parents’ eyes were just overflowing with pure, unconditional love and support. My own eyes immediately got misty.

I nodded hard, a lump forming in my throat. “Okay.”

It dawned on me then: Liam and I were truly never going to cross paths again.

For the next two weeks, my family and I quietly prepared for the move.

It wasn’t until the day we were set to leave that we showed up at the Carters’ place, gifts in hand, to say our goodbyes.

When they heard our whole family was moving, and I reiterated, firmly and definitively, that Liam and I were completely over, Mr. and Mrs. Carter were utterly stunned and heartbroken.

“Rennie,” Mrs. Carter started, her voice a little shaky, “We’ve always thought of you as our own, our future daughter-in-law… Liam, he just… he wasn’t thinking straight…”

Mrs. Carter’s eyes were all red as she held my hand.

But I just calmly shook my head, my voice gentle but with a clear distance. “Mrs. Carter,” I said, “those feelings from when we were kids? They don’t really count. We’ll both find someone better.”

Mr. and Mrs. Carter tried to persuade me repeatedly, but seeing my mind was set, they just sighed.

Mrs. Carter checked the time and pulled out her phone. “I’ll call Lia right now!” she said, already dialing. “Tell him to get back here and say goodbye! Honestly, that kid! The minute he’s feeling a little better, he’s completely vanished…”

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