Her words were filled with irony.

Liam was usually a calm man, but even he was stung by what she said. He wasn’t supposed to say it, but the words came out before he could stop them. “You know I love you, Zoe!”

Time itself seemingly froze and an awkward silence hung over the air.

For a few seconds there, he regretted blurting it out. However, he was both a lawyer and a practical man. Now that the cat was out of the bag, he figured he should stand by it.

Staring at Zoe, he asked, “Are you s