Releasing a long breath, he stands and holds a hand out to me. Mine is shaking when I slide my palm into his. As I follow him through Ford’s house, stumbling past a drunken threesome in the throes of passion, my legs tremble.

Liam ushers me into the elevator and hits the button for the penthouse floor. We don’t speak, but his brooding presence saturates the space with tension. I steal a glance at his profile, yet he keeps his gaze fixed ahead.

We reach the House of Aries seconds later, and he slams the door behind us, the sound cracking like a gunshot.

“Of all the reckless, foolish things you could do…what the hell were you thinking?”

“I don’t know. I guess I wasn’t thinking.”

“Clearly,” he snaps.

The alcohol sends my head spinning, and the marble floor wobbles under me. I brace a hand against the wall. “I just wanted to forget for a while.”

“With Ford?” He advances on me, his body vibrating with anger. “He was higher than this damn tower.”

“He was there for me.”

My words stop him short, incredulity widening his dark eyes. “And I haven’t been there for you?”

“You have.”

“But?”

Gnawing on my bottom lip, I blink back tears. “You micromanage, and it’s suffocating. You won’t let me be.”

“Because when I leave you alone for any length of time, you revert to a state of stupidity!” He drags a hand through his hair. “There’s grieving, and then there’s this. It needs to stop.”

“Well it’s my heart that’s bleeding, so stop trying to dictate how I should grieve.”

“What do you want me to do?” He spreads his arms. “Let you wither away? You’ve barely eaten in days, you won’t shower or dress unless I force your hand, and now you’re drunk from three fucking glasses of wine.”

“It wasn’t just the wine,” I mutter without thinking.

All color bleeds from his complexion. “Tell me you didn’t take drugs.”

“What? No! I only drank.”

“Of course you did. Anything to fuel the self-destruction, right?”

I glare at him. “Why do you even care?”

“Are you serious?” He takes me by the shoulders, jolting my body as if he can force some sense into me. “I care about you, and in case you’ve forgotten, Sebastian’s father will be the first to string you up in the dungeon. All he needs is a goddamn reason!” His words explode between us, illuminating the seriousness of my actions. “But maybe that’s what you want. Maybe you’re trying to punish yourself for Sebastian’s death.”

“Don’t,” I warn through gritted teeth. I shrug him off, but he crowds in anyway, undeterred.

“That’s why you’re destroying yourself, isn’t it? You’re hogging all the blame.”