Liam's POV
Hours before this moment, I faced off with my mother in my office.
"Absolutely not, Keeley." My voice carried that edge she knew meant business. Robin Simon's composed mask never slipped, but I caught the telltale twitch at the corner of her right eye.
"What exactly are you refusing, mein herz?"
I shoved back from my desk, hands balling into fists. "You know damn well what I'm refusing. We're not throwing some pathetic memorial for a bastard who treated you like garbage. A man who beat you senseless whenever the mood struck him, who shoved you down and made your life pure hell."
CRACK!
Her palm connected with my cheek. My head barely moved from the impact. When our eyes locked again, fury painted her face red. She was pissed that her slap meant nothing to me.
"You will not speak of those things, Liam." Her voice came through gritted teeth. "We agreed never to discuss that."
