Chapter 477: Chapter 477 Objective Completed
Tatiana sat in the room, the silence pressing in around her in a way she couldn’t shake off no matter how many times she walked from one end to the other. The place looked clean now, almost too clean, like nothing had happened there at all. She had taken her time wiping every trace of blood off the floor, the table, even the faint smear on the wall that she hadn’t noticed at first. It was all gone now, but that didn’t make her feel any better.
Her hands still felt like they remembered it.
The twist.
The snap.
The look on Liam’s face when his fingers broke.
She stopped pacing for a second and stared at her own hands, flexing them slowly like she didn’t fully trust them anymore. She didn’t even realize when her breathing had gotten uneven again. It wasn’t just guilt. It was confusion. That reaction came out of nowhere. One second she was talking, the next second she lost control. It wasn’t like her. It shouldn’t be like her.
She turned and started pacing again, faster this time.
She needed to explain it to him.
She had to.
Before he misunderstood. Before he thought she did it on purpose. Before things between them went bad for real.
Her thoughts kept circling back to that moment, trying to make sense of it, trying to grab onto something that would explain why her body reacted that way. But nothing came. Just that same tight feeling in her chest and that uncomfortable awareness that something inside her wasn’t right.
Then the door opened.
Fast.
She turned immediately, her heart jumping as her eyes locked onto him.
"Liam..."
The word came out without thinking.
He looked different.
Rushed.
Focused.
There was no pause, no calm, no room for anything else.
And behind him...
Someone else.
A woman.
Tatiana’s brows pulled together slightly, her mind trying to catch up with what she was seeing, but before she could process anything, her words rushed out.
"Um L-Liam, s-so about earl—"
"Not now."
The interruption came instantly.
Sharp.
Final.
It cut her off completely.
Liam didn’t even slow down as he spoke, his voice carrying urgency that didn’t leave space for discussion.
"We need to leave."
That was it.
No explanation.
No time.
Tatiana froze for a split second, then nodded quickly.
"Okay."
Whatever happened in the club, it was bad enough for him to come back like this. She didn’t ask questions. She couldn’t. Not with the way he looked.
The three of them moved out of the room together, the air between them tight.
As they walked, Liam scratched his head briefly, a small frown crossing his face.
He had forgotten the bag.
Left it in the toilet.
For a moment, that would have bothered him before. The tools, the setup, everything he prepared.
But not now.
It didn’t matter anymore.
He had what he came for.
That was enough.
They moved quickly through the hallway, keeping their pace steady, not too fast to draw attention but not slow either. Everything about Liam’s movement was calculated, controlled, even with the tension in his body.
They reached the car.
Tatiana didn’t hesitate. She got into the driver’s seat immediately, her movements quick but careful. Liam slid into the front seat beside her while the woman, Anya, got into the back.
The engine came alive smoothly.
Tatiana pulled out, her hands steady on the wheel as she drove toward the gate like nothing was wrong, like they were just another group leaving after a long night.
No sudden moves.
No panic.
Just normal.
At the gate, the guards didn’t question them. The barrier lifted without delay and the car rolled forward, passing through without a hitch.
For a few seconds, everything felt almost too easy.
Then they were out.
The moment the gate disappeared behind them, Liam’s voice came again, low but firm.
"Increase the speed."
Tatiana didn’t argue.
She pressed down harder on the pedal, the car responding instantly as it picked up speed, the road opening ahead of them.
The tension inside the car didn’t drop.
If anything, it got worse.
Tatiana glanced at Liam briefly, just a quick look, but it was enough for her to notice something that made her chest tighten.
Sweat.
His forehead was covered in it, beads forming and sliding down slowly.
Her grip on the wheel tightened.
She had only known him for a day, barely that, but something about this didn’t feel normal. He didn’t look like someone who would sweat from something small.
Something was wrong.
Liam didn’t say anything.
Instead, he reached for his hand.
Slowly.
He started unwrapping the cloth around his fingers, the movement careful but tense.
Tatiana’s eyes flicked back to the road, then to him again, unable to stop herself.
When the cloth came off, her breath caught.
His fingers.
They looked worse.
Not better.
Worse.
The skin looked off, almost lifeless, like it wasn’t healing at all. There was a dullness to it, a strange stillness that didn’t match what she had seen earlier when his body was fixing itself.
And the way he held it...
Careful.
Like even the slightest movement hurt.
Her chest tightened instantly.
That was her doing.
"I’m sorry!" the words came out quickly, almost spilling over themselves. "I shouldn’t have—"
"Eyes on the road."
Liam’s voice cut through her apology.
Cold.
Controlled.
No room for anything else.
Tatiana flinched slightly at the tone.
She nodded quickly.
"Okay."
Her eyes snapped back to the road, her focus locking in, but her mind didn’t settle. It kept drifting back to his hand, to the damage she caused, to the way he shut her down without even looking at her.
From his tone alone, she could tell.
Things weren’t the same anymore.
At least not right now.
The car continued forward, speed increasing, the city lights stretching past them as the distance between them and the club grew.
For a few seconds, there was nothing but the sound of the engine and the faint rush of wind outside.
Then a voice came from the back.
Soft.
Curious.
Anya leaned forward slightly, her head appearing between the two front seats as she looked at Liam’s hand.
"That looks bad."
Her tone wasn’t mocking.
Just honest.
Observing.
And maybe a little concerned.
Anya leaned forward from the back seat, her eyes still fixed on Liam’s hand like she couldn’t ignore it even if she wanted to. The way he was holding it, the stiffness in his fingers, the dull look of the skin, everything about it felt wrong to her. She didn’t even think twice before she spoke.
"Come to the back."
Liam turned his head slightly and looked at her, his brows pulling together like he didn’t understand what she was trying to do. There was a pause, just a second, but it was enough to show he wasn’t convinced.
Anya didn’t back down.
"Come here," she said again, more serious this time. "Let me check it out for you."
Still no movement from him.
He just stared at her like he was weighing whether it was worth it or not.
She exhaled softly, then added quickly, "I’m a doctor. I might be able to help."
That changed something.
Liam held her gaze for another second, then shifted slightly, his body moving as he leaned back and climbed into the back seat beside her. The movement wasn’t smooth. It was careful, controlled, like he was managing the pain more than he wanted to show.
Tatiana kept driving, her eyes fixed on the road, but she could feel everything happening behind her. Every word. Every movement. It only made the tight feeling in her chest worse.
Anya reached for Liam’s hand gently, her fingers light as she turned it slightly to get a better look. The moment she saw it properly, her brows pulled together in a deep frown.
"This..." she muttered under her breath.
She lifted her eyes to him.
"Who broke your hand?"
Liam didn’t answer.
He just looked at her, silent, like the question didn’t matter to him.
Before the silence stretched too long, Tatiana spoke.
"I did."
Her voice was low, but clear enough.
Anya’s head turned instantly toward the front, her eyes widening in disbelief.
"You?"
The shock in her voice wasn’t hidden at all.
She looked back at Liam, then back at Tatiana, trying to make sense of it.
"I just watched him take down two huge men in like two seconds," she said, still processing it. "How is it possible for you to break his hand?"
That question hung in the air.
Even Tatiana didn’t have an answer.
Her grip on the wheel tightened slightly as her eyes stayed forward.
"I... don’t know," she admitted quietly.
And that was the truth.
She didn’t know how it happened. She didn’t know why her body reacted that way. She didn’t know why Liam wasn’t healing either. All she knew was that something was off, something she couldn’t explain no matter how much she thought about it.
Anya didn’t press her.
She looked back down at Liam’s hand, her focus shifting completely into something more professional now. Her fingers moved gently, checking around the injury, careful not to apply too much pressure.
Liam didn’t flinch, but the tension in his arm said enough.
Anya noticed everything.
The stiffness.
The discoloration.
The way the skin looked slightly off, not fresh like a new wound should be.
Her frown deepened.
"Your wound..." she started slowly, then paused like she wanted to be sure before she said it.
"It looks infected."
Liam’s eyes flicked to her.
Tatiana’s breath hitched slightly, her attention almost slipping from the road before she forced it back.
Anya lifted her head again, looking at Liam seriously.
"How long has it been since she broke your hand?"
"About an hour ago," Liam replied.
Simple.
Direct.
Anya froze for a second.
Then she shook her head immediately.
"That doesn’t make sense."
She looked back at the hand, then at him again, her expression tightening.
"Not at all."
Her fingers moved again, checking the area more carefully now, her touch still gentle but more focused.
"Your wound is already showing signs of infection," she said, her voice slower now, more deliberate. "That shouldn’t happen this fast. Not even close."
She exhaled softly, her brows still furrowed.
"This kind of reaction usually takes at least twenty four to seventy two hours to start showing," she continued, her tone carrying more concern now. "But this... this is already there."
The car stayed quiet for a moment after that.
Too quiet.
Tatiana’s mind raced as she processed what Anya just said.
Infection.
Already?
Her chest tightened again.
Liam didn’t say anything immediately.
He just looked down at his hand, his expression unreadable, but his eyes sharper now, more focused than before.
