Chapter 132: The Inspection
Liam’s POV
The hot water cascaded over my head as I sat on the cold marble floor of my shower, my knees drawn up to my chest like some broken child. The steam rose around me, but it couldn’t wash away the stench of failure that seemed to cling to my skin.
If I had just listened. If I had just fucking listened to all the warnings, all the signs, all the people who tried to tell me I was destroying everything I touched.
The conference last week in court played over and over in my mind like a broken record. The judge’s stern face as he outlined the conditions. The home evaluation. The psychological assessment. The way Diane’s lawyer had looked at me like I was some kind of predator they needed to contain.
"Mr. Ashton, given the concerning allegations and incidents surrounding your behavior, this court is ordering a comprehensive evaluation of your fitness as a parent..."
The words echoed in my skull, mixing with the sound of the water hitting the shower floor. I pressed my palms against my temples, trying to stop the pounding headache that had been my constant companion since I’d finished that bottle of whiskey last night. Or was it two bottles? The empty containers scattered around my living room were testament to my latest attempt to drown my sorrows.
I had screamed at Anthony and Marcus last night. Really screamed. Called them useless, worthless, questioned why I even paid them when they couldn’t protect me from anything—not Jackson, not the press, not my own fucking stupidity.
But in this moment, sitting naked on my shower floor with water running down my face mixing with tears I didn’t even realize I was crying, I felt nothing but the crushing weight of everything I’d lost. My company. My wife. My children who I’d never even held. My dignity. My future.
The intercom crackled, Anthony’s voice cutting through my self-pity like a knife.
"Sir? There are some people here from social services. They say they’re here for an inspection."
My blood turned to ice.