CHAPTER 319: CHAPTER 319 I CHANGED HER

Lilith stepped forward casually and ran a hand through Dickson’s hair like she was tousling a child. Her fingers brushed through his curls with a faint smirk tugging at her lips.

"I haven’t seen you in a while, Dickie," she said, laughing softly.

Dickson’s face didn’t move at first. His eyes were wide, locked onto hers like he was staring at something impossible. Not shocked. Not surprised. Disturbed.

He looked like he had just seen a ghost.

And then—he jumped to his feet.

"Whoa! What the hell?!"

Lilith blinked, caught off guard. "What?"

But Dickson didn’t answer her. He grabbed Liam by the shirt and yanked him away without warning.

"Come here. Come here now," he hissed, dragging Liam toward the far end of the hall like a panicked cartoon character. Liam didn’t resist, just raised an eyebrow as he let himself be pulled away.

Lilith stared after them, eyebrows creased. "What the hell is wrong with him?"

The two disappeared behind a half-wall near the back of the factory, just out of sight from the others. The hum of the screens buzzed faintly behind them.

Dickson leaned forward and looked Liam dead in the eye.

"Tell me straight—did she hit her head?" he asked, serious as hell.

Liam frowned slightly. "No."

Dickson grabbed Liam’s shoulders. "Did you do something to her?"

Liam shook his head again, slower this time.

"Then what the hell is going on?" Dickson whispered, still tense. "She’s being... nice."

Liam tilted his head.

Dickson rubbed his cheek like he was trying to erase something sticky from it. "Bro. Lilith smiled. At me. She touched my hair. She laughed. That’s not Lilith. That’s not even close to Lilith. I’ve known her since I was ten. That woman once stabbed a guy for looking at her shoes."

Liam’s eyes softened slightly. It made sense now.

He chuckled and placed a hand on Dickson’s shoulder. "I’ve changed her."

Dickson stared at him like he’d just claimed he cured cancer. "You what?"

Liam’s smirk didn’t fade. "I’ve changed her," he repeated, almost proudly.

Dickson slapped Liam’s hand off his shoulder. "Nah. No. Not possible. That woman’s been emotionally unavailable since birth. She’s probably just putting on a show. I know her better than anyone."

Liam didn’t argue. He just smiled again, calm and quiet. He didn’t need to prove anything.

Dickson stared at him for a second longer, then squinted. "You’re too calm. What’s going on with you, huh? You look like trash."

Liam didn’t answer right away.

Dickson stepped back, really looking at him now. The dark circles under his eyes. The paleness. The slight sway to his stance. Liam looked like someone who had been microwaved, dunked in acid, then forced to sprint a marathon in full armor.

"You really need to get some rest," Dickson said, a little more serious now. "You look like a damn walking corpse."

Liam was quiet, then gave a tired smile. "Probably."

Dickson looked like he wanted to say more, but he let it go. The two of them walked back into the main hall together.

The moment they reappeared, Lilith narrowed her eyes slightly, arms still crossed. She looked from Dickson to Liam and then back to Dickson.

"What was that about?" she asked suspiciously.

Dickson cleared his throat and straightened his shirt like he hadn’t just dragged Liam off like a jealous ex-boyfriend. "Nothing," he said, a little too quickly. "Just checking on our mutual savior over here."

Lilith raised a brow but didn’t push it.

Dickson now smiled at her with extra friendliness, borderline overcompensating. "You look great, by the way. Very—uh, healthy. Totally normal."

Lilith’s eyes narrowed more. She turned to Liam.

Liam just shook his head faintly. "Don’t ask."

Vanessa looked up from her laptop, her fingers pausing on the keyboard. She hadn’t said much since they came in, but now her sharp eyes locked onto Liam.

"You look terrible," she said flatly.

Liam let out a tired breath. "Thanks."

"I’m serious," she continued, closing her laptop and setting it aside. "Your skin’s pale, your breathing is uneven, and you’re leaning to the left like your spine gave up an hour ago."

Dickson nodded beside her. "He said it was just a headache."

Vanessa gave Liam a long stare. "Uh-huh. And I’m a virgin nun with a neck tattoo. Sit down before you fall down."

Liam ignored the advice and kept standing, but his silence gave him away.

Vanessa stood and adjusted her belt. "The others are setting up their rooms," she said, switching topics. "Seo-yeon, Kelly, and Ann. They should be done soon."

Liam raised an eyebrow. "They’re staying here?"

To be honest he hadn’t thought of where they would stay when he brought them here.

Vanessa gave him a look. "You’re the reason they’re alive. Where the hell else would they go? And besides, there’s enough room for"

Dickson added with a grin, "This place is becoming a damn hotel. We should start charging rent."

Lilith raised an eyebrow. "Rent?."

Dickson quickly threw up his hands. "No, no, not you! You’re, uh... family. You’re good."

She stared at him for a long beat, expression unreadable.

Dickson’s grin twitched.

Liam let out a quiet chuckle. Even in his state, he couldn’t help it.

Vanessa leaned back on the table as she turned toward Lilith.

"Sit," she said, motioning to the chair across from her. "You’ve missed a lot. I’ll catch you up."

Lilith gave her a curious look but sat down anyway, crossing her legs with calm confidence. She looked around the factory briefly, then back at Vanessa, waiting. No sarcasm. No smugness. Just interest.

That alone made Vanessa do a double take.

Liam stood from where he had been leaning and stretched a little, though he didn’t get far. His body ached like his bones were arguing with his muscles over who should give up first.

"I’m going to check on Ann," he said quietly, brushing off the invisible dust from his arm.

"Alright," Vanessa said, already typing something into her screen.

"Tell her I said hi," Lilith added absently.

The two were already falling into their own rhythm of conversation again.

He made his way down the hall, each footstep quieter than the last. The corridor had a strange stillness to it. This part of the factory had been repurposed into rooms—temporary, clean, but still with a leftover industrial feel. The air was cooler here, but Liam still felt heat rising off his body.

He reached one of the doors and knocked softly.

It opened just a second later.

Seo-yeon’s face appeared, her hair tied up casually, a clean white hoodie draped over her shoulder. The moment she saw him, her face lit up.

"Liam!" she said with a big smile.

He gave her a tired smile in return. "Hey, Seo. You settling in?"

She nodded quickly. "Yeah, yeah, it’s good. Feels like a secret base or something."

He chuckled faintly. "How’ve you been? You alright?"

She paused for a moment, then gave a small shrug. "Tired... but better. I slept for hours and I still feel like I’m floating."

Liam nodded slowly. "And your mom?"

"Oh—she’s out of town," she replied. "Got lucky, I guess. She missed the worst of it."

"Good," he said, genuinely relieved. "That’s good."

Seo-yeon nodded and tucked her hands into her hoodie pocket.

"I’ll catch you later," Liam said. "I need to rest for a bit."

"Alright," she said with another gentle smile. "But seriously, get some rest. You look..."

Her words trailed off as he turned away. Her smile faded slightly as she watched him walk, noting the sluggishness in his stride.

"...weak," she murmured to herself. "Really weak..."

Before she could fully close the door, Liam turned back around.

"Hey, do you know which room Ann’s in?"

Seo-yeon rubbed her chin and squinted. "Ann... oh! Right. She picked the one all the way at the end." She pointed down the dim corridor. "The last one. Far from the rest of us."

Liam followed her finger and gave a knowing smile. "Yeah. That sounds like her."

Seo-yeon tilted her head. "She okay?"

Liam didn’t answer that. He simply nodded a little and began walking away.

The hallway was long, quiet, and lit by a low overhead bulb. The sound of his boots against the concrete echoed faintly. He passed a few other doors but the last one at the very end stood out. Not by appearance, but by distance. Isolated, just like she felt.

He reached the door and tried the handle.

Locked.

Before he could even knock, the door clicked and opened.

Ann stood there, exactly as he expected.

Her expression was guarded—eyes steady, shoulders tense, mouth slightly parted as if she had something to say but wasn’t ready to say it. She wore a plain black t-shirt and fitted jeans, her hair tied back loosely. She looked rested but emotionally distant.

She didn’t speak. Just opened the door fully, stepping aside without saying a word.

Liam stepped in, and as he passed her, he caught the faint scent of mint and citrus—subtle, like she hadn’t wanted to seem like she was trying too hard.

Ann closed the door behind them.

The room was clean, sparse. A small bed in the corner, folded blankets, a backpack tucked beside the nightstand. No decorations. No comfort items. It looked like someone squatting in a hotel, not someone trying to live.

But Liam wasn’t surprised. Ann had never really settled anywhere.

She sat down on the edge of the bed, crossing her arms over her lap.

"I didn’t think you’d come," she said after a long pause.

Liam remained standing, his hand still resting near the doorframe. "Why wouldn’t I?"

She looked down, brushing a bit of lint from her thigh. "Because I don’t deserve to see you right now."

"Ann we had this conversation already..."

"I know," she interrupted softly. "You don’t need to say it. I just... I still see what I did that day."

Liam moved toward her but didn’t sit yet. His body was screaming to rest, but something about this moment felt more important.

"Ann, that was a long time ago. You were scared and Confused."

"But I was wrong," she added quietly.

Liam finally stepped closer and sat beside her, just close enough to feel the warmth of her shoulder.