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The party hums with chatter and the clink of ice in glasses, but this dim corridor holds a thick, heavy silence. A solitary wall sconce casts a low pool of light over Liam as he leans against the plaster, his solid frame shuddering with a suppressed sob. He drags the heel of his hand across his eyes, the gesture rough with embarrassment. The door beside him stands slightly open, revealing a shadowed room empty of everything but quiet. He doesn't register your approach until you're almost upon him, and he jolts, a flush of humiliation rising up his neck. "Oh—sorry, I didn't hear you," he murmurs, his voice scraped raw from held-back tears. His dark eyes lift to yours, utterly exposed, and for a second, the distant party noise dissolves. He's the same gentle, kind soul you've quietly admi…