As Carrie freed herself from a weight she had been carrying for a long time, Liam decided it was time to explain what he planned to do.
He watched her for a few more seconds: her shoulders were still trembling, but she was no longer hunched in on herself. Her breathing had become steadier, though her fingers kept twisting together as if she feared the relief might shatter at any moment.
Liam leaned slightly forward, resting his forearms on his knees, serious and resolute.
"Carrie, do you realize that what your mother does to you harms you more than it helps?" he began firmly, without beating around the bush.
"She is projecting her fears onto you. She doesn't let you do anything because of her fear."
Carrie slowly lifted her gaze. Her eyes were still wet, but no longer evasive. She nodded gently—a small, almost timid movement, filled with painful acceptance.
Liam studied her, waiting for that confirmation… and when he got it, he continued without hesitation.
"From what you've told me, your mother will never, under any circumstances, let you leave her circle of control." His tone wasn't cruel; it was simply realistic.
The naked truth.
Carrie swallowed. Her hands clenched her knees, gripping the fabric as if she needed something to hold on to.
"I don't see any other solution…" Liam took a deep breath and then said firmly—…other than removing her from your life.
The words weren't loud, but they fell between them like a blow.
Carrie's eyes widened.
The air caught in her throat.
"Remove… my mother from my life?" she whispered, broken.
She shrank slightly in the chair, as if the idea were too big to contain. Her fingers began trembling again, pressing against her chest.
"No… no… I can't…" she murmured, her voice unsure. She sounded scared. And sad. And confused.
Her breathing sped up.
"She's my mother…" she said, unsure whether she was justifying herself… or justifying staying.
"If… if I leave her… what will happen to her? And to me?" Her lips trembled.
"God… what if… I'm doing something wrong?"
Reluctantly, her eyes filled with tears again. She lowered her head.
"But… but I don't want to keep going like this…"
"I can't live like this either," she whispered, barely audible.
"I don't want… to live in fear every day…"
She lifted her gaze toward Liam, trembling, searching for something.
Without permission.
Without instructions.
Seeing the fear and doubt in Carrie's eyes, Liam reached out and gently placed his hand over hers. His touch wasn't invasive; it was slow and steady, as if saying, Breathe. You're not alone, without words.
He stayed silent for a few minutes.
Waiting for her breathing to calm, for her shoulders to drop slightly, for her fingers to relax beneath his hand.
Then he spoke, with a seriousness meant not to frighten her, but to clarify.
"Carrie, listen." His voice was low but firm. "There is no other option if you want to be safe."
She looked at him, tears still glistening at the corners of her eyes.
"Your mother isn't someone who gives in to a conversation. She won't change just because you do. She won't let you go just because you're afraid. She… can't. Not while she's trapped in her own beliefs."
Carrie looked down, biting her lip hard.
Liam gently squeezed her hand, careful not to startle her.
"I don't mean hurting her," he added, making sure every word was clear. "I would never ask that of you."
"And I know you wouldn't want that either."
Carrie's eyes opened slightly, surprised by the clarification.
"What I mean," he continued, "is that there are moments in life when we have to distance ourselves from someone… even someone we love… because they're destroying us."
Carrie swallowed, her chest trembling.
Your mother won't give you freedom on her own. She won't let you grow, breathe, or be yourself. I can't pretend otherwise. That wouldn't be honest with you.
He leaned forward slightly, not invading her space, just making sure she heard him.
But separating from her doesn't mean abandoning her or harming her. It means protecting yourself. It means someone else has to intervene. You can't carry this weight alone anymore.
Carrie blinked and, for the first time, looked at him not only with fear… but with painful understanding.
"Being away from her," Liam said slowly, "is the only way you'll have a real chance to live without fear."
She squeezed his hand gently, unsure whether to hold on… or let go.
"I…" her voice broke. "I'm scared."
"I know," he said without hesitation. "And even so, you don't have to do this alone."
Liam continued explaining his plan without faltering.
"You'll go home. Your mother will probably ask where you've been," he said firmly but calmly. "You'll tell her part of the truth: that you made a friend and that he wants to help you. Then you'll understand, Carrie, that she doesn't care about your life… she just wants to keep you scared and controlled forever."
Liam watched her closely. Carrie shrank slightly, shoulders hunched, fingers intertwined as if that gesture could contain the fear running through her. Her eyes were wide, filled with doubt and terror, but he didn't waver. He couldn't afford to. Not now.
"What you have to do" he continued, softening his tone slightly without losing firmness "is defend yourself. Don't let her control you, no matter how afraid you feel. Try to escape, and if you manage to do it… I'll be waiting for you here."
He paused, letting the words sink in. He looked straight at her as she absorbed every syllable. Carrie lowered her head, clenching her fists on her knees, fighting the panic flooding her. After a few seconds, she lifted her gaze and nodded slightly—a small gesture acknowledging the internal battle she was fighting against fear.
Liam took a deep breath and continued with the same unshakable seriousness:
"And now comes my part. I'll get a video camera to secretly record your mother during her worst moments. We'll do it for an entire month, gathering enough evidence so the authorities take control away from her… and to make sure my mother gets custody of you."
Carrie listened to every word, her heart pounding so hard she feared it might burst from her chest. A knot formed in her throat, her mind turning into a whirlwind of thoughts too heavy to process all at once: going home, lying, observing, escaping if she could… and Liam… secretly recording the worst moments of her mother.
A shiver ran down her spine. And yet, she couldn't look away from him. Everything felt so real, so possible… and terrifying at the same time. And yet… she couldn't look away.
Carrie remained silent for a few seconds. Not because she didn't understand the plan, but because each part seemed to open a new door inside her… and all of them were frightening.
She took a deep breath, though her throat tightened. Her legs trembled, but she didn't try to hide it. Liam had already seen her cry, break down, shake… and still, he was there.
"I'll go home…" she whispered, her voice so weak it almost vanished into the cold air. She rubbed her arms, as if the thought of returning to that suffocating place chilled her skin.
Liam leaned slightly forward, observing every gesture. He didn't pressure her. He didn't move closer. He simply remained present, firm.
Carrie lowered her gaze to her feet. "My mother… if she sees me come back like this… she'll ask questions. And if she notices I'm… different…"
Her voice cracked.
"I don't know if I can lie to her…"
Liam answered calmly, with a confidence that was almost tangible.
"You can. You already are. You're thinking for yourself for the first time."
Carrie looked up, stunned. No one had ever said that to her. Ever.
The simple recognition filled her eyes with tears again—but this time not from pain… but because it was new.
Strange and warm.
"But… what if she finds out?" she asked in a thread of a voice. "What if… if she locks me in…?"
The word got stuck in her throat.
She couldn't say it.
She couldn't go back to that place in her mind.
Liam gently interrupted her, not letting her drown in her own thoughts.
"It's okay to be afraid" he said more softly now. "Fear isn't a sign of weakness, Carrie. Everyone feels it. What matters is what you do despite it."
Carrie pressed her lips together. Then, slowly, she nodded. Once. Then again, more firmly.
"I want… to try," she murmured.
She didn't say it loudly.
But she said it from deep within—where, for the first time, there was more than fear: there was will.
Liam looked at her with a strange mix of firmness and recognition. As if he had been waiting for that exact moment.
"Then it starts today."
Carrie swallowed. The weight of the plan crashed down on her shoulders all at once.
Go home.
Lie.
Act like nothing has changed.
Listen to her mother.
Answer without trembling.
Find a moment, no matter how small, to try to escape.
She felt anxiety race through her body like electricity.
But she also felt something else.
Something weak but real: a spark of courage.
"Liam…" she called, looking at him directly this time. It was strange seeing her like this, holding his gaze without hiding. "Do you really think I can do it?"
Liam didn't hesitate for a second.
"Yes," he said simply.
As if it were a fact, not a gamble. As if he had already seen the version of her that didn't yet exist.
Carrie's heart pounded painfully hard. A mix of fear and hope. A mix of who she had been… and who she wanted to become.
She closed her eyes briefly, took a deep breath… and stood up. Still trembling. Still afraid. But no longer paralyzed.
"I'm going home," she said quietly but decisively.
And for the first time, those words didn't sound like resignation…
But the beginning of a plan.
Liam exhaled, watching Carrie rise slowly, every movement tense but determined. He stepped close enough to meet her height, softening his gaze.
"Carrie," he said quietly but firmly, almost a whisper meant only for her, "I want you to remember something before you go."
He leaned slightly forward, without invading her space.
"What you're about to face won't be easy. Your fear will try to control you… and your mother will force you to give in."
He paused, making sure every word sank in.
"But you're not alone. Not anymore. No matter what happens, I'll be here, waiting. I won't abandon you."
Carrie looked at him, her eyes still damp, but shining in a new way.
Liam extended his hand, and this time it wasn't just comfort—it was a silent reminder that someone trusted her, that someone believed she could be stronger than she had ever imagined.
"Trust yourself, Carrie," Liam said calmly and confidently. "Trust that you are more than your fear. Trust that you deserve to live your life and be happy. And remember…"
He gently tapped her chest, where Carrie's heart beat—small and frightened, but alive.
"There's always a spark that no one can extinguish, not even those who claim to have everything under control."
Liam stepped back, his gaze fixed on her.
"Don't rush, but don't hesitate too long either. Today, you start taking your life back… and I'll be waiting for every step you take."
Carrie nodded with a faint, trembling smile.
Liam watched her for a few more seconds, mentally capturing the image of this girl who, for the first time, seemed ready to face the world.
Then, without another word, he remained still—firm, confident… waiting for Carrie to return home, knowing that every second would count in this new battle they were about to begin.
…
Carrie opened the door carefully, trying not to make any noise. The moment she stepped inside, her mother's presence hit her like an invisible wall: the woman stood in the living room, arms crossed, her gaze coldly assessing her.
"Where have you been?" Her voice was sharp and authoritarian, leaving no room for explanation. Every word carried weight.
Carrie swallowed, her heart pounding, and barely managed to stammer, "I went… to a friend's house… he was helping me with school."
Her mother frowned, staring at her as if merely saying it were a sin.
"You can't have friends! They'll hurt you, lead you away from God, and take your purity from you. No one will protect you like I do. None of those friendships are safe for you."
For a moment, fear froze Carrie in place—but she remembered Liam's words: Fear is something everyone feels. What matters is what you do despite it.
She forced herself to keep her head up.
"I was just… studying," she whispered, her voice trembling. "I didn't do anything wrong."
"I don't care what you say," her mother replied in a tone that allowed no argument. "Today you'll learn what it means to be pure and obedient."
Before Carrie could react, her mother grabbed her arm and dragged her into the small adjoining space—a narrow room filled with religious symbols, extinguished candles, crucifixes, and prayer books. The door creaked as it closed behind her.
Carrie, her voice breaking with fear and desperation, began pounding on the door with her palms.
"Please… let me out! I don't want to be here alone!"
Her blows echoed through the small room, mixing with broken breaths and muffled sobs.
But her mother didn't respond.
She remained in the living room, motionless, as if she hadn't heard her. The silence that followed was thick and oppressive, and Carrie understood that any pleading was useless.
She stood in the confined space, breathing with difficulty, surrounded by objects that had always made her feel more watched than protected. The air smelled of stale incense and old paper. Her heart pounded—but inside her burned a surge of determination, a spark of resistance Liam had ignited.
Though her mother remained as rigid and cruel as ever, Carrie knew there was something inside her that no gaze and no room could control:
Her will to escape and reclaim her life.