Liam Payne's girlfriend Kate Cassidy 'gave him ultimatum' days before his death

Liam Payne's tragic death at age 31 came after his girlfriend Kate Cassidy gave him an ultimatum to choose between her or drugs. Before Liam's death in October, the couple were travelling in Argentina, facing visa challenges as Liam had aspirations of moving to the US to be with his partner, a former waitress.

His history of substance abuse and rehabilitation stays meant that his expired visa called for medical assessments and narcotics screenings to get renewed. While he seemed set for a visa once again after presumably staying clean and passing evaluations, there are indications that he slipped back into drug and alcohol use.

READ MORE: Three people charged in connection with Liam Payne's death

READ MORE: Kate Cassidy says that he vowed to marry her before his tragic passing

On October 16, tragedy struck when Liam fell from the balcony of his hotel room in Buenos Aires, sustaining injuries that resulted in "internal and external haemorrhage".

A source close to them told the New York Post: "His drug use was causing a lot of drama. So she gave him an ultimatum: her or the drugs. He chose the drugs, so she had no choice but to remove herself from the situation. She thought she was doing tough love."

Kate has spoken out about their rock relationship; what was meant to be a brief five-day trip extended to two weeks, much to her dismay.

Kate expressed her restlessness on social media, telling her followers she "hated" being stuck in one place and was eager to return to their home in Florida. A source revealed that Kate likened her extended holiday to a “hostage situation” when chatting with friends and felt it was having a negative impact on everyone involved.

The insider added that Kate was hopeful her partner would join her back in Miami. Tragically, just two days after Liam's passing, Kate posted an emotional tribute on social media.

Taking to Instagram, she shared: "Thank you for all of the kind words and love that has been sent my way. I have been at a complete loss. Nothing about the past few days have felt real. I ask and pray that you'll give me the grace and space to navigate this in private. Liam, my angel. You are everything. I want you to know I loved you unconditionally and completely. I will continue to love you for the rest of my life. I love you Liam."

Their first meeting was akin to a romantic comedy scene: Kate, then working as a waitress, served the famous Liam at a bar in Charleston, South Carolina, last year; he was charmed at first sight and asked for her number without hesitation. However, there was almost a slip-up when Kate omitted the +1 country code from her American phone number.

Amid the whisperings surrounding Kate, a 24 year old Argentinian waiter named Braian Nahuel Paiz has come forward, claiming a close connection with Liam. Opening up in a bid to clear his name, Paiz shared several details about his dealings with the singer.

Braian vehemently denies playing the role of drug "dealer" for Liam, recounting two meetings they had at hotels. He insists that he never accepted payment nor were drugs involved during their encounters, noting Liam's familiarity with offering cash.

The pair seems to have first met on October 2 in a different hotel before Liam moved to the high-end CasaSur Palermo. It was there, Braian claims, that they spent a whole night together on October 13.

Speaking to the Argentinian journalist Guillermo Panizza on TV last weekend, Braian stated with confidence: "I never supplied Liam with drugs. Liam's first contact with me was at my place of work. We swapped details and saw each other later that night. It was all normal. He came down from his hotel room to fetch me because I had got lost."

Recounting the events at the "Hyatt in Palermo" he said: "We got together there and he showed me some of the music he was going to bring out. I've heard people saying he was taking drugs but the truth is that when he got to the restaurant where I was working he was already under the effects of drugs and he didn't actually eat anything. There was a moment when he approached me and asked me for my contact details. I gave him an Instagram and afterwards he sent me messages because he wanted to take drugs although he had already consumed narcotics. It was October 2. While I was in his room we had some whisky shots."

He added: "Our second hotel meeting was on the night of Sunday October 13. We spent the night together, we consumed drugs because the truth is that something intimate happened. I stayed there all night. I consumed marijuana and he consumed cocaine, the cocaine that's in all the photos that came out after his death. He was separating it and cleaning it before smoking it. I didn't say anything to him about it because he seemed normal to me."

Liam was called "really sweet" for checking up on Braian, ensuring he was "ok", and left with quite a memory as Braian shared that he saved all the texts from the star. To commemorate their encounter, Payne gifted him a T-shirt and grey jogging bottoms, which were later found in Liam's room.

Braian revealed that Liam had once visited his place to meet a friend who was a huge One Direction fan. Liam proposed they head back to his hotel room, but Braian had to decline due to work commitments.

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