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CONVICTED

Jules

I wasn’tready for this. Omar comes to stand in front of me, and I can’t bring myself to look at him.

“When you decide to start telling the truth, let me know. And until then, I think we need to take a pause.” His cold voice is like a hammer hitting my heart.

“You’re breaking up with me?” I croak.

He looks away. “I need to think.” His voice is monosyllabic, his expression unreadable.

“Omar, I’m sorry,” I say and take his hand.

But he pulls away. “Me, too. I thought we had everything.” His voice is rough, and he doesn’t meet my eye.

“We do.” I walk up to him and grab his forearms.

He shakes me loose. “Until you started lying to me and letting that man get between us.”

“Conrad is just—” There is a break in my voice while that look in his eye breaks my heart.

“Don’t say his name,” he snaps, his voice low. “I fuckingresenthim. He knows things about you that you’ve hidden from me. And the way he looks at you honestly terrifiesme. Because whatever his hold is on you, it’s strong enough that you’re afraid of thatfuckingweasel instead of kicking him in the balls and telling him who the fuck you are.”

“I’m so sorry—” is all I can manage to say. It’s all I feel.

“For what, Jules? What have you done? Did you sleep with him?” He raises his voice, but the raw hurt in his eyes is what gets my attention. I’m not going to drag this out.

I take a deep breath. “No. I’ve never slept with him. It’s not like that between us and never has been. I know I’ve been unfair to you. But I love you so much.” A sob breaks my voice. “Please don’t walk away. Please give me a chance to explain.”

He flinches like I slapped him. “Walk away? Fromyou?Jules…Nothingcould make me voluntarily leave you. But lying to me about this man feels like you pushing me away.”

I shake my head and let him go. “He’s not the problem, Omar. He’s just a symptom of it.”

He curses under his breath, his jaw clenched so tightly the muscles are jumping under his skin. “I’m not sure what’s going on with you and that …whateverhe is. But if you don’t stop talking in riddles and start telling me the truth, I’m not sure how much longer I’ll even care.”

There’s no tenderness in his gaze, no smile threatening to tug up the corners of his frown. There’s no light in his eyes, nomein them. I’m terrified, but he already knows something is wrong, and the longer I keep denying, the less he’s going to trust me.

If I could, I would throw myself at his feet and beg him to let me have tonight and promise to tell him in the morning. But that would only delay the inevitable.

Conrad was right about one thing. I thought I had the power of a god and tried to erase my past. His appearance here hasbrought me crashing down to earth. He didn’t intend to, but he’s given me a clarity and certainty that I’ve needed.

This is no way to live. What good is my new identity if I have to lie to the man I love?

“Can you give me a minute? I just need to get something out of my suitcase, please. I will explain.”

I walk on legs made of lead and grab the file I went to Birmingham to get yesterday. It’s my complete file from my lawyers, and I added all of the newspaper clippings and photos I’d kept from the year the girl I’d been died.

I’m no stranger to loss. I have lost more than I’ve ever had—and I may be about to lose him too. I can live with that. But I can’t let him think anything else was a lie. This time we’ve had together has allowed me to be the truest me I’veeverbeen.

I hand the file over to him with trembling hands. “Read this and then we can talk.” He takes it but just stares at it.

“What is this?”

“Everything I haven’t told you.”

He looks at me warily and flips it open.

I close my eyes.