Page 95 of Bared Betrayal

Silence follows, and I wonder if he left, turning around only to see him stare at the paintings scattered all over. My heart turns inside out as I take him in. The way his suit jacket hugs his shoulders, the way his tie is loosened just a bit, the way he runs his hand through his thick salt and pepper hair. It’s all too much and yet not enough. He’s beautiful, and it hurts to look at him.

He walks toward one of the paintings and studies it deeply, his hand reaching out to touch it, but doesn’t. The space between us is suffocating as we both try not to acknowledge the pulse of a connection we wish wasn’t there. It would be so much easier if it weren’t.

I clear my throat, trying to break the tension that’s building. “Gabriel, please leave,” I plead, barely above a whisper.

He turns his gaze back to me, and his eyes bore into mine. They’re filled with an intensity that sends shivers down my spine as he speaks in a low voice, “Don’t marry him, Kallie.”

My bottom lip trembles as I try to hold back the emotion that’s threatening to erupt. I cross my arms, looking down at my bare feet. “I’m not going to.”

“You’re not?” There’s a slight uptick in his voice.

“No.” I breathe in. “I just…I haven’t found the right time to tell him.”

“Is there ever a right time?”

“I suppose not.”

He starts to move, but I hold up my hand as I step back. “Don’t.”

“Kallie, you’re not marrying Sebastian. That means—”

“That means what?” I cut my gaze to him. “That we can be together now? That we can just go back to your place and live happily ever after?”

“It means we don’t have to fight this anymore.”

“He’s still your son.”

“He’ll get over it.”

I scoff. “You know, the last few days away from you made me realize just how fucking selfish we are, screwing around behind Sebastian’s back. We tried to live a lie, a lie we hoped to God would eventually turn into something real.”

“It is real.”

“Is it? Or is it just two people who have been hurt too damn much, trying to justify this sordid affair by blaming it on our pasts? We were using each other, Gabriel.”

“Bullshit.”

“I was using you as an outlet for my pain, and you grabbed the opportunity to fall for a woman you can never have because there was no threat of a commitment.”

He scowls at me, those deep blue eyes raging in silence. “That’s bullshit, and you know it.”

“It’s not.”

I can feel my heart pounding against my ribcage as Gabriel walks toward me. His movements are slow and cautious like he’s afraid I might break if he moves too quickly. I’m worried I might break.

“You are trying to convince yourself that you’re in pain right now because there is no way we can be together when it’s as simple as fucking accepting it.”

“Nothing about us is simple.”

“It’s only as complicated as you want it to be.”

“Don’t do this,” I beg. “Just leave.”

“I’m not leaving.”

“Then I will.”

“Kallie—”