Page 64 of The Senator's Secret

It’s true. Everything Cara just said is true. I haven’t seen the cool politician side of him in the last two months. I guess he was just keeping his true nature locked away.

“Grace,” Cara gasps. “I’m so sorry.”

“Save it,” I snap. I feel numb, but I know it won’t last long. I need answers, and then I need to get out of here. “Were you ever going to tell me the truth?”

She swallows audibly but then at least answers me honestly. “No.” Thank God, because I couldn’t bear it if she lied to me right now.

“And you?” I prompt, turning to Jake. “Were you ever going to tell me the truth?”

“No,” he says low. “But Grace—” He starts reaching out for me, but I throw my hands up and back away.

“I told you I loved you!” I scream.

“And I love you!” Jake shouts back.

“No,” I say sadly. “You don’t. You never once said it until now. Now, when I can’t believe a Goddamned thing that comes out of your mouth.”

“That’s not true and you know it.”

“I don’t know anything,” I trade barbs.

“I have always loved you, but you wouldn’t give me the fucking time of day!” he thunders. “What was I supposed to do?”

“Not fuck everything that walked by, Jake!”

“What would you have me do? Become a monk like Rick?” Jake roars. “He hasn’t fucked a woman since his wife left him when we were deployed, I’m guessing, until he fucked her last night.”

“And look what good that did!” I shout back. “You’re both monsters.”

“You don’t believe that,” he says with hurt flashing in his eyes. Even after everything, I hate that I’ve caused him pain. But he should have been honest with me from the beginning.

“I don’t know what to believe anymore,” I say sadly. “I have to go.”

“No!” Jake growls, but I’m running. I should have ran months ago. Then I wouldn’t have lost my heart to a man who cheated to win it. “Grace!”

“No, Jake,” I hear Rick say. “Let her go. For now.”

I don’t stick around to find out what that means. I just run. Like my gut told me to do in the beginning.

I was wrong when I said my heart was breaking this morning, because now it’s completely and irrevocably shattered. Maybe it’s partly my fault anyway. I had so loved the way he lied.

“Is There Trouble in Paradise?”

Chapter 20

Runaway

Tall Pines, Texas

Three days later

Lights. Lights are bright, and my eyeballs feel like there are shards of glass in them. I suppose crying your eyes out for three days will do that. Not just crying, but the kind of sobbing that is accompanied by screaming and wailing, so my throat feels like I drank too much whiskey while screaming Janis Joplin songs.

That actually doesn’t sound like too bad of a plan. I know there’s a bar in this town, because I’ve heard Angie mention it before.

I’m awake. I’m awake, but I don’t open my eyes. Maybe if I keep them closed tight enough, this nightmare will go away. But it won’t. This nightmare is my life. I finally found a man who checked all of my boxes. He knew me, he really got me in ways that no one ever had before, and he loved me good and well.

“Yeah, Jules,” I hear Angie say. “She’s here.”