Bound By Lies - Rafe Cameron

Chapter 24

Rafe's POV

The cool night air bit at my skin, but I barely felt it. The sound of the waves lapping softly against the docks was a constant, a steady rhythm that almost drowned out the chaos in my head. Almost.

Teresa walked beside me, her presence a quiet comfort, but it didn't ease the knot of tension coiled tight in my chest. I glanced at her out of the corner of my eye—at the way the moonlight caught in her hair, at the soft, worried expression on her face—and something twisted painfully inside me.

She didn't know. Didn't know what I'd done, what I was still doing. Because if she knew—if she ever found out—she'd leave. She'd hate me. And I'd lose her forever.

I couldn't let that happen.

We walked in silence for what felt like an eternity, each step heavy with the weight of everything I couldn't say, everything I couldn't let her see. But then she stopped, turning to face me, her gaze searching mine.

"Rafe, talk to me," she murmured softly, her voice a gentle plea. "What's going on in that head of yours?"

I looked down at her, my heart aching with the weight of it all—the lies, the secrets, the guilt that twisted through me like a vice. I knew I should say something. Knew I should let her in, let her see the mess I was carrying. But the words were tangled up in my throat, the fear of losing her choking me.

"I'm just..." I trailed off, shaking my head slowly. "I'm trying to figure out how to protect you, Teresa. How to keep you safe without losing you."

Her expression softened, but the unease was still there, lurking in the corners of her eyes. I hated it—hated that I was the one putting it there, the one making her feel like this.

"You don't have to do this alone, Rafe," she said gently, taking a small step closer. "Whatever it is, we can face it together."

I felt my chest tighten, the knot of fear and anger and guilt twisting tighter. She didn't understand. She couldn't understand. This wasn't something we could face together. This was something I had to carry alone, because if she knew—if she ever found out the truth...

"You don't understand," I muttered, my voice low and rough. "If you knew the truth... you'd hate me."

Her eyes widened slightly, a flicker of fear crossing her face, and I felt my heart drop. Fuck. I shouldn't have said that. Shouldn't have let it slip. But it was too late now. The damage was done.

"Rafe, what are you talking about?" she whispered, her voice trembling. "What truth?"

I stared at her, my heart pounding painfully in my chest. I could tell her. Could let it all out—everything about Ward, about Peterkin, about what I'd done. But the thought of it—of watching the light in her eyes dim, of seeing the way she looked at me change—was too much.

"It doesn't matter," I said desperately, shaking my head. "I just need you to trust me. Please, Teresa."

She hesitated, her gaze searching mine, and I could see the fear there—the uncertainty, the doubt. But I could also see something else—something softer, something that made the tightness in my chest loosen just a little.

"I trust you, Rafe," she whispered softly, the words like a balm against the storm raging inside me. "But whatever it is you're hiding... it's going to come out eventually. And when it does, we'll face it together."

The relief that washed over me at her words was almost overwhelming, leaving me breathless and reeling. I reached out, pulling her into my arms, holding her tightly, needing to feel her against me, needing to know she was real.