I stand in the shower, the hot water cascading down my body, but I barely feel it. My mind is a mess—a swirling vortex of pain, guilt, and confusion that I can't seem to escape. I rest my forehead against the cool tiles, my hands bracing on the wall, my chest heaving with ragged breaths.
How did everything get so messed up? How did I end up here, torn between the truth and the man I love, betraying everyone who ever cared about me? I squeeze my eyes shut, the weight of it all crushing me until I feel like I can't breathe.
I'm betraying my aunt. She died fighting for justice, and here I am, protecting the man who killed her. I can almost hear her voice in my head, telling me to do the right thing, to make him pay for what he did. But I can't. God help me, I can't.
Tears blend with the water streaming down my face, hot and relentless, as shame washes over me. I'm betraying my dad too—the only family I have left. I've seen the pain in his eyes, the way he's been hurting since she was killed. And I'm protecting the monster who took her away from us. What kind of daughter am I? What kind of person am I?
And then there's John B. The thought of him twists something deep inside me, a sharp stab of guilt. He's rotting in a cell right now for something he didn't do—because I believed Rafe, because I trusted him. I sided with a liar, a murderer, and turned my back on someone who used to be my friend.
JJ's words ring in my ears: "When did you become such a cold-hearted bitch that you'd let an innocent person—your friend—go to jail?"
I let out a choked sob, my body shaking as I remember the look in his eyes—so full of disappointment, anger, and disgust. And he's right. I'm a horrible person. I'm doing exactly what Rafe wanted me to do—turning my back on everything I believe in, everything I stood for, all because I love him.
How could I do this to Pope and Kiara? They didn't deserve my betrayal either. They tried to warn me, tried to tell me the truth, and I threw it back in their faces. I trusted Rafe over them, defended him, even though deep down I always knew something was off. I let love blind me, let it twist me into someone I don't even recognize anymore.
And now... I'm betraying myself. The realization settles like a cold, hard stone in the pit of my stomach. I've lost myself in Rafe, lost who I am, what I stand for. I used to be strong, confident, unwilling to bend for anyone. But he broke me. He manipulated me, lied to me, and I let him. I let him.
Another sob escapes my lips, and I slide down to the floor of the shower, curling into myself as the hot water pours over me. I hate him. God, I hate him for what he's done to me, for what he's made me become. But I can't stop loving him. No matter how hard I try, I can't let go.
And that's what hurts the most.
I don't know how to walk away from him. I don't know how to turn him in and live with myself afterward. If I go to the cops, it'll destroy him, and he'll end up in jail for the rest of his life. I'll lose him forever. But if I stay quiet, if I keep this secret, I'm betraying everyone I love... including myself.
"Fuck," I whisper, my voice barely audible over the roar of the water. "What do I do? What the fuck do I do?"
No answer comes. There's no easy solution, no clear path forward. I'm trapped in a nightmare, and no matter which way I turn, I lose. I lose my aunt, my friends, my family, myself... and Rafe. And that's the cruelest irony of all, isn't it? No matter what I do, I lose him.
I hug my knees to my chest, letting out another sob, my body shaking with the force of my pain. I want to hate him. I should hate him. But all I feel is this soul-crushing love, this unbreakable bond that keeps pulling me back to him, even when I know it's wrong.
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Bound By Lies - Rafe Cameron
RomanceWhen Teresa Peterkin moves to the Outer Banks to find answers about her aunt's murder, she crosses paths with Rafe Cameron-a volatile and troubled man with a dark reputation. Drawn to the mystery surrounding him, Teresa soon realizes there's more to...