Bound By Lies - Rafe Cameron

Chapter 81

Rafe's POV

The house is dark when I pull back into the driveway. The whole ride back, my mind's been spinning, but now, as I step inside, the weight of it all crashes down on me. I close the door quietly, not wanting to disturb Teresa, though I know she's awake. She saw everything. She knows what I've done.

I walk upstairs, my heart heavy as I enter the room. Teresa's sitting on the edge of the bed, her arms wrapped around herself, her body tense. The moment she sees me, she looks away, her expression distant. Cold.

"Hey," I say softly, unsure of how to start this.

She doesn't respond at first, her gaze fixed on the floor. After a long moment, she finally speaks, her voice low and careful. "What did you do with the body?"

I stand there for a second, feeling the weight of the question hit me. She's trying to hold it together, but I can see the strain in her eyes, the way her fingers clench around the fabric of her shirt.

"I fed it to the alligators," I say quietly, keeping my voice as calm as I can. "It's gone. No one will find it."

She lets out a deep, shaky breath, her eyes closing as if she's trying to process what I just said. I can see it—the way she's pulling away from me. It's not just fear. It's something deeper, something about how casually I did all of this. Like it didn't even faze me.

"Teresa..." I start, stepping forward, but she shakes her head, standing up and brushing past me.

"I need to take a shower," she says quietly, not looking back as she heads for the bathroom.

I stand there, watching her go, the sound of the door clicking shut behind her like a final punctuation. The room feels empty, colder than before. And I'm left standing there, alone, the realization settling in that I've pushed her away again. She saw a part of me tonight that I can't take back. That I can't fix with promises.

As the sound of the shower starts up, I sit on the edge of the bed, staring at the floor, the silence pressing down on me. I didn't want her to see this side of me. But now... maybe she's starting to see just how deep I'm in this.

I hear the water stop, and the silence stretches in the room as I sit there, my fingers tapping restlessly on my knees. When Teresa steps out of the bathroom, her hair damp and her face free of any expression, it's like there's this invisible wall between us. It's never felt like this before. She wraps her arms around herself, and the distance—both physical and emotional—makes my chest tighten.

I stand up, my voice barely above a whisper. "Are you scared of me?"

Her eyes flick up to mine, surprise flashing in them for just a second. She shakes her head slowly, but there's something guarded there, something she's holding back. "No, Rafe," she says softly. "I'm not scared of you. You did what you had to do."

I watch her carefully, searching her face for any sign of doubt. But the way she said it—it doesn't sit right. I take a step closer, my voice raw. "I did it for us."

She looks away for a second, then back at me, her gaze softer but still distant. "I know," she murmurs. "But... it's just a lot, you know? All of this. It's... it's a lot to take in."

My heart twists as I see the weight of everything we've been through reflected in her eyes. I reach out slowly, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her close. She doesn't pull away this time, and for a moment, we just stand there, holding onto each other like we're the only things keeping each other from falling apart.

"I know, baby," I whisper, pressing my forehead to hers. "I know it's a lot. But we're in this together. I'm not going to let anything happen to us."

She sighs softly, leaning into me, her head resting against my chest. "I just need some time to process it all. It's not... it's not easy."