Bound By Lies - Rafe Cameron

Epilogue

A Year Later

It's been a year since everything went down, and life is... different. Better. Rafe's been going to therapy every week, working on his temper, and it shows. He's calmer now, more in control, and our life together feels solid. I smile to myself as I look over at him, sitting on the couch with Rex, our little rescue dog, nestled up beside him.

"Rafe," I call out, teasingly. "I think Rex is waiting for you to give him some love."

Rafe glances at Rex, pretending to be indifferent. "He's fine. He's just a dog."

I raise an eyebrow, stifling a laugh. "Just a dog, huh? Because it looks to me like he follows you around more than he follows me."

Rafe shrugs, trying to play it cool, but I catch the small, fond smile he's trying to hide. "Whatever you say, Teresa."

I shake my head, sitting down next to them, pulling Rex into my lap. "You can act tough all you want, but I know you love him," I say with a smirk, scratching Rex behind the ears.

Rafe huffs, leaning back into the couch, pretending to ignore me. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure you don't," I tease, leaning over to kiss his cheek. "But I see how you sneak him treats when you think I'm not looking."

Rafe grumbles, but the smile breaks through as he reaches over to pet Rex. "He's alright, I guess," he mutters. "But you spoil him more than you spoil me."

I laugh, shaking my head.

"He's small," Rafe grumbles, but I see the way he looks at Rex, the fondness in his eyes. "And you love him more than me."

I roll my eyes, leaning in to kiss Rafe's cheek. "Jealous of a dog? Really?"

"Maybe," he says, giving me a crooked grin. "It's like I'm competing for your attention."

I nudge him playfully. "You know you're my number one."

Rafe shrugs, but his smile gives him away. "As long as you remember that."

It's moments like this, these small, quiet moments, that make me realize how far we've come. The chaos, the darkness—it's behind us. Now, we have this. A life we built together, full of love, laughter, and the little moments that make everything worth it.

As I sit here, Rafe's arm around me and Rex curled up at our feet, I can't help but feel at peace. We're happy. We've finally found our balance. And Rafe? He's everything I always knew he could be. Strong, protective, and loving—without the darkness that once clouded our relationship.

"I love you," I say softly, looking up at him.

He leans down, kissing me gently on the forehead. "I love you more."

And just like that, everything feels perfect.

It's strange how things have shifted between us and the Pogues. We haven't really made up—there's still tension, unspoken things between us—but sometimes, when we pass each other on the street, we exchange a brief, almost hesitant smile. It's not much, but it's better than the full-on animosity that used to define our interactions. Rafe still hates them, but keeps it civil for my sake.

I heard through the grapevine that they opened a shop—Poguelandia. The name alone makes me raise an eyebrow every time I think about it. It sounds... weird. But it fits them, I guess. They always had their own thing going on, even if I never fully understood it.

I haven't been inside Poguelandia. I wouldn't dare. Not yet, anyway. As much as the tension has eased, there's still this invisible wall between us, a barrier that hasn't been broken. I don't know if it ever will be.

Sometimes, when I see them all together—JJ, Pope, Kiara, and Sarah—loading up their van for one of their week-long road trips, I can't help but wonder where they're going. But deep down, I already know. They're visiting John B. They have to be. Every time I watch them pile into the van with their bags, laughing and joking like they don't have a care in the world, my stomach twists with guilt. I feel it, gnawing at me, relentless.

John B. is still out there, on the run, hiding because of something Rafe did. Because of something I helped cover up. And I know the Pogues blame me. They might not say it to my face anymore, but I can feel it. It's there in the way Kiara looks at me when we cross paths. It's in the way Pope's smile doesn't quite reach his eyes when we pass by each other. They haven't forgiven me. How could they? John B. is paying for a crime he didn't commit, and I'm here, pretending like everything is okay.

But sometimes, late at night, when Rafe is asleep beside me and the house is quiet, I wonder if I'll ever stop feeling guilty. If I'll ever truly be able to move on, knowing that John B. is out there, hiding. And I wonder if, deep down, the Pogues know that I feel it too—that the guilt I carry is just as heavy as their loss.

But this is my life now. And I have to live with it.

I look back at Rafe. The sight of him, so calm, so relaxed—it does something to me. The storm in my chest eases just a little. There's a peace here, in this house, in this life we've built together. A peace I never thought we'd find.

We've been through so much. More than most people could handle. And yeah, maybe our story isn't perfect. Maybe it's messy, full of mistakes and moments I wish I could undo. But as I sit here, watching Rafe quietly smile to himself, I realize something.

It's our story.

Imperfect, complicated, and full of flaws. But it's ours. And I wouldn't want it any other way.

The End.

Thank you all so much for coming on this journey with me. Writing this story has been an emotional rollercoaster, filled with love, heartbreak, and everything in between. Rafe and Teresa's relationship was never meant to be perfect—just like real life, it's messy, complicated, and full of difficult choices. But that's what makes it special.

I hope you've enjoyed watching these characters grow and evolve as much as I have while writing them.

Thank you for reading, for sticking with me through every twist and turn, and for embracing this imperfect love story. It's been a wild ride, and I wouldn't have had it any other way.