Chapter 43
Hurt
Orthon’s
She was avoiding me. I knew she was. She wouldn’t return my calls. She wouldn’t be in the same space with me, dammit; she wouldn’t even glance
at me.
I knew kissing her was an idiotic move but I couldn’t help it. When she kissed me first, I thought things were finally going to progress between us but it only ended up complicating things and now, I wasn’t even sure Veronica wanted to remain friends with me.
It hurt like hell and I couldn’t even deny it.
Lately, she indulged herself in the gala preparations so she wouldn’t have to spend time with me. She always made sure we were doing different tasks and were far away from each other.
Now, I was outside her room, waiting for her to come out because I couldn’t continue living like this.
She stepped out of her room, casually dressed, which was a good thing because we had a lot to discuss, but the moment she saw me, she wanted to sprint back into her room.
I caught the door on top, before she could slam it in my face and forced my way into the room.
Her cheeks tinted pink as she immediately turned away from me.
“Can you explain to me why the fuck you have been avoiding me?” I
demanded.
“1… I am not avoiding you…” she immediately denied.
“Really? Because you were just about to slam the door in my face!” I stated and she groaned.
“Can we not talk about this now? The gala is in two days and I need to be properly rested…”
“No, we are going to have this conversation right now! Do you have any idea how much it kills me to see you avoid me like a plague? All for what? A kiss?” I barked. I could barely contain my anger now. “If I remember clearly, you kissed me first! All I did was reciprocate! Is that such a bad thing?”
She stiffened at my words, her shoulders tense. When she finally turned to face me, her cheeks were flushed, her eyes glistening with unspoken emotions.
“It’s not about the kiss,” she said quietly.
“Then what is it about? What are you so afraid of?” I pressed, my frustration boiling over.
Her lips parted, but no words came out. She shook her head as if trying to gather her thoughts. Finally, she sighed and looked up at me with a mixture of anger and despair.
“Don’t you get it, Orthon?” she said, her voice trembling. “This isn’t just about you and me. This is about Carter. You’re his uncle. His family. Do you know how wrong this is? What would people say?”
I stared at her, momentarily taken aback by her words. “Carter and I may share blood, but what happened between the two of you is over. You’re divorced, Veronica. You don’t owe him your loyalty anymore.”
“It’s not that simple! It’s not like he has even agreed to sign the papers. In
the face of society, I would be having an extramarital affair!” she snapped, her voice rising. “And you know he trusted you. He looked up to you, and now… now I’m stuck between the two of you, and it feels like I’m betraying him.”
I couldn’t believe she was really saying this. My relationship with Carter was long broken from the moment he mistreated her.
“You’re not betraying anyone,” I said coldly. “Carter and I have our own relationship, and whatever issues he has are his to deal with. This,” I gestured between us. “-is about us. About what we feel. Stop using Carter as an excuse to avoid that.”
Tears welled in her eyes, and she turned away from me, her voice breaking as she said, “I can’t do this, Orthon. I’ve tried to think of many ways this can work but I just can’t. It would end in a very bad fight and I can’t be the cause of another rift in someone’s life.”
I stepped closer, gently placing a hand on her shoulder. She didn’t pull away this time, though her body was tense under my touch.
“Veronica,” I said softly, “Carter and I will always have issues, running from your feelings won’t fix them. You kissed me because you wanted to. Because this thing between us is real. Don’t let fear take that away.
She let out a shaky breath, her shoulders sagging as though the weight of her guilt was finally too much to bear. “I’m terrified, Orthon,” she admitted. “I don’t know how to do this without hurting everyone around me.”
“Then let’s figure it out together,” I said, turning her to face me. “One step at a time. But don’t shut me out. Don’t let what might happen keep you from what we could have.”
Her tears spilt over, but she didn’t pull away when I pulled her into my arms. She melted into the embrace, and I held her tightly, silently vowing
to fight for her, for us.
I didn’t care who I’d have to cut off in the process, as long as she could be
mine.
She stayed in my arms for a moment, her breath hitching as she tried to regain her composure. But when she pulled away, there was some form of finality in her eyes. Like she had finally made her decision.
“Orthon,” she began, her voice soft but firm. “We can’t do this. No matter how we feel… it’s not right. It’s too complicated.”
I shook my head, already frustrated by her words. “It’s only complicated because you’re making it that way. We’re adults, Veronica. We can decide what’s right for us.”
She let out a dry, humourless laugh. “It’s not just about us, Orthon. You keep saying we’ll figure it out, but you’re only turning a blind eye to the truth. Let’s take Carter out of this, have you considered the rest of your family? Do you think they will accept the same woman twice into the family? They don’t even like me and I can’t even bring myself to forgive them for what they did to me either! If my marriage with Carter was bad, this would be hell! A fucking disaster!“–
I took a step closer, desperate to break through the wall she was building. “And what about you? What about what you want? Why does everyone else’s opinion matter more than your own happiness? We don’t need them. I can cut them off if they make you uncomfortable!”
Her eyes glistened again, but she held her ground. “That makes it a whole lot worse! Not only would I be the shameless cheating wife, but I would be a homewrecker, too! It will break me…”
“Damn it, Veronica!” I snapped, running a hand through my hair in frustration. “Why are you so convinced this is going to end badly? We could be happy. Don’t you see that?”
11
She looked down, avoiding my gaze. Her silence was deafening.
After what felt like an eternity, she finally spoke, her voice barely above a whisper. “I do see it. And that’s what scares me the most.”
Her words were like a punch to the gut. For a moment, I didn’t know how to respond. My eyes were stinging with tears I struggled to hold back.
Why couldn’t she see how much she meant to me?
“Then why won’t you even try?” I asked, my voice quieter now, almost pleading. My heart was breaking and I didn’t know how much more I could take. She was killing me and she couldn’t even see it.
She met my eyes, and the sadness in them was enough to break me. “Because I can’t risk losing you too. If this doesn’t work… if we fall apart… I won’t just lose you as… as something more. I’ll lose you as a friend. And I can’t handle that.”
I stared at her, my heart aching at the sincerity in her voice. It hurt to see her overthinking. Carter had made her so insecure that she didn’t even believe any relationship could blossom.
“So that’s it, then?” I said bitterly. “You’re willing to settle for this… this half–version of what we could be because you’re too scared to take a chance?”
“It’s not settling,” she said firmly, though her voice wavered. “It’s protecting what we already have. You mean too much to me to risk it all on something that might not work. Please, Orthon… can’t we just stay friends?”
Friends. The word felt like a knife twisting in my chest. But looking at her, seeing the fear and determination in her expression, I knew pushing her further would only make things worse.
I took a step back, trying to compose myself. I had to endure it, even if it
言
broke me. I already watched her fall in the arms of another man, this pain… was nothing compared to that.
If she wanted me in the friend zone, I would accept it and hope… hope that one day, she would be willing to give me a chance.
“If that’s what you want,” I said, my voice tight, “then fine. Friends.
