Page 52 of The Billionaire's Marriage Dare

“Christian—-”

“No.” He didn’t need to hear anything more. It wouldn’t change anything.

Jane’s tears fell faster at the finality of his voice, and her shoulders began to shake at the strength of her sobs. “Christian, please.”

And he was starting to walk away again.

“Christian, I love you.”

She hadn’t meant to say the words, but the moment they slipped out, she knew—-

She knew she had wanted him to hear it, knew she was being desperate, knew that after this –

There was nothing else she could say or do if he still didn’t choose to stay with her.

Christian closed his eyes.

Christian, I love you.

He heard Jane gasp, and it was only then he realized that his body had moved involuntarily, and his fist had struck the wall with a hard blow. He opened his eyes, and he found himself numb to the sight of his bleeding fist.

He swung around to face her, asking hoarsely, “Did you really think saying those words would be enough to stop me?”

Yes. Oh God, yes. But she couldn’t make herself speak, could only cry harder at the bleak way Christian gazed at her.

“I’ve only had you for over a month in my life, Jane, and look – just take a goddamn second to look, to think about what’s happening. If I don’t find a way to make things right, the information of 20 million H players that I was responsible for keeping confidential would be sold to the highest bidder. If I don’t find a way to fix this, my company could close, and the people who depend on me for their livelihoods would lose their jobs—-”

“A-are you saying,” she asked brokenly, “it’s my fault?”

He shook his head tiredly. “No. Of course not. This was my fault, and I never thought any differently—-”

“Then what are you saying,” Jane demanded painfully.

But Christian only looked at her with eyes that grew bleaker with every moment that passed, and her desperation grew.

“I love you, Christian.” She knew she was being pathetic, but what else was there to say? “Please.” She reached for him—-

Christian stepped back.

Her arm fell, his rejection devastating her. “Please,” she choked out. “Please, Christian. I love you. We can fix this together—-”

“No,” Christian said dully. “We can’t. I know what I’m about to say is a fucking cliché—-” A hollow chuckle escaped him. “But it really is not you. It’s me.”

Her laugh echoed the emptiness in his. “You’re right. It’s a stupid cliché. And I don’t—-”

“Listen.”

She bit her lip hard.

“You say you love me,” Christian said tightly, “and you say I’m pushing you away because you’re getting too close.”

Jane couldn’t help it, whispering, “Because you are—-”

“Then let’s say you’re right. Let’s say I do love you back. Let’s say we do love each other.” Christian inhaled heavily, struggling to keep his emotions under control. “If that’s so, then shouldn’t loving you make me a better person – instead of turning me into this fool suddenly incapable of balancing work and my personal life?”

He looked at her. “Shouldn’t loving me protect you from hurt?”

Listening to him, she finally began to understand what he was saying—-

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