Page 70 of Secret Marriage To My Bosshole

“What are you saying, Griff?” Cora’s eyes widen, and her lips part. She wraps her arms around her torso as if holding herself together.

I clear my throat and stand taller, pushing all emotions from my body. It's the only way I’m going to get through this.

The last thing I want is for Cora to think I don’t love her, but it’s the only way she will leave.

Leaving is what's best for her in the long run.

If she thinks there's even a chance we could make this work, she'll fight like hell. It’s what she does for the people she loves. I’ve seen it time and time again.

I don’t deserve that kind of love.

“I said we needed a wake-up call. We’ve been living in a bubble for too long, and it was bound to break sooner or later.”

She barks out a sharp laugh. “Yeah. If it makes you feel better, my mom calls me and asks if I’m okay. I feel so guilty for hiding everything from her. She finds out that I’ve been lying for months, and she still calls to ask if I’m okay.”

My stomach ties itself into tight knots. “We never should have let things go this far.”

“You think?” Cora scoffs and shakes her head. “Say whatever it is you keep dancing around, Griff. I’m a grown-up. I can handle it.”

I don’t know if I can handle saying it.

All I want to do is cross the room and convince us everything will be okay.

But it’s never going to be okay... Not when I can’t protect her from my family’s toxicity. They’ll only destroy her.

I sink into one of the chairs across from her, feeling the weight of the world settling on my shoulders. “I think that it’s best if we stop here.”

“Is this about what happened with your family the other day?”

Yes.

“No.” Cora arches an eyebrow, fixing me in place with that steely gaze. “You’re not being honest, Griff, and you know it. Whatever is happening right now has everything to do with the tabloid and your family.”

“No.” I lean forward, bracing my forearms on my elbows. “This has everything to do with us. We were never compatible to begin with. We both just got caught up in the secret marriage, and this is where it led us.”

Cora’s lips tighten as she draws her knees up to her chest. “You’re lying to me,” she says.

“I’m not. This is the truth, Cora. We never should’ve gotten to where we are right now. We should have ended this long before it got so complicated.”

“What about all that talk about wanting a family with me? Was that all a lie, too?”

Of course not.

I shrug. “I was just saying what I thought you wanted to hear.”

Disgust flickers across her face as she shakes her head. “Can you even hear yourself right now? You sound like your father.”

Her words hit me hard. I sink back into the seat, staring at her as she stands.

It feels like a thousand needles piercing my skin.

There's no going back once I say what's on my mind. Cora will want nothing to do with me forever, holding a grudge for what I'm about to say.

But I can't stop the inevitable disaster.

I clear my throat and sink deeper into the shadows, trying to hide the tears welling in my eyes.

"I'm just tired of being in a relationship that doesn't seem to have a future," I say.

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