Page 71 of Secret Marriage To My Bosshole

Her eyes widen, and she looks down at me, torn between running away and giving me a piece of her mind.

My words hang heavy in the air, crushing any hope of fixing things between us.

I've shattered the trust we’ve built, but I can't keep pretending that everything is fine when it's not.

Cora's expression softens, and hurt and confusion mix in her eyes. "You're giving up? After everything we've been through?"

I shake my head, my voice barely above a whisper. "I'm not giving up, Cora. I'm facing reality. We were never meant to last, and it's time we accept that."

Her shoulders slump, the fight draining out of her. "But I thought... I thought you loved me."

"I do love you," I say, my voice breaking. "But love isn't always enough. We need more than just love to make this work, and I don't think we have it."

Cora's face falls, and she looks away, processing my words. "So, this is it? We're just going to end it like this?"

I nod, the weight of my decision settling in my chest. "I think it's for the best, Cora. For both of us."

She remains frozen in place.

I get up and head for the door, putting some distance between us. "I'll have your stuff sent to Jake's house. You can move on with your life, and I'll do the same. I'll make sure you have enough money to take care of the debts."

Cora follows me into the hall, slipping on her heels and gathering her bags without a word. "Send them to Sophie. I'll be staying with her. You'll need Jake to hold your hand when you realize you're making the biggest mistake of your life."

Her words sting, but she's still thinking about me, even as she prepares to leave. I don't deserve someone like her.

Cora takes the key to my house off her keyring and holds it out to me. "I'm not going to beg you to love me, Griffin. If this is what you really want, I hope you have a good life."

She presses the key into my palm before walking out.

I stand in the doorway, watching as she gets in her car and drives away from the place we once called home. The urge to run after her and apologize for everything is overwhelming.

I want to tell her she was right and I was wrong. I want to believe there's a world where we could work things out and be together.

But I know my parents would never leave her alone.

As I shut the door and return to the house, it feels emptier than ever.

I realize I've made the biggest mistake of my life.

She was right again, like always. This is what Cora needs.

She deserves a good life, and I deserve the misery of letting her go.

Chapter twenty-three

Cora

Sophie tosses a throw pillow at my head as she walks into the living room and finds me buried beneath a blanket on the couch again. “You have to stop this wallowing.”

“I’m not wallowing.” I toss the pillow back at her. “I’m conserving my energy before the rest of my life turns into a flaming pile of shit around me. As if it couldn’t get any worse.”

Sophie cracks a smile and pushes my feet out of the way, sitting down on the end of the couch. “Cora, you weren’t even this upset when you caught Victor cheating on you.”

I give her a flat look. “What I had with Griff was different. It meant so much more, and now that it’s over, I don’t know what to do with myself.”

“It doesn’t have to be over. You could storm his house and talk to him again—insist he’s wrong.”

"Yeah, and look like a fool begging for a man who clearly doesn’t want me the way I want him?” I scoff and sit up, running a hand through my hair and trying to work through some of the tangles.

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