Page 76 of Secret Marriage To My Bosshole

The tiny men with jackhammers return to my temples, making me wish I could throw Jake out and crawl into a dark hole.

But he’d just find a way to get back into the house and follow me into that hole.

I take a big sip of coffee before following him into the living room. “My parents leaked the story to the media.”

By the look on his face, the only thing that could’ve surprised Jake more was if I told him that I was carrying his child.

His eyes bulge out of his head, and his jaw drops. “What?”

“My parents. Before I even brought Cora to meet them, they had a private investigator digging into her life.”

“How did you find out?” Jake shoots to his feet, pacing back and forth across the floor like a caged animal.

“Dad called and told me a few days after the story broke. He said they needed to ensure the family's reputation wasn’t ruined when people eventually found out I married Cora.”

Jake’s jaw is tight, his hands balling into fists. “Let me get this straight: your parents tried to ruin Cora’s life to save their faces?”

“They will never accept Cora. Never.”

“What did you do when you found out it was them?” Jake’s voice is low and soft, sounding like it’s coming at me from the other end of a tunnel.

As I look down at the ground, my body feels like it’s twisting into knots. “I hung up on him. I didn’t know what else to do.”

“Please tell me you stood up for my sister and told your father where to go and how to get there.”

My hands curl, nails biting into my palms. “I wish I had. I’m just so fed up with them. But I feel… I feel helpless.”

Jake shoots to his feet, crosses the room, and stands in front of me. “Your parents tried to ruin Cora’s life, and all you did was hang up and hand her divorce papers?”

The disappointment in his voice is nothing compared to the disgust I have for my own actions for hurting her.

Jake’s upper lip curls as he takes a step back from me, shaking his head. “Man, I know your parents have been nothing but trouble your entire life, but I thought you were handling yourself and making your life your own. Now look at you.”

“You can’t say anything I haven’t already said to myself,” I murmur.

“Oh, I think I have plenty of things to say, Griffin.” Jake exhales slowly, his cheeks turning red and his eyes narrowing. “I don’t know who you are anymore. If you can’t stand up for yourself, maybe you should’ve stood up for Cora.”

“You’re making this sound so much simpler than it is.”

“No, I’m not,” Jake takes a couple of steps back, his lips pressing into a thin line. “It is simple. You love Cora, and she adores you. Think about who matters the most in your life instead of leaving her alone to deal with the mess your parents made of her life.”

He's right.

I hate that he’s right and I’m wrong again.

Jake shakes his head. “If there’s one person you should fight for, it’s Cora. Get a grip, man, and don’t bother dragging her deeper into this because you know what? You’re right. She does deserve better than you.”

His words are a knife to the chest.

When he leaves, I take a deep breath, a thick feeling settling in my throat.

The door slams shut, leaving me wishing to go back in time and change everything.

Chapter twenty-five

Cora

I've been tapping away at the keyboard, trying to create a business plan, but it's like my brain's taken a vacation.

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