Page 78 of Secret Marriage To My Bosshole

“Griffin!” My voice echoes through the large house.

Suddenly, Griffin’s parents appear. His dad, Rick, storms down the hall while his mom, Gloria, is hot on his heels. Their faces are bright red, and their hands are curled into fists.

I stare at them, unsure how to respond.

They stop in their tracks, and Rick spins around as Griffin walks into the hallway. “This is it, huh? You want us out becauseshewas coming over.”

Gloria’s deep burgundy lips curl as she turns to face her son. “Really, if you must lower your standards, at least find someone decent.”

“Enough!” Griffin’s voice is louder than I’ve ever heard, his gaze blazing with rage. “I told you to leave my house, and I meant it. I won’t have you here, and I won’t be part of your lives anymore. I’m done living a puppet life!”

Gloria crosses her arms, cocking a hip to the side. “Griffin—you’re going to regret this.”

Griffin gives a bitter laugh. “No, I don’t think so. It’s what I should’ve done the moment I became an adult, and I definitely should’ve done the moment I found out you two were behind leaking the story about Cora.”

My blood boils as I glare at his parents.

How can his parents hurt him so much?

Griffin looks at me with an expression I can’t quite read before brushing by all of us and holding the door open wide. “Mom and Dad, you can both leave now. I’m done with this conversation.”

Rick shakes his head, his face turning a deeper shade of red as his hands ball into tight fists. “You’re going to regret this once you realize what you’ve done.”

Griffin pulls the door open wider. “The only thing I will regret is not being able to do this sooner. Get out, or I will call the police about two trespassers.”

His parents give me one last icy glare before storming out.

Griffin slams the door shut behind them and leans against it, running a hand down his face. “Hey, Cora.”

“Griff, are you okay? What was that about?”

“You were right about them. They were the ones behind leaking our story to the tabloids.” Griffin glances down at the papers in my hands, a storm brewing in his eyes. “Did you sign those?”

“No.” I swallow the lump forming in my throat. “I wanted to talk to you before I signed them.”

He nods, his shoulders slumping forward. “I have all the time in the world to talk. I quit the practice. The law firm is no longer mine, and I’m not the CEO anymore. I’m going to be taking an indefinite sabbatical to figure out what I actually want to do with my life.”

“Oh?” I blink a few times, trying to process the information. I never thought I would see the day when Griffin wasn’t working in corporate law.

Griffin pushes off the door and heads into the living room. “Yeah. I never should’ve taken over the practice, honestly. It’s just what I was raised to do. Didn’t think much about what I actually wanted… besides you.”

"Well, that’s ironic." I trail after him into the living room, perching on the edge of the coffee table.

He settles on the couch, facing me, and the proximity sends a jolt through me as our knees almost touch.

The room feels charged, the air thick with unspoken words.

"These papers don’t exactly scream 'I want you,'" I murmur.

"Another blunder in my long list of mistakes with you," he admits, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Seems like that’s my specialty, and I’m sorry."

"I wouldn’t say that’s all you do." I grip the papers a little tighter, wishing they would just disappear. Holding them out to him, I continue, "I came here ready to fight. If one of us was to salvage our marriage, then we needed to fight for it."

"After everything, you still want me?" he asks, his expression hopeful, eyes searching mine for confirmation.

My chest constricts, and tears threaten at the edges of my eyes.

I nod, watching relief flood his features. "I’m not giving up on us just because it’s hard. But I need to know you’re fully committed. No backing out, no reservations."

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