Page 95 of Forbidden Deception

Remo is standing behind Aurora, his eyes narrowed in what could be anger or disappointment—probably both—with his arms crossed.

“Remo, I—”

“The discussion is closed. This mission has now turned extremely dangerous and could destroy everything. Includingyou. Rafael is far too cruel to spare you despite your feelings for him.”

He grabs the phone out of Aurora’s hand.

“Remo, wait. Listen to her, at least.”

“Aurora, this isn’t a trivial matter. It’s too dangerous for her to remain there.”

My screen turns black.

I am left in silence with nothing but my short breaths filling it.

I won’t be able to face Danyi once she finds out about everything. She looks up to Rafael, and while she knows he is strict; she truly admires him.

When she finds I have been the one betraying her boss, that I have been in a romantic relationship with him and have shattered his heart in the process, she will well and truly hate me. Despise me, even.

Grabbing my keys and car, I head to her apartment. I can’t just tell her over the phone, I won’t be able to.

I stand in front of her apartment door clutching the note I wrote her. The soft bass of her music drifts through the door. It’s hard not to knock and see her.

I lift my hand towards the handle, but my fingers shake and keep me from reaching. I can’t do it.

I’m such a coward, I can’t face my friend.

She’s been by my side, helped me, cooked food for me, taken care of me when I was sick, and bad-mouthed Rafael with me whenever he got on my nerves. She shared secrets and parts of her life with me, and here I am, sneaking away like acoward.

I spent most of my life left alone without answers, and I can’t do that to other people.

The least I can do is give them closure, answers for my absence.

Bending down, I slide the note under her door and turn around, desperately trying to control my teary eyes, and head back to my apartment to grab any things left behind.

Once home, the sight of fresh sunflowers on my kitchen counter instantly brings fresh tears.

My chest tightens, and my hands tremble when I reach out to touch the petals.

Rafael has the flowers on my desk at work refreshed whenever they start to die, and with how much I am rushing around his building and having meetings with teams, I don’t always get time to throw them out, but I always notice.

I notice he changes them.

I notice how important that particular flower is to him.

I notice how he puts effort into leaving me postcards of oceans around the world, reminding me of Medora. He promised to help me see them.

Picking a petal, a small smile manages to escape when I remember the first time he put them in my vase in my office and got offended when I didn’t mention them at all.

He thinks I don’t know about his stupid one-way wall. Idiot.

The sunflowers look dim today. They look sad, as if missing the presence of the man who plucked them from the earth to gift them to me. How do I tell them that I am about to take them with me hours away from him?

What kind of tragic curse has life put in our love?

I am burning merely at the thought of leaving him and I haven’t even walked away yet.

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