Page 84 of Accidental Fiancé

My heart ached for her, for the terrible memories she carried. I thought she might respond. Say anything at all. But she didn't. The silence threatened to ruin everything.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I needed to bridge the gap between us.

“Don't go,” I pleaded, my voice barely above a whisper. “Let's get through this together. Let's be here for each other. We did something stupid, but we did it together. There's no reason to break that streak.”

She didn't say a word, but she also didn't move. It gave me a tiny flicker of hope.

As she continued to refuse to make eye contact and bite her lip, I knew this wasn't going to go how I needed it to. The space between us widened, even though neither of us moved. Every muscle in my body tensed like I was under attack. But there was nothing. Nothing to say, nothing to be done.

It felt over. We both knew it.

But I was stubborn and not used to not getting my way.

“Maggie…” I reached out, brushing my thumb against her cheek. The softness of her skin sent a jolt through me. How could this be over? It made no sense. I stumbled over my words. “All of this, it'll fade away. Let's watch it fade away together.”

And then she broke. A single tear escaped and slid down her cheek. It ruined what little pride I had left.

I couldn't help but lean in, pressing my lips against the trail of her sorrow. It was a gentle kiss, an unspoken promise that I would be there for her. No matter what came of today, I would be there. She had me wrapped around her little finger, and she didn’t even know it.

She trembled at my touch, and as I kissed her tears away, the world outside faded to black. It was just us, our past, our present, and the electric connection that pulsed between us. I kissed my way to her lips.

But before I got there, she whispered, “Jules, I can't.”

I pressed my forehead against hers, breathing in her scent, her heat. I needed all of it, all of her. Even if only one more breath. One more hit of this drug I’d so willingly given myself over to. “Just stay with me a little while longer.” I was sure she could hear my heart drumming in my chest. “Please, Maggie.”

That was the encouragement she needed. She surged forward, and our lips met again, more fervently this time. It was as if the walls that had kept us apart crumbled, leaving nothing but the raw, unfiltered passion we'd held back for so long. Her hands wove into my hair as I pulled her closer, deepening the kiss, pouring everything I felt into that moment. I lost myself in the taste of her, the sweetness, the hint of salt from her tears.

But just as quickly as it had begun, the moment seemed to dissolve.

Maggie pulled back, her breath shaky as she looked into my eyes, searching for something she couldn't seem to find. I felt a chill sweep through me, a sense of impending loss. I knew it wasdone. Coldness washed over me, leaving a trail of agony in its wake.

“I can't do this,” she said. “I don't want to hurt you.”

“You're not hurting me if you stay,” I replied, pathetically needy. I had run out of things to say and ways to convince her. If that kiss couldn't do it, and if my words couldn’t do it, then I didn't know what could. I tried one more time. “We made some bad choices, but we can figure this out together. My family will get over it.”

But she shook her head, tears spilling down her cheeks now. “And what about me, Jules? Do you think this is something I can just get over? Once again, Chloe beat me. Humiliated me. She came out on top like always. I'm just a joke to her and to your family. To you, I'm simply a weak and helpless?—"

“Don't put those words in my mouth. Not ever.”

She began to say something else but stopped herself. She stepped to the side to move around me. A struggle bared down on her face—some inner war I wasn't privy to. After a shuddering breath, she said, “I'm sorry.”

I grabbed her wrist gently. “Don’t go. Please.”

She looked down at my hand on her wrist, and for a heartbeat, I thought she might stay. But then she pulled away, breaking free of my grasp. “No.”

A single word that brought my whole world crashing down.

But I wasn't completely without pride. Close to it, but I was still a man, dammit. I swallowed against the knot in my throat, determined to force my needs down for her. “Do you want me to go downstairs with you? Play defense against Chloe? I'll stop her from bothering you on the way out.”

Something about what I had said sharpened her resolve. If looks could kill, I would have been dead on the spot. Maggie uttered, “You just have to play the big strong hero one more time, huh?”

“God, Maggie, it's not like that, and you know it.”

Her voice went flat. “I don't know anything anymore.”

I knew there was nothing else I could say or do. Preventing her from leaving felt cruel to both of us, and it wasn’t what she wanted. I didn’t want to keep her if she didn’t want to be kept.

So, I stepped aside. It was the hardest thing I had ever done. But if she wanted to do this without me, then I wasn’t going to stop her.

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