Page 150 of My Ruthless Opponent

And I just saw a glimpse of a dark history linked to his aversions to lies. It makes me feel terrible. I don’t have any right to ask him about it when I am hiding so many things from him.

“You let him inside your heart. It’s time to bare your soul to him.”

???

I felt so ill at ease after Archer left that I was pacing the room envisioning scenarios of me opening up to Raleigh.

It spooked me out so much that by the time he came back, I pretended to be asleep.

There was a reason I had to leave New York. There was no one there to help me in my trying time.

When my family was almost bankrupt, I turned to my friends and people I used to mingle with in the social circle.

Not one soul turned up to help me.

When they left my side, when they didn’t believe me, why would Raleigh?

Archer was one of the people who witnessed my downfall and was an angel to offer me a job in his agency.

He practically offered me a second chance in starting over.

I am afraid that if I unmasked all my secrets, I might lose Raleigh.

I refuse to let my past overpower my present. But Archer is also right. For how long will I hide things from him?

We are going to get married. One day or the other hewillfind out about my dad. And that would lead to questions.

There might be secrets of his own too, but I doubt they’ll be controversial like mine.

I quickly close my lids when Raleigh gets out of the bathroom in a towel. I lie on my side. There’s rustling noise behind me before the bed dips.

His warm and still slightly damp body presses against my back.

His calloused palm runs down my side before sliding to my front.

With a hand against my flat stomach, he pulls me to him. He hugs me from behind, wrapping himself around me.

“I missed you, princess.” He whispers as he buries his head in my nape.

I missed you too. I want to say. But I remain silent, squeezing my eyes tighter.

Raleigh grabs my bandaged hand in his and lifts it.

I feel him staring at it for a few beats as his thumb grazes the white material.

My lids open. The silence drags. When I am almost tempted to turn my head, he moves.

Slowly, Raleigh brings my hand back and I feel his lips brushing my hand. Something melts within me.

When he cuddles me to his hard body, a smile touches my lips.

Surrounded by his arms, I begin to ease my clutch on the worries that were eating at me.

I realize then that it was much easier to shut down the gloomy voices in my head with him beside me.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Age Nine

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