Page 76 of Forever Fake

I learned from a young age that no one ever believes the girl. So why bother?

But Blake saw past all of my brokenness, and he helped heal me. Now I really am the girl who enjoys sex and who knows she’s worthy of pleasure—and maybe love.

I don’t want to lose that. I can’t stomach the thought of losing him.

I don’t know what to do. My secret and lies are eating me alive. But if I confess everything, then he’ll never look at me the same. He’ll treat me differently. How could he not? I want to hide the worst version of myself forever—especially from him. It’s too shameful.

I keep my lips sealed and the distance between us seems to expand further, as never ending as the universe.

Will I lose him by keeping my shame to myself?

I quietly scoff. We’re getting a divorce in less than a year, so does any of it really matter?

Yes, it does. I want this fantasy for as long as it will last. So my lips have to remain sealed.

CHAPTER 34

Ginevra

The next morning I wake up and Blake’s already gone for the day. I go through the motions of showering and getting dressed, considering my options. If I don’t show up at Oliver’s office, he’ll find a way into this house, or worse. He’s so unpredictable. In the past I wouldn’t dare cross him, or do anything that might upset him. I always played along with his games.

But that Gin is dead. She died sometime in the last four months, I’m not entirely sure when because it was a slow, gradual demise. I didn’t realize she was gone until this moment.

The new Gin isn’t going to put herself at Oliver’s mercy. She’s stronger than that. Smarter than that now. She’s not a victim anymore.

I tossed and turned all night going over the potential outcomes of my decisions. Even my dreams were haunted by what I should do. I’ve come to a conclusion. I’m going to tell Blake everything. As scary as that is, it’s the right thing to do.

Yes, my decision is one-eighty from where I stood yesterday. If Oliver wasn’t harassing me, I’d keep my mouth closed. Blake and I would live out our year together in peaceful bliss. But Ican’t go to Oliver’s office, let him do… things to me, and then come home to my husband like nothing happened.

That would destroy me, and us.

My only option is to take away Oliver’s power over me, and that means telling Blake everything.

Will he throw me out for keeping secrets? For lying to him? Maybe. It’s a risk I’m going to take because another side of me wants to put my faith in him. To trust him enough to let him see all of me and believe that he might still want me afterwards.

There’s a chance, right? At least I can hope and dream that there is. So, as soon as he comes home, we’ll talk.

Unmotivated to do anything other than rehearse what I’m going to say to him, over and over, until I’m sure I have the right wording, I spend the day in my room. Kyla checks on me a couple of times, but I assure her that I’m fine, just busy with my own shit.

At a quarter past nine in the morning, my phone chimes. Just as I expected it’s a ranting text from Oliver. When I don’t reply, he keeps going, sending me threat after threat until I’m mentally and emotionally numb from the barrage. Checking out is the only way to deal with him when he gets like this.

To that end, I silence my phone and tuck it in a drawer. I won’t let my fear of him dissuade me from what I need to do. From doing what’s right.

Morning turns to afternoon, which fades to night. I told our housekeeper, Fleur, to let me know when Blake comes home, but so far he’s not here. I consider texting him, but I shy away from it.

Night bleeds into the early morning hours and still no sign of him. In an effort to ignore Oliver, I’ve spent hours going over everything that I need to tell Blake. I’ve worked myself up so much that I’m emotionally exhausted. I can’t keep my eyes open for another moment.

The incessant ringing of my phone wakes me, and I grab it out of the drawer where I tossed it yesterday. I glance at the notifications. There must be a hundred missed calls from my sisters. What on earth is going on?

My phone rings again and I answer Sophia’s call. “What?—?”

“Have you seen the article? In theBig Apple Buzz?”

“No…”

“Look at it now. But only if you want, it’s very disturbing. Call me back.” She hangs up and I open the gossip paper’s app. The glaring headline has my stomach doing a nosedive.

WIFE CHEATS ON NOTORIOUS BLAKE BARON WITH MILLIONAIRE HEIR OLIVER ZALESKI

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