Page 33 of Infected By Virus

Rae did the only thing she could. It was effectively over. There was no way she could go on with constant doubts.

She removed her ring and placed it in his hand.

It could’ve ended there, but her hurt wouldn’t let her run away crying. She raised her chin and said the words she regretted before they were even said.

“Fine. Now you’re free to be with anyone you want. So go screw Celeste’s brains out for all I care.”

Turning to go, she held out one tiny thread of hope he’d stop her and they’d end up in the back of his truck making love, but he dashed that within two steps.

“Maybe I should, since I’ve already paid the price for it.”

And that was it. She didn’t see him again until he was in Celeste’s bed.

Virus’s hands rubbing up and down her arms pulled her back into the present.

“Darrin, I …” She what, was sorry she couldn’t open her heart? Couldn’t move on from the past? Couldn’t stay and raise Adam with Darrin, per Celeste’s dying wishes?

“It’s okay, Rae.” He spoke words of acceptance, but his voice held defeat.

She couldn’t do it. It was too much. Going back to Vegas and leaving Adam was damn near unthinkable, but staying with Dar—Virus—was just as impossible. It wasn’t even him; it was her. Rae felt more unworthy of him than she did back in the day. The difference was she’d burned that bridge with her own matches this time.

Unbeknownst to him, she wasn’t even mad about him sleeping with Celeste. She was over that the minute Adam called her Auntie Rae. The thought of a world without him was crippling. Funny how she’d just learned of his existence less than a month ago, but would kill to protect him.

From the look in Virus’s eyes when he looked at his son, he would too. So would any of the Royal Bastards, she’d bet. She was extraneous. Adam didn’t need her, and Darrin would be better off without her.

“Um, I’m really tired, so I’m going to call it a night.” She was running away again, but old habits and all that. It would be easier on her if she just signed all the paperwork and left as soon as possible. Adam could adjust and so could Virus. Maybe someday he’d find a woman who loved him as he’d deserved to be loved.

A sad smile was all she could manage before dropping a kiss on the top of Adam’s head and fleeing. The difference this time was she honestly didn’t want Virus to chase her. She wanted him to curl up and finish the movie with his son.

After changing into her pajama shorts and a tank, she crawled into bed. Staying as far to one side as possible. She even bunched up the comforter so there would be some sort of barrier between them.

Surprisingly, she didn’t cry herself to sleep over Virus. She was resigned to the fact that the era of them was over. She’d effectively ended it years ago; she had just been fooling herself with dreams that could never be. She cursed Celeste, not for the first or last time either. Rae had given up the dreams of her and Darrin reconciling until Celeste not only sprang Adam on her, but made her promise to raise her son with him.

“Fuck you, Celeste,” she breathed. She’d done everything she could to tear them apart and then, out of the blue, she tried to cobble them back together.

Forced proximity only worked in romance novels and movies. In reality, it sucked for both parties. She was an emotional wreck, and she’d seen the hurt in Darrin’s eyes, too. Even from the grave, the woman was torturing them.

She did shed a few tears, but they were for Adam. She’d bought in to Celeste’s notion that she could be his mother and for twenty-seven days, it had been amazing.

He was an amazing kid, and she would be the luckiest woman alive if someday she had a kid half as awesome as he was.

She needed some reassurance from an outside source. So, she texted Harmon to see if she was awake. When her phone rang, she answered it immediately.

“Hey.”

“Hey, Chica. So, who did it this time?”

“Did what?”

“Make you cry, was it Virus or was it you?”

Heck if Harmon didn’t know her better than she knew herself.

“Me. Darrin has been awesome. I hurt my own feelings.”

“Give me the condensed version and I’ll decide if you need my verbal ass-kicking, girl-power pep talk, or men-suck-balls solidarity speech.”

Rae sighed. Yeah, Harmon was her girl.

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