Page 238 of Accidental Husband

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She didn't want me to know. She didn't want to share her burden with me. I was pissed. Eventually, I understood it.

But she went back to it. She kept it secret for years. She went to great lengths to hide it from me—

What the hell do I do with that?

"You love her, don't you?" he asks.

I barely manage to nod. "I do." The words don't make me nauseous. They feel good. Right.

"So you have about ten hours to figure out how to win her over."

"About that."

"Fuck. That's a bad situation."

I can't help but laugh. "Thanks for the update."

"You're not that clever either. It will be hard."

I flip him off.

He returns the gesture with a half-smile. It's playful for him.

But that feels good too. "You still can't trust Hunter?"

He nods.

"But you want to?"

"Yeah."

"How the fuck do you explain that to him?"

He arches a browreally?

Yeah, it's a dumb question. He doesn't. The frost between the two of them is crystal clear.

"All right. What the hell do I do?" I take a long sip of my coffee. It's good. Strong. Enough to jump start my brain. "How the hell do I convince her to go all in?"

Chapter Fifty-Five

Juliette

Eventually, I give up on sleep, pour myself into my Kindle, try to find distraction.

This book is great, but I can't stomach a tender romance right now. Not with the ache in my chest.

I settle into my desk. Stare at the massive rock on my left hand.

Griffin's mom's ring. The one she dropped in his room the night she left. The one that completely fucked his idea of love and commitment.

That's not fair to the ring. Or his mom. His dad was the one who treated her like shit. Who pushed her until she didn't have a choice.

It would have been better if she'd taken him with her, but it wasn't really an option. And now…

I wish he'd forgive her. Not for her sake. For his.

For mine.

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