Page 101 of Scarlett and the Big Bad Billionaire
He’d lied to me.
Again.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-FIVE
LET ME EXPLAIN
Gray
Oh shit.
This wasnothow I’d wanted Scarlett to find out about my alter ego. I’d been seconds away from telling her myself, but now, based on the expression she wore, it was too late.
A few minutes ago, the tears welling in her eyes had been inspired by joy. Now, they were byproducts of betrayal.
She pushed at me, forcing me to take a step back. “Youpromisedme. You said there would be no copies of the drawing.”
Now the tears spilled over, breaking my heart. “And then you put it up online to what—help further your mystique? Drive up the prices of your art even more?”
I stepped forward again, reaching for her. “Scarlett. Let me explain.”
She recoiled from my touch. “You could haveexplainedanytime during the past few weeks. But you didn’t. You just let me play the fool and blather on about ‘Inksy’s’ art, even when you took me to see the mural.”
Her hand came to her forehead. “Oh—that’s why you kept putting it off that day, isn’t it? You put it out there for the world to see andstillyou were trying to hide it from me.”
All around us people had lifted their phones to record the disastrous scene. Drawn by the commotion, more people were drifting out of the house and crowding onto the terrace to watch the drama unfold.
There among them was Victoria in her wheelchair.
Guess the jig is up.After all I’d done to protect my anonymity over the years, it ended today.
And I don’t even care.
The realization shocked me. Compared to the imminent possibility of losing Scarlett, the loss of my privacy was nothing.
“I put it out there for the world to see because I couldn’t contain myself,” I explained. “I had all these big feelings for you. They were coming out of my pores—and you didn’t want them. Or at least I didn’t think you did. I told you art is my therapy. It’s the only way I know of to express feelings that are too powerful to keep inside. And Scarlett… the way I feel aboutyouis the most powerful thing I’ve ever felt in my life. Iloveyou.”
She crossed her arms over her chest. “And I suppose all this ‘love’ is why you lied to me about who you were—and about the drawing, too. I thought being stood up at the altar was the most embarrassing moment of my life, but you make Bryce look like a sweetie.”
Turning, she sprinted toward the house, running up the stairs and pushing through the accumulated crowd to get inside.
“Scarlett! Scarlett, wait…”
I ran after her, but instead of stepping out of my way as they’d done for her, the onlookers moved into my path, trying to talk to me, pulling at my clothes, some asking for autographs or pictures or taking video.
In no time at all, our private lives would be playing on screens across the world, thanks to my new notoriety.
And then—oh God it was going to happen, I knew it just like I knew I could never live down my past.
People would make the connection to my infamy as one of the SEAL team “traitors” who’d testified against their commander, and my nightmare would be complete.
More importantly, Scarlett would be drawn into it and suffer the second-hand shame.
I didn’t blame her for running away from me.
And that’s why I decided to stop chasing her… and let her go.
CHAPTERTHIRTY-SIX
