Page 80 of Destined Lovers

It’s the only outright lie I’ve ever told him in my whole life, and it’s like a punch to the gut.

As much as it kills me to lie to him, I know if I didn’t say something to stop the questions now, he would have never given up. He’s finally hit his breaking point, and I don’t blame him one bit.

* * *

Declan is finally in a deep sleep, so I lean over to grab my phone, knowing I’ll have missed many calls from Bennett after running into Killian tonight.

Before I even look at the screen, it vibrates in my hand:Bennett. Like I thought. Threatening to call Garda about a missing person if I don’t answer.

This is it.

I thought I would have tomorrow with Declan. But it’s not possible, and I can’t fight it… Bennett is not kidding about calling the police.

Quietly, I get out of bed, careful not to wake Declan.

I stand there a few minutes and take him all in. Memorizing every single inch of his body.

I notice the pad he uses to write me notes, placed on the table next to his bed, already has words on it.

He pre-wrote his saying tonight.

“There is some good in this world, and it’s worth fighting for.”

-J.R.R. Tolkien

We can get through anything together.

I love you.

-Declan xx

I love you. I bow my head from shame while regret hits deep and pain radiates through my chest. My already damaged heart is shattering into a million pieces. He wants to fight for us, and I am leaving him.

Declan is going to hate me.

He rustles in the sheets, and a small portion slides down, exposingthetattoo, and it’s the only sliver of hope I can hold on to that he looks at the words on his body every day, knowing I am the piece to complete him.

Sadly, it’s my time to leave for now. Above happiness is our safety, and I already gambled with ours this week being out in public with him.

I can only hope he eventually understands when I’m ready to see him again. Otherwise, I’ll have to live with my decisions for the rest of my life.

I take one last look at Declan before tiptoeing down the hall into the en suite. One final reminder of why I am doing this alone.

I press call on Bennett’s name and prepare for the worst.

“Hello?” He yells. He sounds madder than I expected.

“Hi,” I whisper.

“Where the hell have you been, Riley? Agnes won’t tell me anything. After speaking with Killian, it’s clear you haven’t been here all week. You’re lucky I didn’t have a fucking search team out there looking for you. It’s my job to protect you, and if you leave without telling me, I can’t do that,” he spits out in an angered rush.

I close my eyes and take a deep breath before I expose the truth.

“Riley, are you there?”

“I’ve been made,” I tell him clear as day.

“You’ve been made?” He repeats in shock.

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