Facade of Love (Yvette Scott and Idris Young) novel Chapter 460

Idris scrunched his brows, clearly confused. "What are you talking about?"

I could not spill the beans about what I had to do, the dangers I could not drag him into. Some battles I had to fight on my own.

Pushing down the lump in my throat, I finally said, "Okay, let's give each other two years. You dig into what went down on New Year's Eve. Whatever you find, I hope we can face it together, head-on."

"Two years?" He looked baffled, his brow furrowing. "Why two years? It won't take me that long to figure it out. I don't need two years."

"It's for Alice," I explained, meeting his eyes. "She's pregnant, and it's starting to show. Whatever you uncover, you've got to stand by her and the baby, right?"

I would not be saying any of this if I had not learned about Alice's past. However, now I knew that no matter what Idris found out, he had to take care of Alice and her baby.

We had reached a point where the only way for Alice to have her baby without scandal was for Idris to marry her.

It was the only way to shield her from the gossip.

Especially since her dad was Chandler, and the man who was supposed to take care of all that was Idris's own father.

It felt like we were stuck in a no-win situation, just going through the motions that fate had laid out for us.

Idris and I both clammed up, wrapped in our own silent worlds.

I could lash out at someone like Moore, let my anger and disdain run wild, and show no mercy. However, Alice? No way. It was not just that she had not done anything to deserve it, but she was Chandler's kid. That alone was enough to slam the brakes on any bad blood I might have felt, all because of that little spark of respect I had for her on behalf of her dad, the hero.

I stayed put that night at Clearwater Residence. Idris held me close, and we did not say a word as the hours ticked by.

Come morning, the booze finally caught up with Idris, and he crashed hard. As for me, I was wide awake, my mind racing. I kept an eye on the clock, figuring Lucas would show up any minute now.

Maybe it was the break in the rain that had been hanging over Lake City for days, but the sun was out in full force, making the world look postcard-perfect.

I could not sleep for any longer, so I slipped out of Idris's arms and just stood by the window, soaking in the rays that felt so warm they almost made my head spin.