Secrets of Us A Forbidden Love Romance (Alina) novel Chapter 226

Somewhere Else–2

I nod slowly, careful with my expression. “Yeah.”

He lets me go then leans against the counter, arms crossed, studying me. “And you? How are you feeling about everything?”

My stomach tightens. “I’m fine.”

It’s a lie. I know it, but I smile anyway and go back to covering the vegetables in olive oil.

We finish making dinner, mostly in silence. The clinks of silverware and the simmering

pot fill the space where words should go. When we sit down to eat, I try again.

“How’s everything going?” I ask, spearing a piece of roasted zucchini.

Jake sighs, the sound is heavy and tired. “The board’s pushing me to step down. Sell my

shares. The stock’s tanked since the story broke.”

I freeze mid–bite. “Jake, I’m so sorry.”

He waves it off with a bitter twist of his mouth. “It’s my fault. I don’t lose all of my

money, so I can’t complain.”

I don’t have anything to say to that, my eyes going to the hallways that leads to the

stairs, wondering when Zaid will make an appearance.

We clean the dishes together. I watch the soap bubble around our fingers, feel the water

rush over my hands. Flashes of memories cross my mind, of home back in Arizona.

Of when it was so easy to drown the noise and the grief getting lost in their arms and in their kisses. Now, I faced the dark alone, cried myself to sleep.

When will things feel easy like that again?

We finish the dishes and head upstairs. The bedroom light is warm and Jake’s things are spread across the floor.

The bed is exactly how I left it, and my journal sits right at the center of it. Jake picks it up before I can stop him, turning it curiously in his hands.

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Somewhere Else–2