Secrets of Us A Forbidden Love Romance (Alina)

Chapter 78

Love Me, Too

I turn on my heels to look at the tree.

Half of it is decorated, and the rest of the ornaments lie in the box. I stare until my eyes burn. It would be beautiful. It would be whimsical, but all I see is the mess I've created.

Aiden's furious face flashes in my mind. Fuck, what was I doing? I'm not a cheater, I can't be. That's terrible. No one deserves that kind of betrayal. I should have ended things with him the moment I felt something for Zaid.

But even that thought doesn't sit right in my chest. Being with Zaid and not Aiden feels

wrong.

I shake my head, pressing a hand to my chest as a wave of emotion drowns me.

Does that mean I have to leave them both?

Pain lances through me.

I would have to move out. Find a job, get an apartment.

Tears prick the back of my eyes.

Zaid's dark, piercing eyes come to mind then, and my knees give out. I sink to the floor, the weight of everything crashing down on me.

Tears blur my vision, and before I know it, I'm sobbing uncontrollably. It all comes at once. The guilt, the confusion, the heartbreak.

My chest feels tight, like I can't breathe.

I think of Aiden's hurt, Zaid's intensity, and my own traitorous feelings. I think of Jake, his warmth and steadiness, and how I've tangled myself in this impossible knot.

How can I live without them?

And at the same time, how can I live with them?

I cry into my hands, letting my love for the three of them express out of me in long sobs.

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Love Me, Too

And then there's the ache of Alex's absence, and the hollow void where my dad should be

this Christmas.

It's all too much.

without them. I shouldn't be smiling and laughing and moving on.

the sobs, but they rip through me, anyway. My breathing becomes shallow and erratic,

opening.

jolts through me. Who could

face hastily and

entrance, hoping whoever walks in will miss the girl in a ball on the floor. But it's Jakes who

crack in two so he can piece me back together

way his brows furrow and his lips part in silent awe makes my heart squeeze. But

floor with a thud as he rushes to

his voice soft

I can manage

me, his hands cupping my tear-streaked face. "What's

What happened?"

my head, unable to form words.

pulls me into his arms without hesitation, holding me tightly as I wrap

around his neck and let my face fall

hand strokes my hair,

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3.15 pm

Love Me, Too

brushing against the top of my head. "I'm here. It's okay,

we stay like that, but eventually, Jake shifts. He grabs my legs and wraps them around his waist. He

his neck.

upstairs to his

lap and wrapping his arms around me. His warmth surrounds me, his steady heartbeat lulling me

quiet.

face to look at him. His fingers

pressing my lips

to talk

I want to

him

his two

I shake my head.

frowns. "Do you want me to make you

that.

chaste press to my lips, and

downstairs.

myself catch my breath and kind

not all as terrible as it feels. Maybe there's

this deep, dark tunnel.