Secrets of Us A Forbidden Love Romance (Alina)

Chapter 240

Chapter 240

I sit on the windowsill of the art room, knees tucked to my chest. I've had that confusion build inside my chest for the past weeks and it's killing me.

I feel like a coward because I haven't talked to Zaid or Cami about. I blow out a slow breath and pick up my phone, deciding to just get it over with.

Cami picks up after two rings. "Hey, Alina."

"Hi," I say, soft. "Do you have time to talk?"

"It is my office hours, so yes, I have time for you," she replies warmly. "Is

everything okay?"

I stare out the window, watching Zaid through the glass as he waters the little herb garden we planted last week. "Tired. Nervous, maybe."

"Because Aiden's flying in tomorrow?"

"Yeah." I exhale. "I thought I was okay with everything. But now that it's real, now that he's coming, I feel off."

There's a pause. "Tell me more."

"I've been talking to him on the phone," I start, "and it's fine. He's sweet. Kind. Always checks in. I don't feel tense or weird like I did with Jake. But is that enough? Is that enough to stay with someone?"

Cami hums gently. "That's a very important question. And I think, instead of rushing to

answer it, we should first explore what's behind it. What does it mean to you that Aiden has been kind to you?"

I chew on my lip. "It means he loves me. That he's safe. That he deserves someone who

be with him as much as he wants to

someone have to be

close my eyes. "I don't

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grief. And in the wake of that, your instinct has been to cling to any love that doesn't hurt, and in some cases, love that does hurt. The pain feels like a distraction for

be ungrateful. He's been good to me. He's never made me feel small. But when

see him in it."

"What do you see?"

Zaid's laugh. Us.

way his brow creases when his code

swallow hard. "Zaid. He's all

asks gently, "And when

I don't hesitate. "Peace."

Alina," she says, her tone kind but firm. "You've grown up believing that you owe your loyalty to anyone who sees your worth. But love isn't a debt. It isn't something you repay. And staying in a relationship out of guilt,

hurts him? What if I become the person who walks away? I mean, Jake

Aiden. Not him."

anyone processes heartbreak," she says. "You're responsible for your truth. And for respecting his enough to

you feels that

"Yes. And I want Aiden in my

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"That fear makes sense. You've had love taken from you, by force, by trauma, by abandonment. Your instinct is to hold on tight. But healing doesn't mean sacrificing your truth to keep others happy. It means trusting that the people who truly

wipe my eyes. "I don't

But staying in something you no

did want him. But being alone with Zaid this past month makes me question everything. Life is so much better with