AllFreeNovel
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"Well, don’t. This is something I’ve faced on my own so far. And maybe you were the trigger that convinced me it was time to come out to the world. But that’s where it stops. After this, surely, you don’t want to be with me."
"There’s no one else I can see myself with."
"I… I don’t believe you.”
“Believe it.”
I bite the inside of my cheek. "What if I decide I don’t want to have any children, after all?"
"Then I accept it."
"It’ll endanger your chances of getting ownership of your company and your trust fund."
"I can do without it."
"That’s what you’re saying now. When it’s time to face the consequences of your actions, you may not feel the same way."
"On the contrary, I‘ve already informed my lawyers that I have no interest in claiming my inheritance. It doesn’t make a difference to me if we don’t have children."
I blink. Is he hearing himself? I shake my head. "You don’t mean it. And even if you do, the day will come when you’ll realize you made a mistake, and then you’ll blame me for being the cause of losing your company."
"I have other companies, other interests. I’ve built enough of a fortune of my own that I’d never let you lack for anything."
"I’m not talking about me—"
"But I am. You’re the most important thing in this world for me, Isla. More than my inheritance. More than my company. More than my future progeny. You’re my soulmate. And I want nothing more than to have you by my side, every step of the way, for the rest of our lives."
I take in his features, the seriousness in his gaze. There’s no mistaking the intensity of his words. Heat flushes my skin. My head spins.
This is not what I expected when I walked into this room. Maybe, at some point, I’d hoped to hear these words from him. Maybe a part of me even believes him.
But he knew my secret all along, and he never mentioned it to me. I agonized over how to break it to him. How to share this very intimate part of myself, but he already knew about it. He knew and he never mentioned it to me, and somehow, that feels like a betrayal.
I tip up my chin, "What if I don’t want to? What if the only reason I agreed to be with you was because of the benefit to my business? It provided me with the perfect platform to share my story with the world. And now that it’s done, maybe I don’t see the need to be with you anymore."
"I don’t believe it."
"Better believe it."
His forehead knits tighter. "Don’t do this, baby. Don’t put yourself down. Don’t give away your power to anyone else, not even to me."
"Easy for you to say. You’re not the one going through this."
"But I want to. Let me be your companion in this. Let me share your pain. Let me hold you and shield you from the worst of it. Let me protect you, baby."
I hear his words, and some part deep inside of me relaxes. I didn’t realize how much I wanted to feel his empathy. And yet, all those days when I stressed about how to share this very personal part of me, he knew. And he never told me. And it’s too much for me.
"Let me go, Liam."
"No."
"You don’t have a choice."
"I always have a choice." He rubs the back of his neck. "Maybe it was wrong of me not to tell you earlier that I knew."
"You think?"
"But I knew if I tried to have the conversation with you, you’d hate me for not allowing you to be the one to tell me."
