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Rian looks happy, and Harris looks at him like…like he cares. Ty is not stupid enough to believe it. He knows fucking better. He knows who Harris fucking Kelly truly is, beneath all those fake smiles and expensive suits he’s wearing these days. Ty has seen his true face many times over, and to know that fucking monster has his hands all over Rian sickens him.
Ty has gone one step further in breaking Cyril’s trust and has failed to deliver the letter intended for Rian.
There is nothing left for him to do but bide his time. Wait for an opportunity to break free.
Ty hastily starts cleaning up the mess he’s made in the library. Working is a recent privilege he’s gotten access to, and he doesn’t want to lose it if it means he’ll get to “see” Rian again. Steps echoing in the corridor urge him to shove all the ruined pages in the large garbage bag attached to his cleaning trolley.
One of the guards pauses by the open door giving him a scrutinizing look, “You gonna be long, Wright? I gotta lock up.”
“I’m done.”
The guard cocks his head to the side, effectively telling him to get thefuck out then, and Ty shuffles past him, pushing the trolley out in the bright corridor and toward the utility room.
His heart is breaking while he’s tying up the garbage bags and stacking them to be taken away. He knows damn well that he can’t rescue a single image of Rian and take it with him.
The man from those glossy pagesis not his Ri,Ty reasons. The man he loves will wake up one day soon and see Harris for who he truly is. By then Ty hopes to be out of this place and in his arms for good.
Rian is only a few states away, but he might as well be in another country. Ty is ready to claw his way through stone to get to him, but even he can’t break free from where his outrage and desperate attempt to extract Rian from the influence of Harris Kelly has landed him.
Rian. Rian. Rian.
I won't give up.
I won’t lose hope.
I won’t stop fighting for us…until the day you’re mine.
CHAPTERTEN
Rian, Ri, Ree-ahn
1STOF NOVEMBER 2019
It doesn’t take much for the first cracks in their marriage to appear. Illusions only last so long, and pretty lies quickly fade when tested by a true heart.
Unfortunately, it takes Rian some time to accept the gravity of what is happening between him and Harris. Their dynamic isn’t normal. On days, when he feels absolutely shattered by grief, all he gets from his spouse is indifference. But even that coldness, Rian still confuses for weariness and fatigue from all the responsibilities Harris Kelly shoulders daily.
He is an important man. A lot of people rely on him.
Today of all days, Rian needs his support.
When Harris comes home, he seems his usual tired, overworked self. He spots Rian on the couch, tucked with his old photo albums, his face blotchy from crying.
“What’s wrong?” Harris asks with concern Rian no longer firmly believes in.
There have already been instances where his care has been proven to beconditional.
Rian takes a chance anyway. After all, this is a difficult day. Harris is his significant other. He should care about Rian’s feelings.Right?
“It’s Cy’s birthday,” Ri breathes out quietly.
“This again,” Harris literally rolls his eyes visibly irritated.
Rian doesn’t have to wait long before Harris accuses him of being unnecessarily dramatic, “I told you we’re going to the benefit tonight, and I’m not canceling because of this bullshit. It’s been a year, get over it. It’s not anyone’s birthday. Your brother is gone.”
“I’m sorry. I know you mentioned it, but I thought you would understand. I can’t just ––”
“Cyril is dead, okay? What do you want from me? Must I put my whole life on fucking pause so you can sit here in your sweatpants and lounge about doing nothing all day? Look at yourself! You look like shit.”
