Chapter 6

He didn’t answer immediately.

That was what scared me the most.

Not his words.

Not his presence.

But the silence.

The way he just stood there, looking at me like I had said something impossible.

Like I had asked for something he couldn’t give.

“Act like it never happened?” he repeated finally, his voice low.

I swallowed hard but nodded.

“Yes.”

It was the only solution.

The only way this could end without destroying everything.

A small, humorless smirk touched his lips.

“You think it’s that simple?”

My chest tightened.

“It has to be,” I replied quickly. “There’s no other way.”

“There’s always another way.”

His tone was calm.

Too calm.

Like he had already thought about it.

Like he had already decided.

I shook my head. “No. Not this time.”

I took a step back, putting more space between us.

Between me and the problem.

Between me and him.

“You’re engaged to my sister, you would be married to her in less than a month” I continued, my voice steadier now, even though my heart was anything but steady. “Whatever happened that night shouldn’t have happened. It can’t happen again.”

His eyes didn’t leave mine.

“And if I don’t agree?”

The question caught me off guard.

My breath hitched.

“What?”

“If I don’t agree to pretend,” he repeated.

Something cold settled in my chest.

“You don’t get a choice,” I said, even though my voice wasn’t as strong as I wanted it to be.

“Don’t I?”

He stepped closer.

Slow.

Deliberate.

Dangerous.

I didn’t move this time.

I couldn’t.

Not when my body refused to cooperate.

Not when my mind was screaming two different things at once.

Run.

Stay.

“You keep saying it was a mistake,” he said quietly.

“It was,” I replied immediately.

His gaze darkened.

“Then why can’t you look at me and mean it?”

My breath caught.

Because I did mean it.

I had to mean it.

There was no other option.

I couldn’t do any other thing than mean it.

“I don’t want this,” I said, forcing the words out.

“Say that again.” He interrupted

“I don’t want this,” I repeated, louder this time.

But even I could hear it.

The hesitation.

The crack.

The doubt.

His hand lifted slightly, like he was about to touch me.

Then stopped.

Hovering.

Like he was holding himself back.

“Your body says something else,” he murmured.

My heart skipped.

“Don’t” I shouted

“You came with me,” he continued. “You didn’t fight me.”

“I wasn’t in control,” I snapped, anger finally breaking through the fear.

That made him pause.

Really pause.

For the first time since this started.

Something shifted in his expression.

Not enough to fully understand.

But enough to notice.

“You keep saying that,” he said slowly.

“Because it’s true,” I replied, my voice shaking again. “Something was wrong that night. I don’t remember things properly. I don’t feel like myself when I think about it.”

Silence.

Thick.

Heavy.

Different from before.

His eyes searched mine.

Like he was trying to figure out if I was lying.

Or if I was finally telling the truth.

“I don’t care what you think happened,” I added quickly, before he could say anything else. “All I know is that I have to fix this.”

“And staying away from me fixes it?” he asked.

“Yes.” I answered almost immediately

The answer came instantly.

Because it had to.

Another step.

Closer.

Too close.

“You can try,” he said quietly.

My pulse raced.

“What does that mean?”

“It means…” he paused slightly, his gaze dropping briefly to my lips before returning to my eyes.

“This doesn’t just disappear because you want it to.”

My heart pounded harder.

Faster.

Louder.

“You’re making this harder than it needs to be,” I whispered.

“No,” he replied.

“I’m making it honest.”

I shook my head, stepping back again, putting distance where I could.

“Then be honest from a distance.”

His jaw tightened slightly.

But this time…

He didn’t follow.

For a moment, we just stood there.

Staring at each other.

Caught in something neither of us fully understood.

“Stay away from me,” I repeated softly

Not angry this time.

Not desperate.

Just… tired.

This time, he didn’t argue.

He didn’t move closer.

He didn’t say anything that would pull me back in.

But the look in his eyes..

That quiet, unspoken certainty..

Told me everything I needed to know.

I could walk away.

I could pretend.

I could try to fix what was already broken.

But no matter how far I went…

No matter how hard I tried…

This was deeper than it felt.

And deep down…

I think we both knew it.