Unveiled (Torn #6)(31)

Huffing out a dreaded sigh, I silenced the voices in my head before I wished myself the very best of luck before gripping the door handle upon entering the foyer. Closing the door behind me, I listened for any sound emitting anywhere so I could easily locate her but much to my luck, there wasn’t any thing other than the dead silence of the night. Without breaking my stride, I knew she probably was in bed, sleeping from the long flight like she usually did. Taking the steps two at a time, I finally got to the second floor before sharply turning into the opposing hall that led to the other wing to which was my bedroom. Pacing towards the enclosed doors, I gradually yanked my tie, loosening it as I progressed with a ready speech upon my tongue. But when I opened the door with my stampeding heart bouncing to madness, I was greeted by the sight of her in her small skimpy nightdress blowing her black lacquered nails with a bright smile on her beautiful face. A face I memorized to heart.

“Surprise!” she exclaimed before she almost ran up to me and gave me a kiss of a lifetime. “Merry delayed Christmas baby,” she huskily murmured against my lips, while I was momentarily taken aback from her loving reception that I wasn’t sure what to do next. It probably took me a second or two before my arms encircled her petite form, hugging her as if it were the last time.

“Merry late Christmas, agape mou.” My voice cracked upon saying the words. Emotions ran too deep that I couldn’t help but feel a little relieved that she didn’t greet me with a knife upon entering the bedroom.

“…waited so I thought I’d keep myself up by doing my nails,” she was blabbering about her nails, making me frown a moment. “I didn’t want you to see me like this. I want to be all over you but my nails aren’t dry yet.”

Relief coursed through me as I simple enjoyed the sound of her voice as I held her close to my heart. This…I could very well lose all of this very soon if I don’t tell her what was going on. There was nothing worse than breaking something so amazing such as this that it was somewhat diabolical to even consider it—but I rather she heard it from me because by the time the sun will come up tomorrow, I was almost sure as fire that she’d eventually get a whiff of it.

“Baby,” she softly murmured. “What’s wrong? Why aren’t you saying a thing? Did I come at a bad time?”

I shook my head, feeling like a complete fool. “I just missed you—I wanted to hold you for a while longer…”

She sighed before leaving a soft kiss on the base of my neck. “I’ve missed you too—more than you’ll ever know.”

Say it, my mind raced, pushing me on. Say it.

“Linds…”

“Hmm?”

I hesitated a moment, gathering some air to breathe into my lungs. “There’s something I must tell you…” Cupping her pretty face, I gazed into the eyes of my future that I coveted with entirety. “I…” my heart stop racing as her dark eyes flickered back and forth, waiting. “You see, there’s this development—and I—” Royally f*uked it all up, my mind butted in but my tongue held its ground, hesitant to say the words that once spoken, it could never be taken back.

f*uk.

With my brows furrowed, I pressed my forehead against hers with my eyes closed, torn apart from wanting to confess what was going on and from wanting to save her from the hurt that will surely wreck havoc between us.

“I don’t know where to start with this…but I have to ask something of you.” This was it. This was the end of it all. “I—would it…” I paused before taking a last breath. “Would it be possible if you stay away from the internet for a little while?” I was a coward and I wasn’t ashamed to admit that I was. It was right on my tongue, the words that would put us back into a limbo but I couldn’t do it…for the life of me, I just couldn’t afford to lose her. Everything else but her.

“Why? What’s going on, Dimi? What happened?” She sounded alarmed before she shook me a little, forcing me to open my eyes to gaze into hers, seeking the truth into my guarded ones. “What did you do?”

“I can’t explain it yet—but I beg of you—grant me this one request and I promise with all that I am, I’ll fully disclose everything.” My security and team of lawyers were all investigating who took the photos and how it resurfaced. But without the full details in hand, I simply didn’t want to tell her without all of these information that might be vital to salvage a little bit of what we have. “Please.” I begged. “I know this is too much to ask but I just can’t risk it all.”

She frowned, looking betrayed and frightened all at once. “You’re scaring me…” she whispered, “what did you do that’s gotten you this way?”

“Lindsey—”

She rapidly shook her head, tears welling in her eyes. “What did you do this time?” She was slowly retreating from me and I didn’t have the words to comfort her.

Her tears, I hated the very sight of them, but most of all, I hated the fact that I was the cause of it.

“Dimi?” she asked in a small broken voice.

Reaching out to her, my arms held like as if they were bands of steel and couldn’t be easily broken down. For a second I treasured the feel of her beating heart against my body, her softness and her scent that gave me the sweetest dreams—all of it I memorized as if it were the last time. The back of my throat hurt from trying to contain the unfurling emotions inside me. “I love you, do you know that?” I roughly declared before readying to lay my heart on her hand. “The things I said in LA…I hope you know that I wished to take them all back…whatever happens, don’t ever let doubts and other people’s opinion sway the truth—” Taking her hand to place against my beating heart, I bore into her welling eyes. “You’re always going to be here—it’s going to be your name I’ll whisper for the last time until death takes me. It’ll be your face that I’ll think before darkness takes me. No one—no one will ever take your place. You must understand that no matter what happens, no other woman can replace where you reside.”