Page 213 of Ruin Me Gently

“No way,” the words ripped out of me. “This is insane. You can’t just throw that much money away on something like this.”

Silas paused mid-text, lifting his gaze to mine. “It’s not throwing it away.”

“Silas—”

“It’s an investment. One that guarantees Clark doesn’t slip through the cracks. That he doesn’t just fade away into the background and get to keep—” he exhaled sharply, shaking his head. “He doesn’t get to disappear while you have to live with what he did. You could have died. And he ran. Like your blood didn’t stain his hands.”

My fingers drifted up to where a scar now lay on my temple.

Finn shifted in his chair. “Damn, man.”

Silas’ gaze locked onto mine. “I don’t care what it costs. I don’t care if it’s unethical, illegal, or messy. Clark Thorn doesn’t get to exist anymore. If the system won’t find him, I fucking will.”

CHAPTER FORTY NINE

“Oh my God, you’reproposing!”

My head snapped up so fast I probably could have filed aclaim against myself for whiplash.

Lilith stood at the entrance of the rooftop, eyes wide, hand thrown dramatically against her chest.

I exhaled sharply. “Lilith.”

She ignored me, pressing a hand over her mouth like she was moments away from fainting. “I don’t even have my nails done. This is so unexpected!”

I dragged a hand down my face. “Lilith.”

“How mad would you be if I said no? Just hypothetically.”

For fuck’s sake.

I pinched the bridge of my nose, forcing out a slow breath before I lost the little patience I had left. But the twitch of my lips betrayed me, and she caught it immediately. I should have known better than to expect anything less.

“Sit the hell down,” I muttered, reaching for her wrist and tugging her toward the setup before she could run with this any further.

Ihadgone overboard. Even I could admit that. The rooftop was straight out of one of those damn rom-coms she loved so much.

Blankets. Pillows. Lanterns flickering softly. The outdoor heater casting a warm glow over everything.

Itlookedlike a proposal.

It wasn’t.

But the fact she’d immediately assumed? Maybe I didn’t hate that as much as I should have.

She let me pull her forward, probably because she spotted the wine. And the ridiculous amount of snacks.

She plopped down on the blanket, crossing her legs, her gaze still sweeping over the space. “Okay, but this is very marriage proposal coded, and I just think it’s important we acknowledge that.”

I sighed, pouring her a glass of wine before handing it over. “Noted.”

“Good.” She took a sip, eyes flicking over me as I settled beside her. “Now, tell me what this is.”

“Today was a lot. All of it. It was heavy.”

I let the words settle, watching her over the rim of my glass as I took a slow sip.

I didn’t know if I regretted not telling her.

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