Page 125 of How to Fall for the Secret Billionaire
“Margot—” I step closer, reaching for her arm, desperate to explain, to fix this somehow.
But she jerks away from me like I’ve burned her. “Don’t. Don’t touch me.”
Her eyes are glassy now, filling fast. “You lied to me, Cal. Every single day, you let me believe you were someone else.”
“I didn’t mean to?—”
“You let me fall for someone who doesn’t even exist,” she snaps, voice cracking. “I asked you again and again if there was something I didn’t know. And you just—what? Thought I’d beokay with finding out like this? From a photographer and my little sister?”
“I was trying to protect what we had,” I say, my chest tight. “I wasn’t trying to hurt you.”
“Then stay away from me,” she says through her teeth, wiping at her face. “Stay away from me. You and your stupid lies.”
And then she turns and walks away—back into the house, into the dark.
And I let her.
Because right now, I don’t think I deserve to follow.
I stand in the dark for a long time, the porch light from the inn flickering like it’s mocking me. I don’t move. I can’t. Every cell in my body is telling me not to go inside—that I’ve messed it all up beyond repair.
Eventually, my legs start moving, like they’re not mine anymore. I cross the gravel slowly, quietly. The night’s air bites at my skin, but I deserve it. I deserve worse.
The orchard house glows warm in the distance, like a beacon. And I head straight for it.
Sam is sitting outside in his rocking chair, looking like a man who has the whole world figured out. He sees me coming and slows his rhythm, eyes steady on me.
I stop in front of him. I don’t say hi. Don’t ask to sit. I just start talking.
“I lied to her,” I say. My voice is hoarse. “About who I am. About everything.”
Sam doesn’t interrupt. Doesn’t even blink.
“I’m not just some guy passing through,” I say. “My name’s Calvin Hale. I started TechBit. I sold it. I burned out. I wanted to disappear. So I came here. And I didn’t tell her. I should have. I know I should have.”
When he looks confused, I slow down and explain everything to him. He gestures for me to sit, and the words rush out of me like water from a broken tap.
I pause, breathing hard, heart thudding like I’ve just run miles instead of spoken a few sentences. “I kept meaning to. I told myself I’d earn her trust first. That I’d be honest when it mattered. But it mattered the whole time. And now… she hates me.”
Sam leans forward a little. He’s quiet, watching me like he’s measuring every part of my soul.
“I never meant to hurt her,” I whisper.
He nods once, slowly. Then says, “You planning to fix it?”
“I don’t know how.”
“Well, son,” he says, “then that’s the first thing you’ve got to figure out. Margot’s a proud girl. Always has been. She’s got this spine made of steel, just like her mama. But what most people don’t see is how much she feels underneath it. She doesn’t hand out her trust easily, and when she does? It means everything to her.”
I nod slowly, throat tightening.
“She let you in,” he says, eyes locking on mine. “You lied to her.”
“I know,” I whisper. “I know.”
“I don’t have any big advice or magic words for you, Cal.” He sighs. “Only thing I can tell you is this—if you’re sorry, really sorry, then you’re going to have to show it. With honesty. With consistency. With work. Now go figure it out.”
Sam’s words might be intended to encourage, but they don’t help me. I feel alone and ostracized, even though it’s all in my head. I need something concrete, but as I walk away, I realize that’s the easy way out, and Sam is right to hold back. This is my mistake, and I must put in the work to fix it myself.
