Page 102 of Ruthless Secrets
I silently curse myself as my voice cracks, but it seems to do the trick of catching Marco’s attention.
He halts just before he reaches the door to the kitchen, and his shoulders slump as he exhales.
He glances over his shoulder, though he still doesn’t look at me. “Can it wait? Because now is really not a good time.”
I get to my feet. “Well, when is a good time?”
“I have important things to deal with right now, Clara.”
He might as well have slapped me across the face.
Is he implying that I’m not important to him?
I don’t have a chance to say anything before Marco leaves the kitchen without another word.
As I look back at his untouched plate of food, I can’t help but burst into tears.
My vision blurs as I scrape the untouched food into the bin, not wanting to look at it for a moment longer.
I was stupid to think that some pasta and cheese would be enough to get Marco to let down his guard. If anything, it only seemed to make things worse.
By the time I’ve finished clearing up the kitchen, my cheeks are wet with tears, and my heart is aching in my chest. The only thing that could make me feel better is cuddling my daughter, but she’s fast asleep and I don’t want to wake her.
I settle on giving her a kiss goodnight before locking myself away in my sewing room in the hopes of trying to passthe time. But as I look around the room that Marco decorated just for me, I’m overcome with so much emotion that I almost fall to my knees.
This situation with Marco has to be a fluke. It justhasto be. Because the alternative is almost too painful for me to bear.
I’m all too familiar with heartbreak. I vowed when Adam left me that I would never let a man break my heart again. But when Marco came along with his picnics by the waterfall and candle-lit dinners, I immediately fell for it all. And look where it’s gotten me.
I wish Sam was here. She’s always been great at snapping me out of my spirals and talking to me straight because right now I don’t trust myself.
Have I been looking at him with rose-colored glasses all this time? Did I become too attached to the idea of us being a family that I ignored all the red flags that were right in front of me?
I start pulling out a few boxes of ribbons and lace in a daze, my body trembling from how hard I’m crying. I sit down at my sewing table to try and work on finishing the matching dresses I’ve been making for Holly and Zoe, all the while letting the tears fall.
Just as I finish pinning the lace in place, a knock sounds at the door, and I hastily wipe at my cheeks.
“Clara?”
The sound of Lila’s voice only makes my heart ache even more.
I had so hoped it was Marco coming to apologize, but it seems he’s going to stay away from me for the rest of the night. At least.
When I don’t respond, the door creaks open, and Lila peaks her head around.
She glances at the table covered in scraps of lace. “Sorryto interrupt. The boys are working, so I thought you might want to watch a movie?—”
She catches sight of the tears that won’t stop streaming down my cheeks.
“Clara.” She steps into the room and closes the door behind her. “What’s wrong?”
I shrug, my throat too thick to speak.
Lila crosses over to me and takes a seat in the pink armchair by the window, tucking her long legs underneath herself. She’s dressed in a matching white lounge set with her hair tied in a loose braid. Even in her pajamas she looks effortlessly put together, which only makes me feel worse because I look like a hot mess.
“What’s wrong?”
I open my mouth to respond but when I go to speak, a sob escapes me instead. I bury my face in my hands to try and muffle the sound.
