Page 118 of Wrapped in Perfection

His head jerks back, eyes widen, and he sharply inhales. The color drains from his face then fills with hurt.

Tears drip down my cheeks. "I love you."

"Then why are you doing this?"

"You know why."

"No. I don't. We're happy together."

"Yes, we are. So happy," I admit.

He clenches his jaw. "Then why would you break us apart?"

My voice shakes. "You gave me an ultimatum. You told me you wanted my permission to take care of me how you saw fit. And I had to trust you. No matter what, you would never do anything to hurt me."

"Yes. And I wouldn't."

"I've given you what you needed. It was a vow. An oath that I took seriously. And I have trusted you to do whatever you saw fit."

"You have."

I take his hand and put it over my heart. "You promised me you would give me your trust. You said I got to decide how to take care of you. And you wouldn't question anything. You would know everything I did came from in here."

"That's true. It still is."

"No. It's not." Tears fall faster. "You said if you can't be the man you know how to be, then we're living in a lie. And neither of us deserves that."

"Anna—"

"No, Dmitri. You want all of me. But you don't give me all of you. You think I only deserve to see the good part, but you see every ugly thing about me. And it may not be as dark as whatever it is you're hiding, but it's still me. I trust you with it all. You know my truth. I don't know yours, and not because I don't want to. Because you haven't given me your trust. So we're living in a lie. And I've spent too much of my life doing that. I won't do it anymore."

I've never seen the expression on Dmitri's face before. I'm not sure how to take it.

I kiss his cheek. "I love you. I'm not sure how to stop. But I can't live in a lie with someone who expects me to put all my faith in them, yet they won't put their faith in me."

I leave the room, unable to look at him anymore, my heart shattering into pieces, the pain worse than anything I've ever felt.

He's my heart. But without the truth of who he is, we'll never be real.

24

Dmitri

"Anna!"

She can't do this.

"Anna!" I call after her while following her to the bedroom, but she ignores me and goes into the closet.

I need to tell her. I can't lose her.

I can't tell her. She'll never be able to look me in the face again.

It's too dangerous for her to know.

I step into the closet, and she's crouched over her suitcase. A few random items are in it, and she's trying to silence her tears. Her hand is over her face, and her body is shaking.

I slide on the floor and pull her into my lap. "Don't go. Please. I love you."

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