Page 61 of The Billionaire and His Forever

“Don’t insult me with more lies. I know everything.”

I’m afraid to pour fuel on the fire, but I have to say these words. “I love you, Graham. I love you with everything I have. That’s the truth.”

“STOP. LYING!” His voice fills the apartment like terrifying thunder. “I brought you into my home. I entrusted my child into your care. Fed you, sheltered you, paid you generously. And somewhere along the way, I fell for you. I was foolish enough to give you my heart. To get down on one knee. My God. To think I almost made the biggest mistake of my life.”

I shake my head, tears blurring my vision. “Please, just let me explain—”

“I don’t want to hear a single thing you have to say,” he grinds out, as if each word is causing him pain. “I’ve heard enough already.”

Grief stabs me in the heart with a long, hot knife. “It’s not like you think. I swear to you, Graham, it’s not.”

“Are you going to deny that you came to work for me for the sole purpose of extorting me? Go ahead and try.” He sneers again.

The tears roll down my face, but I brush them away. I know the only way out of this is the truth, as badly as I don’t want to tell it. “No. It’s true—my dad did send me to you with ulterior motives. I tried to tell you…” I trail off weakly.

But despite my protests, I know I’m guilty. I did try to seduce him. And I succeeded. There were plenty of opportunities for me to come clean, but I never did. I tried to bury it. Brush it under the rug in the hopes that Graham would never find out. What the hell was I thinking?

“You tried to tell me that you were after my money?” Graham snorts. “NO. All you told me was that you were a little girl with a crush. Now, you’re a little girl with a fat bank account. I hope that two million dollars fucks you as well as I did.”

“I wasmarryingyou. I signed a prenup! I never wanted the money, I wantedyou. Why would I go behind your back and steal from you?”

He remains unmoved. “Turns out, I don’t know why you do anything.”

“I didn’t rob you, Graham.” My hands are clenched, my nails digging into my palms painfully. I have to fight for my marriage, but it feels like a losing battle. “Yes, I initially agreed to try to seduce you to get access to your money, whether through blackmail or marriage. I was sent under terrible pretenses, and I had an ulterior motive. That was my dad’s big plan.

“But itfailed. Because I fell in love with you, Graham. So Ididn’t do it. I walked away. And now my dad is furious because I abandoned his piece of shit master plan, but I don’t care what he thinks anymore.All I care about is you.”

“You know, I didn’t believe his story at first. But then all the pieces started falling into place. And I knew there was no point in denying it. I couldn’t lie to myself.”

I’m full-on sobbing now. “I never meant to take advantage. I know this looks so bad, but I’m telling you, Graham, I love you. You and Jude mean everything to me.”

“Don’t you dare bring my daughter into this,” he growls.

“You have to understand.” My voice cracks. “He’s my dad. He told me he was going to lose the house, that he and my mom would be homeless. I had no idea what I was getting into. I just knew I’d get to spend the summer at your house, and I’ve always loved you—”

“Stop. I won’t hear another lie out of your filthy mouth.”

I sink to my knees, all the strength gone out of my legs. “I just want to be with you. I want to be your wife. I want us to be together forever,” I murmur softly.

Graham casts a disgusted look down at me. “You’re good. You’re very good. Shame you couldn’t show Natasha a thing or two.”

This hurts almost more than anything else. “You know I didn’t do anything to Natasha.”

“Do I?”

“Graham. After everything we’ve been through, can’t you see my devotion to you? I love you. You have to see that. You have to know that. Please.” I climb up off the floor and go to him, grabbing his arm.

He coolly shrugs out of my grasp and takes a step back.

“What I know is this: You came into my home under false pretenses to steal from me, you hustled your way into my life and gained access to my accounts, and then two million dollars went missing.”

I shake my head, shocked. “What are you talking about? I thought you said Natasha was the one who—”

“Yes, she was quite the handy scapegoat, was she not? Unconscious in the hospital, all the better to take the fall for your actions.”

“I didn’t do it!” I dig the heels of my hands into my eyes and take a deep breath, but it does nothing to calm the frantic pounding in my chest. “And I never wanted to betray you, Graham. You’re too precious to me. You have to understand. You have to understand.”

“Andyouhave to understand you’ve been found out. Rooted out like the vermin you are.” Graham’s tone is so repulsed that it sickens me. How can he not believe me after all that we’ve been through? “You have forty-eight hours to find somewhere else to live and someone else to represent you. I’ll no longer be bankrolling your legal team or your lifestyle.”

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