Chapter 6

Rupert choked up as he spoke. "Please, just give me one more chance, okay? I swear I'll never go back to Folnville again. I'll never see her. I'll sell that villa, and we can just move on, pretend none of this ever happened."

I stared at him, her voice trembling with despair. "You really think we can just act like nothing ever happened?"

"Rupert, some things, once they're done, there's no going back," I said, my eyes hollow. "Eighteen years of lies—it's like a poisoned thorn buried in my heart, impossible to pull out or ignore. Every moment, it reminds…