CHAPTER 143: BETWEEN LOVE AND FEAR

Her words stung, but I couldn’t risk anything by replying. All I could do was sit there as if I were a lifeless statue, letting her say everything she wanted to say. My body shook as my heart pounded so hard that I thought it would crack my ribs. Perhaps that wouldn’t be such a bad way to go, I thought to myself.

"My sweet, dear Abigail, of course you’ll believe the pretty lies Raphael tells you. But don’t overestimate yourself. Not for one second should you think that you’re someone special to him when you’re just one of many. Look at me - I’m the one who will stand beside him and spend the rest of my life with him. Our fathers made an agreement, and nothing can change that. Your little fling won’t change anything," Rosabella reminded me.

Her eyes hardened even further, and all the false sweetness in her tone and smile vanished completely.

"So here’s what will happen. You end things with Raphael. You take your mother and leave. If you don’t, I’m going to tell your mother everything. I’ll tell her what you’ve done behind her back, and then she’ll never see you the same way again," she openly threatened me.

"I’m trying..." I said defensively.

She had no idea how much I wanted to come out and tell my mother everything. I wanted to have no secrets between us. I wanted to tell her the truth about everything - Raphael’s family business, who Bennett really is, and also the complicated relationship I had with Raphael. However, I couldn’t bring myself to tell her that I wasn’t sure if I could give Raphael up. I bit hard on my lower lip to stop it from trembling.

"One week," Rosabella said curtly.

"That’s..." I mumbled.

From her perspective, it was probably quite a lot of time. However, from my experience, one week could slip by so fast - especially when I found myself hesitating and waiting to find the right time and opportunity to talk to my mother.

"I don’t think that we can get away..." I mumbled the first excuse that came to mind.

It wasn’t exactly a lie. I honestly thought that if we were to break things off with Raphael and Bennett, we needed a way to escape. I thought that Rosabella could help us out on that front, but our last attempt to get away had been destroyed so easily.

"Don’t worry. When the time comes, I’ll involve my father to help out, and there will be no hiccups this time around. I can assure you of that. You’ll do your part, and I’ll make sure that I do mine," Rosabella said with a grin.

...

It was another sleepless night for me. It seemed like every time I closed my eyes, Rosabella’s voice would echo in my head - sharp and merciless.

One week.

It wasn’t like I’d been granted an extension to an important project. The deadline had been pushed one week further, but I was certain that Rosabella wouldn’t give me any more time. Between now and then, I needed to find a way to tell my mother the truth about everything. Although I knew what was probably best for my mother and me, I didn’t want to lose the happiness that I was feeling.

My mother was also having the time of her life, even though I knew it was nothing more than an illusion built on lies. Even with all my logic, I still didn’t want to lose Raphael. It felt like I couldn’t bear to lose him. Then I thought of how my mother would react if she found out the truth about my affair with Raphael, and it tore me apart inside.

A few days slipped by in a blur as I went through the motions of everyday life like a robot. My mind was always elsewhere - dealing with my own nightmares and debating my next move - while physically, I operated just fine. I thought no one would notice, but nothing I did could escape Raphael’s observant gaze.

On the third day, he approached me while I was alone in the mansion. His presence immediately filled the room, and I looked up to find him standing in front of the sofa where I was sitting.

"Abigail," he called my name in a low, steady tone. There was something underneath his voice - a mix of concern and maybe a little suspicion.

I forced myself to greet him with a smile before looking up from the magazine I had been pretending to read.

"What’s wrong?" he asked as he crouched down beside the sofa.

"Nothing, I’m just tired," I replied a little too quickly.

His eyes immediately narrowed, and I knew he didn’t believe me.

"Don’t lie to me," he said.

"I’m not lying. I’m just a little burned out," I insisted.

"You’ve been different these past few days. Distant. Did I do something to displease you?" he asked.

The tenderness in his voice nearly broke me down into tears. It made me want to tell him everything - including my encounter with Rosabella and the deadline she had set. However, I was certain that Raphael didn’t want my mother to find out about our relationship. If word got to Bennett, I wasn’t sure how it would affect his relationship with his father.

"It’s not you, I promise," I replied softly.

Raphael stared at me in silence for a long moment, and I could tell he wasn’t convinced. After a while, he simply sighed and stood up.

"You don’t have to tell me now if you’re not ready, but please try not to shut me out. I can’t protect you if you don’t tell me everything," he said tenderly.I could tell that he was truly concerned about me - and that brought an uncomfortable flutter to my chest. He had always promised to protect me. However, this time, I felt like I needed to stand up and protect us.