Page 123 of Ruthless Game

Safe.

Whole.

“I already have everything I need,” I told Maya, but my words were for my Starburst.

Emma buried her head in my right shoulder. “We have everything we could ever want or need,” she corrected. “But thank you, Maya, we appreciate it.”

With that, Maya shrugged and left, and we were finally alone.

“Jeffrey,” I said.

“I know.” She glanced away.

“I’m sorry, Starburst. Even if he turned out to be an evil incel creep, he was still your brother.”

She sighed in agreement. “He was still my brother. I’m going to work through that for a long time … but I know you’ll be by my side as I do.”

“Why did you lie to them?” I asked. “I know you love me and you wouldn’t want me to end up in prison, but I killed him.” And I had no remorse over it.

She turned back to look at me, taking my right hand in hers.

“Because you saved my life,” she said. “He would have killed both of us. Besides, it doesn’t matter. I will always choose you. The thing I’m worried about is my parents … Do I tell them the truth? And leave them to grapple with who their son really was as they grieve his death? Or do we keep up the lie and let them mourn him as they remember him?”

We sat in silence, both weighing the pros and cons.

“If you tell them, who does that help?”

She shut her eyes, one tear leaking out. I caught it with my lips, placing a gentle kiss below her left eye.

“No one,” she said. “Not us. Not them. Not even Jeffrey, fucked up as he was. We’re going to have to keep this secret forever.”

Lifting her chin, I kissed her again, until she opened her eyes.

“I’d keep any secret for you. And even though this one will weigh on us, we can handle it together.”

“Deal,” she said.

As painful as it was, it was a much better deal than the first one we’d made—even if my blackmailing her had brought us back together. As much as I regretted how I’d hurt her over the years, and especially over these last weeks, I couldn’t regret bringing her back to me.

“I love you,” I told her. “I’ll never stop saying it.”

“Good,” she said, kissing me back. “Don’t.”

Someone knocked on the door. We separated, but I didn’t fully release her.

“Come in,” I called.

Emma’s parents entered the room. Their faces were worn, drawn, eyes red from crying.

But they didn’t hesitate to come close, enveloping both of us in a hug.

“I’m so glad you’re okay,” Linda murmured. “I’m so glad the two of you are here, with us. I couldn’t stand the thought of losing all three of you.”

“Thank you, for saving our baby girl. And for trying to save our son,” Will said, voice choked.

I should’ve felt guilty. A better man would’ve.

But I wasn’t a better man. Emma had survived and her brother couldn’t torment us anymore. Still, I’d keep the secret. For them.