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“I have some idea. I just wish he’d let me support him instead of pushing me away.”
“Milly, you know what I think?” Christine’s voice took on a conspiratorial hush. “I’ve heard the way Neil talks about you, seen the way he looks at you… I think he cares an awful lot about you—even more than he lets on. If he’s pushing you away, it’s because he’s trying to do what he thinks is best for you.”
I frowned. “Why would pushing me away be what’s best for me?”
“Because he’s trying to protect you.”
“From what?”
Christine paused, then her tone turned serious. “Neil is involved in something very dangerous right now. If the wrong people were to find out about his plans… Well, look what happened to Alex Patterson.”
I shuddered. “So you also think his death was orchestrated?”
“I don’t know. But I do know Neil is worried.”
“That he could meet the same fate as Alex?”
“No. He accepted that possibility a long time ago.”
“Then what?”
“I think he’s afraid of what could happen to you, Milly. He’s afraid you could become a target.”
Chapter Fifty-One
Ihad a lot to discuss with Neil, but before that, I needed time to process everything Christine had revealed.
The breeze stirred my hair as I ventured outside for the first time in days. I hoped a walk would help me organise my thoughts.
The harbourside promenade was busy with couples strolling hand in hand, groups of friends bar-hopping, and families eating alfresco. I wove between them, inhaling the salty sea air. In the distance, the harbour bridge sparkled from the stream of car headlights as the sun descended.
Despite feeling better physically, my mind felt like a tangled mess. Christine’s words had validated my instincts about Neil while simultaneously adding new layers of confusion. Was she right? Did his rejection stem from a desire to protect me rather than a lack of interest? The more I mulled it over, the more it made sense. His hot-and-cold behaviour, the way he dismissed me yet looked pained as he did so—it aligned with someone who cared for me but felt he had to cut ties for self-sacrificing reasons.
And this dangerous succession scheme Neil was involved in… Why did it suddenly matter how close we were now, but not back in Singapore when Daniel literally thought Neil and I were sleeping together? Was it my attempted kiss which triggered Neil into defensive mode?
And what about the theory I could become a target? My life had never been smooth sailing, but never before had I faced such a threat. I frowned, chewing my lip. Maybe distancing myself from Neil was the wiser choice, no matter how much it hurt.
But then again, Neil was the closest person I had in my life right now. Maybe ever. I’d confided in him, opened up to him in ways I’d never imagined I could with another person. Was I willing to walk away from that because of some perceived threat that might never materialise?
I ambled along with my head down, lost in my thoughts. At some point, I wandered off the main stretch. My surroundings grew quieter as I found myself on a footpath running alongside the marina. Gleaming yachts bobbed in their moorings, their towering masts swaying like metronomes in the breeze. I stared out at the rippling water.
A familiar bark put a pin in my ruminations, then I felt something rough and tickly on the back of my leg. I looked down and saw Archie’s scruffy face nuzzling my leg, his tongue licking me, tail wagging. My gaze lifted, following Archie’s leash to the man holding it. Our eyes locked. In that charged moment, my internal debate crystallised into a single, resolute thought: No matter what dangers or difficulties lay ahead, I knew with utter certainty that I could never walk away from him. I was going to fight for him, for us—whatever that meant—no matter what it took.
He was dressed in dark shorts that showed off his toned, lightly tanned legs. A fitted t-shirt hugged his broad shoulders and athletic frame, the short sleeves emphasising the bulge of his biceps. The fading sunlight lit the harsh angles of his face. I was entranced.
Archie let out a low, grumbly whine, begging for my attention.
“He’s missed you,” Neil said, eyes crinkling with a fond look directed more at me than the dog.
“Have you missed me?” I asked, emboldened by the strength of my desire for him.
“Yes, I have.” His voice was raw, making my stomach flip.
“Me too. I’ve missed you too.”
Neil stepped closer, searching my face with lingering concern. “How are you feeling?”
“Much better now, thanks. I have a doctor’s note if you need it.”
