Page 204 of My Real Love Affair

Clearly, she had put a lot of thought into what Summer had told her. That did not bode well for me.

She stopped talking. I wasn’t sure if I should say anything.

“With that said, Austin, I don’t believe Summer. This isn’t an arrangement. This isn’t fake. I know it isn’t.”

I exhaled. My body felt like I had been electrocuted. I couldn’t move. I was afraid if I moved, the relief I felt would evaporate. I would blink and realize she hadn’t actually said that. It was all in my head.

“I’m so sorry I didn’t come to you immediately.” She looked up at me, eyes glistening with unshed tears. “I should have trusted you from the start. But I was scared and confused, and I needed to figure out what was real. And what I figured out is that even though it scares the hell out of me, I trust you. I choose you. And I don’t trust Summer.”

She reached out and took my hand, lacing her fingers through mine.

“She’s going to try to destroy you,” Melody said. “She’s going to go public with all of this and twist it to make you look like a villain. But I’m not going to let her win. I want to protect you,Austin. You and your family. Whatever comes next, I’m with you.”

I stared at her, this incredible woman who just laid everything on the line for me. She had been handed every reason to doubt me and had chosen to believe in us instead.

What the fuck had I done to deserve her?

I cupped her face in my hands and kissed her. When I pulled back, I rested my forehead against hers.

“I have to tell you something, too,” I said quietly. “And you’re not going to like it.”

She pulled back slightly to look at me, her brow furrowing. “Okay. I can handle it.”

Could she? I wasn’t sureIcould handle it.

I took a breath and forced the words out. “We need to break up.”

The change in her expression was immediate and devastating. She looked at me like I had just driven a knife into her chest. Like I’d taken everything she’d just given me and thrown it back in her face.

“What?” Her voice was barely a whisper.

“Hear me out,” I said quickly, keeping my hands on her face so she couldn’t pull away. “Please, baby girl. Just hear me out.”

She was trembling now, but she nodded.

“Summer is going public. Soon. Cash and I met with my father today. She’s made sure to threaten him with her story. It might be as soon as a day or two. And when she does, she’s going to say everything you already know. She’s not going to let any little detail go unsaid. I imagine she’ll elaborate as well.”

“I don’t care what she says,” Melody muttered.

“But I care what it does to you.” My voice cracked. “Melody, you barely recovered from the Femme Curve scandal. Do you really think you can survive another one? This one is going to be worse. So much worse. They’ll dig into your past, analyze everymoment we’ve spent together, question every photo and every post. They’ll say terrible things about you, about us. And I can’t watch you get destroyed because of me.”

“So your solution is to dump me?” There was anger in her voice now, mixing with the hurt. “To prove Summer right? To make it look like I really was just another woman you used and discarded?”

“It’s the only way to keep you out of the line of fire.”

“I don’t want to be out of the line of fire!” She pulled away from me, sitting up fully. “I want to stand beside you and fight. Together. Like you said we would.”

“I know what I said, but I don’t think you understand just how bad this will get.”

“You’re trying to protect me, and I thank you for it, but you’re wrong.”

“At least you’d be safe.”

“I don’t want to be safe! I want to be with you!” Her voice rose, passionate and fierce. “Don’t you get it? I’m choosing this. I’m choosing you. I’m choosing us. And you don’t get to make that choice for me.”

I took a deep breath. I had wondered if she would say that. I hoped she would, but I also feared she would.

“I need you to hear me out,” I said.