Secrets of Us A Forbidden Love Romance (Alina)

Chapter 60

It Will Never Be

| fold another sweater and shove it into the cardboard box in front of me, not bothering to

keep it neat.

It will be a pain to dig through the box and figure out where everything is, but |

don't

care.

Mother hums to herself as she walks down the hallway from her room to the hallway bathroom. She seems to be

unbothered by the chaotic mess.

Clothes, books and random things are scattered everywhere, all over the floor.

I roll my eyes and peek my head out of my bedroom. "Are you expectingto clean up

all this mess?"

Mother stops with her shampoo in her hands, frowning. "Of course not. Jake is hiring a cleaning company to take

care of everything we leave behind. Just take what you want."

"How can you be so calm about this?" | ask.

She shrugs, walking toward her room again. "I'm ready to start this new chapter of

our

lives."

A new chapter. Yeah right. Something tellsnothing is going to change except our living situation. "Does Jake

know you're an alcoholic?"

She gasps, jaw dropped. "Don't be so tic. So, I like to finish my day off with a glass

of wine, that doesn't makean alcoholic, Alina."

| sneer at her. She says it's a glass of wine, but it's more like bottles. With an s.

Moving into Jake's house feels more like stepping into a twisted version of my life than

any kind of fresh start, and dread fillsup to the brim.

Mother didn't even listen towhen | told her that | could keep living here and she could live with Jake and the

guys. She toldthat was ridiculous, too.

The wedding is tomorrow, and tonight is the rehearsal dinner. | don't know what's worse: pretending everything

is fine or knowing I'll be living under the sroof as Jake by the

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end of the day.

My chest tightens as | think about our conversation yesterday. His confession that he's marrying my mother just

to be close to me.

Fuck.

There was a part ofthat wanted to be flattered at that. That he wantedunder the

sroof as him. The larger part ofwas absolutely disgusted with him.

Maybe Aiden and | could get a place together, move out and...

And what?

Do | see a future with him?

I don't.

But Aiden's fun. He makesfeel normal; he makesforget.

| shake the thoughts away and shove another handful of clothes into the box.

"I think I'm done here," mother says as she walks to the living room with a box in her

hands.

None of the furniture is coming, so the packing is quick. Jake's house is fully furnished, and I'm sure he does not

want the style ruined by our secondhand things.

We load the last of the boxes into the car, my stomach churning as I slide into the passenger seat.

The ride to Jake's house is silent, my nerves eatingup too much to letspeak. Not that | have anything |

want to talk to mother about.

When we pull up, Jake is waiting for us outside. His tall frleans casually against the doorframe, but his eyes

are anything but relaxed. They're locked on me, intense and burning, and | can't help the way my heart skips a

beat.

"Alina," he says, his voice low as | step out of the car.

| look away, my pulse racing. His words from yesterday echo in my head: If it's the

only

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way I'll get to see you.

| hate him for saying it, for puttingin this position. And yet, | can't stop the wild flutter in my chest whenever

he looks at me, when | remember his touch.

Jake helps carry our boxes inside, leading the way to my new room. My mother follows close behind, chattering

about how nice everything is.

"This will be your room," Jake says, opening the door.

| step inside, my eyes immediately scanning the space. It's clean and impersonal, with a bed, a small desk for

schoolwork, and a vanity tucked in the corner. There's no bathroom. The realization that I'll have to share with

Aiden and Zaid hitslike a brick.

My room is sandwiched right between theirs.

"Is there another room?" | ask before | can stop myself.

My mother whirls on me, her tone sharp. "Alina, don't be rude. You should be grateful you have your own room."

| bite my tongue, glaring at the floor. Grateful? Grateful for what? That I've been uprooted and shoved into this

house to play happy family with Jake? With Aiden

and

Zaid?

| set my box down on the bed, letting out a sigh. The mattress is too perfect, the furniture too polished. Nothing

about this room feels like mine.

The door creaks open behind me, and | turn to see Aiden stepping in. He smiles softly, his expression easing

sof the tension knotting my shoulders.

"Hey," he says, leaning against the doorframe.

"Hey," | reply.

"You okay?" he asks, his eyes scanning my face.

I nod as | crinkle my nose. "Just... adjusting."

He steps closer, his presence warm and comforting in a way | desperately need.

"It's

weird, | know."

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We plop down on the bed beside each other, and he presses a kiss to my

shoulder.

| blow out a stream of air. "Really weird."

He smiles against my skin. "You can always stay in my room."

| cup his cheek, smiling as | bite my lip. "You won't get tired of me?"

"Nope."

We stay like that for a bit and then he givesone last smile before heading

back to his room, leavingalone with my thoughts. | sit on the edge of the bed,

staring at the box I've barely unpacked.

This isn't home. It will never be.