Clara Bennett
“Ryder, I can’t keep doing this,” I whispered, sitting up straighter in bed as the morning light grew brighter around us. My voice was still thick from crying, and my eyes burned. I pulled the blanket higher around my chest, suddenly feeling exposed even though I was fully dressed. “You’ve been so good to me, and I… I don’t deserve any of it.”
Ryder sat up beside me, the sheets pooling around his waist. He looked at me with those intense dark eyes, his hand reaching out to tuck a strand of messy hair behind my ear. “Whatever it is, just say it. I’m right here.”
I shook my head, my heart racing as the guilt finally became too heavy to carry alone. “No, you don’t understand. I’ve been lying to you this whole time.”
Before I could talk myself out of it, Ryder stood up from t
