"Ask me whatever you want, and I will tell you my truth," he said, his voice steady but filled with an undertone of vulnerability.
"Are you a drug lord?" I asked, my heart pounding with hope that he would deny it.
"I am not a drug lord, Adele, but I am involved with organized crime in the sense of dealing with illegal merchandise," he replied.
"Organized crime? Like..." I hesitated, trying to comprehend his words.
"A mafia. Yes," he answered matter-of-factly, causing my heart to skip a beat. I swallowed hard, trying to process the reality of his admission.
"What kind?" I forced myself to ask, needing to know the extent of his involvement.
"Arms dealing is the major part of it, then cheap alcohol importation and distribution, money laundering..." he listed, causing my anxiety to heighten.
"Human trafficking. Organ harvesting and trafficking?" I asked, fearing the worst.
“No, I'm sorry, we are not that morally corrupt,” he replied in a cold tone.
"Did Mark know?" I inquired, my mind racing with questions about my brother.
"That I am a criminal, yes," he confirmed.
"Was he involved?" I pressed, trying to make sense of the connections.
"I'm sorry, Adele, that's not my part of the story to tell," he responded, leaving me with a sense of unease.
"Do you kill innocent people?" I asked, dreading the answer.
"Nobody in my line of business is considered innocent, Adele. It's a dog-eat-dog world. If anyone comes for me, it would be a matter of self-defense," he explained, his words sending shivers down my spine.
"Is that why these people are after me?" I questioned, trying to understand the danger I was facing.
"No. They are after you because Jessica is jealous of what you have..." he revealed, mentioning his step-sister's name.
"What I have? Jessica? Your step-sister?" I asked, confusion clouding my thoughts.
"Me. You have me," he admitted, and my heart wavered between relief and fear.
"What? I don't understand..." I stammered, trying to process his confession.
"I was a different man before I met you. And I went through women like a child would a pack of candy. I have no excuse other than the fact that I didn't care. Patricia..." he began, and my eyes widened in shock.
"Your stepmother?" I interjected, not wanting to hear the rest but knew I must.
"Yes, she seduced me, and I let her have her way..." he confessed, and my heart sank at his words.
"What?!" I exclaimed, unable to hide my shock and revulsion at the revelation.
"Jessica did the same, and I let her too," he continued, leaving me utterly devastated and betrayed by the man I thought I knew.
"But there was a catch… each one of them had a motive. They wanted to be the lady that inherited the Donovan empire. My dad made sure Patricia would not get a dime he didn't want to give, and the same goes for her daughter. So they were each playing a game, using their bodies to gain favors, the only problem was I knew, and so did my dad," Archer confessed, his voice filled with bitterness.
"So that day at lunch with your dad…" I trailed off, my mind piecing together the puzzle.
"She was jealous of you, knowing…" his voice trailed off as he looked away, letting out a self-mocking chuckle.
"Knowing what, Archer?" I asked, my heart pounding in my chest.
He raised his eyes to meet mine, his gaze intense. "Knowing that I'm in love with you," he said, his words hitting me like a tidal wave. My lips trembled as tears welled in my eyes again. This was too much to take in all at once.
"I tried not to, believe me. But I lost, and now we are here at this crossroads. Adele, Jessica killed her mother in this deadly game…" he revealed, and my breath caught in my throat.
I gasped in shock, unable to fully comprehend the web of deceit and danger that surrounded us but Archer continued, pouring his heart out to me.
"I wish I could let you walk away, like I did before, say to hell with it, but it's more complicated than that now. She will not rest until she hurts you, and if she finds out that you are carrying my child, she would be relentless and brutal. I cannot… I will not let that happen. You can hate me. You might find me disgusting, a common criminal, but to me, you are my… everything. You have captured my essence, and now I do not know how to live or how to continue to exist in a world that you are not in. I tried damn hard to stay away from you. You know that I did. Right from that first kiss we shared, you upturned my life, and now I am yours however you want me. And if you don't want me anymore… if you have changed your mind and what you professed to feel for me was nothing but a child's infatuation, like I thought it was. A confusion," he said, his voice filled with pain. "If that was what it was, a girl's love, then when this is over—when there are no threats to your life or my… my child's life, then I shall let you walk away. I swear it to you on my mother's grave, Adele. I will not be a part of your life; it would be as if I never existed. I swear it. But right now, let me protect you. That's all I ask." His voice quivered as he poured his heart out, laying bare his deepest fears and vulnerabilities.
Tears welled up in my eyes as I listened to his heartfelt plea. "Why then did you kiss me in the car?" I asked, my voice trembling.
"I couldn't help myself, just like the first time I came to you to love you. I couldn’t stop," he whispered, his eyes filled with sincerity, and then he chuckled in self-mockery, still not meeting my gaze. "It wouldn't happen again..." he said in almost a growl and turned away, heading toward the exit.
"Archer?" I called, my voice shaking. He paused his strides. "Living in a world without you is something I cannot bear too. The first time we made love, it was the most beautiful thing ever. My heart broke when you walked out the following day. I thought it was because it meant nothing. But then you told me you were bad for me. You warned me, but I love you anyway. How am I supposed to live if you erase yourself from my life? Mine and your baby's life?" My voice trembled with emotion as I poured my heart out to him, my eyes pleading for him to understand the depth of my feelings.
I heard him release a shaky breath. He then turned around and marched back to me, making me gasp at his intensity as he cupped my face and peered passionately into my eyes.
"Don't you dare give me hope," he growled in a tortured tone.”Don’t you be that cruel, Adele.”
"Archer…" I whispered. My heart constricted at his impassioned words. "I kissed you back in the car."
"What are you saying to me?"
"I - I love you. I don't think I know how to stop," I whispered, tears welling up in my eyes. I felt his entire body quivering. He lowered his forehead to press it against mine. His lips were just about an inch away from mine.
"I love you too, Adele,” he whispered back.
“Archer…” I cried, grabbing on to his shirt.
“But I am not worthy of you, my love," he whispered, his voice filled with pain, and then he took my lips in a desperate kiss. I indulged in the familiar drugging feeling of his touch, his scent surrounding me. But then I couldn't get the fact that he said he slept with his stepmother and stepsister out of my mind. I gently pulled away, stationing my eyes on his heaving chest.
Without saying a word, he walked outside. Going to stand by the window, I watched him walk to the shore and sit there. Chad and Sam joined him, handing him a beer. He took it, and I watched him drinking. A movement from the corner of the porch caught my attention. I saw Archer's men armed and parading. The image of him walking out and going to sit on the sandy shore pulled at my heartstrings, and I wished I could go to him, wrap my arms around his neck, and pepper kisses all over his face like I used to, reminding him that I love him. That version of us seemed like a distant dream now.
As I stood there, tears streaming down my cheeks, I knew that our love was real and powerful, but the road ahead was filled with uncertainty and danger. I didn't know how this would end, but I don’t want to live without him.