Chapter 28
Kjell
Oh God, what have I done?
Sky continues to scrutinize me unchanged. "Are you sure? You look like you've eaten spoiled fish."
I nod and suppress the rising nausea within me.
"Okay, I'll start packing. Will you clean up the kitchen?" she asks, beaming.
Overwhelmed, I turn away and walk into the kitchen while Sky dances to the stairs leading up to the first floor. I wait for the dragging sound of her bedroom door before sinking against the kitchen counter.
Fuck.
If they catch me, it's all over, Sky just said with so much panic in her voice.
And it's only just dawning on me, at this moment, what I've been doing in the past few weeks.
I've been lying to this woman—the most wonderful person I've ever met. And at the same time, I kept telling myself not to trust her.
That was utterly stupid.
Iwas utterly stupid.
Frantically, I place the coffee cup in the sink and turn on the faucet. I scrub the cup as if trying to remove burnt residue, but no matter how hard I try, the ingrained stain inside me won't go away.
I'm a hypocrite. A liar.
A fraud.
With a jerky motion, I slam the cup into the sink, shattering it into a thousand pieces. Leaning against the countertop, I gaze at the fragments, feeling as if I'm looking at my own life.
Thoughts race through my mind so fast that it feels like it could explode at any moment.
I need to confess to Sky who and what I am. I will tell her that I never intended to fall in love with her. But she made me forget why I came here in the first place with her incredible personality.
And, of course, that I would never publish a single detail about her. Her secret is safe with me. I will also make it clear to Jakob what I've been avoiding so far: the story is dead.
"Are you ready?"
I look up and see Sky in the hallway with rosy cheeks and bright eyes. The packed overnight bags are next to her.
"Yeah. Your stuff is in there too," she says, grinning. "I hope that's okay?"
"Listen..." In front of me is a pile of shards in the sink, and by the door stands a hopeful-looking Sky. Panic rises within me, but I must do it right now, before everything gets even worse than it already is. "I need to tell you something..."
"Can we talk on the way?" she asks nonchalantly, spinning around and beginning to close the shutters. "We have five hours until we reach Stockholm, anyway."
No, I think. "Sure," I say, like a lousy coward, and immediately despise myself for it.
The room grows darker. I collect the shards, wipe the countertop with a pounding heart, and finally pack the dirty dish towels.
A few minutes later, Sky pulls the car out of the property. "Once again, about the press," she says, chewing on her lower lip.
Beads of sweat form on my forehead, and my breath becomes shallow. "Yes, well, I wanted to talk to you about that too," I begin because there won't be a better moment.
How will she react? Will she understand my dilemma?
