Page 19 of Forbidden Love

I miss him, but I cannot shake the idea that there’s an enormous secret he’s hiding. Something big. It’s like there’s this wall, and no matter how hard I try, I can’t break through it. He drives me crazy.

I spent the past week feeling detached, going through the motions at protests without fully absorbing anything. He hasn’t shown up at the job site, and his crew appears perplexed.

After a couple of days, I stopped going to the site too. It’s difficult for me to be there and Lena will manage just fine without me. I need rest and time to process the events that happened between David and me.

Every time my phone buzzes, I hope it’s him, but it never is. The silence is suffocating.

When my phone rings and I see Lena’s name, I sit up, hoping a chat with a friend might help. I answer the call. “Hey, Lena.”

“Maya, thank God,” she says, her voice tight with concern. “Are you okay? You sound awful.”

Weak laughter resonates from my mouth, but there’s no humor in it. “I’m a mess, Lena. I am absolutely lost.

“What happened?”

I sink deeper into the couch. “It’s David. Things have been… weird, and I sense he’s hiding something from me.”

After a pause, she sighs. “Maya, I have to tell you something. While you were gone, I did a little digging, and I found out something about David.”

A chill spreads across my back. “What did you find?”

She sighs again. “He’s not who he says he is.”

My heart slams against my ribcage. “What are you talking about?”

I checked him out, and initially found nothing—no background, no history—like he doesn’t even exist. Then I stumbled upon something that clicked.

“Okay,” I say, my vocal cords trailing higher at the end.

She pauses. “David might be Devin Wolfe.”

The name hits me like a lightning strike. Devin Wolfe, the elusive billionaire. The man behind the city’s powerful companies. My heart races as I process what she’s saying.

“No,” I reply flatly. “That makes little sense. Why would he hide that from me?”

“I’m not sure, but you need to be careful. If he is Devin Wolfe, he might be hiding a lot more than just his name.”

My muscles stiffen as heat flushes through my body. Could it be true? Could David really be someone else entirely?

Rage clenches my hands while sweat prickles my skin. Devin—David—whoever he is, he’s a liar.

I refuse to wallow in this mess. I need answers. After snatching my bag and keys, I storm to my apartment door. It’s time for him to come out of hiding.

Just as I grab the doorknob, a knock sounds. I groan. I’m not in the mood for visitors, but I open the door, anyway.

And of course, it’s Cameron—the last person I want to see.

“Maya.” His voice sounds overly soothing, like he’s talking to a wounded animal. “I’m worried about you.”

Eager to push past him, I glance in his direction. “Thanks, but I’m fine. I was just on my way out.”

He steps inside my apartment, blocking the exit, and shutting the door behind him. “Lena called and told me everything. You shouldn’t go anywhere. You need to calm down and think.”

“Cameron, I—”

He cuts me off, pulling me into a hug.

As the frustration boils over, I shrink out of his grasp. “I don’t need you to tell me what I need.”