Chapter 43

Valerie Will POV

Those photos of Patrick and I broke Jamal.

It had been over two weeks but he still hadn’t gotten over it. He was quiet, cold, and distant. There was tension between us and our conversations were weird.

I tried to explain that the photos were taken out of context. That the kiss on my forehead meant nothing. That I only met Patrick so he would leave me alone.

But he didn’t believe it.

What really broke him wasn’t just the photos, it was the fact that I lied to him about Patrick.

It wasn’t like I lied.

I just withheld information from him. I didn’t tell him that I ran into Patrick at the hotel. I didn’t tell him that Patrick was asking me out for lunch.

I had every opportunity to do so, but I didn’t.

And now, I was facing the consequences.

Maybe he was right. Lies by omission were still lies.

I tried my best to fix things, but Jamal was still upset. I didn’t know how to convince him that he had no