Chapter 6: Chapter Six

“What?” She studied him, searching for any sign he was joking, but his expression was serious. “What do you mean?”

“This isn’t my real face,” Raine repeated, his tone deadpan.

Raine stood abruptly and made his way over to the banister, gripping it so tightly that his knuckles turned white. He didn’t want to speak anymore; it hurt too much to even think about. But it was Meira asking, and for her, he would have to say it all.

“After I woke up and saw the damage…” His voice faltered. “I didn’t handle it well. I looked like a monster, and I felt like one. The worst part was that I survived, and my family didn’t.”

“That wasn’t your fault,” Meira shot back, standing up and moving to his side. “Don’t blame yourself. You told me not to beat myself up over Richard, so you should take your own advice.”

“Don’t worry, that’s all behind me now,” Raine said, his tone flat. “Everyone thought I had died, and I wanted them to keep thinking that. So, I had surgery. This is my face now.”

“There was nothing they could do to save it?” Meira asked softly.

“No,” he replied, shaking his head. “After that, I changed my name and moved here.”

“Were you afraid your father’s enemies would come after you? Is that why you changed your name?” Meira asked, studying his face. “It’s almost like saying you didn’t want to be your father’s son anymore.”

“At first, yes,” Raine admitted. “But after I managed to take back my father’s company, it didn’t matter. My grandfather, my mom’s father, was Raine Emerson Cruz. I just took his name.”

“Oh,” Meira murmured. She hesitated, then asked, “If this is how you look now… what did you look like before? You must have been stunning.”

Raine chuckled. “So, you think I’m gorgeous?”

“I’d have to be blind not to notice,” Meira replied with a shy smile. She glanced away, then back at him, her face flushing with embarrassment. “Don’t get the wrong idea, but… when I first met you, I was attracted to you.”

“Really?” Raine’s eyes lit up with surprise and amusement. “You’re not messing with me, are you?”

“I swear,” she said. “But Richard was my boyfriend, and I’m not the type to stray. Besides, I figured you probably had a girlfriend abroad or something.”

“I’ve never dated,” Raine said with a shrug. “There was never time.”

Meira’s eyes widened in shock. “Wait… are you still a…?”

“A what?” Raine asked, pretending not to understand.

“You know what,” she muttered, her face turning crimson.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about, Hidelsie,” he teased with a smirk. “I’m still what?”

"Pervert!" Meira exclaimed, playfully hitting his chest, which only made Raine laugh harder.

“No, I’m not what you think,” he chuckled. “I never really dated, but I did hook up when I felt like it. After the accident, though… something changed. I haven’t been with anyone since.”

“You’ve been celibate for almost a decade?” Meira asked, her eyes wide with disbelief. “You’re joking, right?”

“You can ask Hanna if you don’t believe me,” he said with a grin.

“That’s impossible,” Meira protested, shaking her head.

“When was the last time you slept with Richard?” Raine asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Months and months ago,” she admitted, sighing, then quickly changed the subject. “Let’s not dive into our non-existent love lives, please.”

“Well, mine is truly non-existent. Yours, on the other hand, is still pretty recent,” he teased.

“How did we even get on this topic?” Meira tilted her head, feigning confusion.

“You brought it up,” Raine replied with a smirk.

“No, I just asked if you had a girlfriend, and you said you’ve never dated,” she corrected him.

“And then you asked if I was still a V—”

Before he could finish, Meira slapped her hand over his mouth, shrieking in embarrassment. She yanked it away quickly, her face scrunched in shock when she felt his tongue lick her palm.

“You’re so dead!” Meira growled.

“Catch me if you can!” Raine laughed and darted off.

Meira burst into laughter and chased after him.

*******

Sunlight streamed into the room through the open curtains, waking Meira up abruptly. She sat up in bed, looking around the room before letting out a sigh of relief when she realized she was safe in Raine’s house.

After stretching, she climbed out of bed and sleepily made her way to the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face.

“I hope you’re happy, Richard,” she muttered to her reflection. “You got what you wanted, you beat me down, but I got back up. I will always get back up.”

“Meira?” Raine’s voice called from the other room.

“I’m in here,” she replied, drying her face with a towel.

“Are you naked?” Raine teased.

Meira laughed. “You’ve got a dirty mind that needs to be bleached, Raine Cruz.” She walked out of the bathroom.

Raine chuckled, pointing to a tray on the bed. “Brought you breakfast. Did you sleep well?” he inquired.

“Like a baby,” Meira said, sitting on the bed. “Aww, you didn’t have to.”

“I wanted to,” Raine replied.

“Thank you,” she smiled. “Are the twins awake?”

“Yeah, they’ve been up since six,” Raine said with a grin. “We went for a run around the estate.”

“Gabriel and his sister went running with you at six?” Meira asked, her eyes wide.

“You sound surprised.”

“If I don’t wake them up with a foghorn, we’re never out the door in time for school,” she grumbled. “And now they’re up at six for a run?”

Raine laughed. “You sound jealous.”

“No, I don’t.”

“You could join us if you want. They enjoyed it today. We’ll make it a Saturday routine.”

“We’ll see,” she shrugged, noncommittal.

“You look beautiful, Meira,” Raine said softly.

Blushing, Meira looked down at her food. “You’re such a charmer, Raine Cruz. I haven’t even had my bath yet.”

“Doesn’t matter,” he replied with a grin. “You’re beautiful.”

“Thank you.” she muttered, smiling.

“I’ll leave you to eat,” he said, smiling as he walked out.

After finishing her breakfast, a maid came to collect the tray. Meira then went to the bathroom for a shower.

Later, when she walked into the living room, she was surprised to find Raine sitting on the floor, playing chess with the twins.

“Good morning, Mom,” the twins chimed.

“Good morning,” she greeted, sitting down on the sofa beside Raine. “Are you teaching them chess, Raine?”

"We're teaching Gabi," Gabe said proudly. "I'm whooping Uncle Raine’s ass."

"Language, Gabriel," Meira scolded.

"But Uncle Raine says it all the time," Gabe protested. "I don’t see you telling him off."

"Uncle Raine is an adult," Gabi chimed in. "Adults get away with things we can’t."

"I’ll stop swearing from now on," Raine promised Meira with a grin.

"Good," Meira nodded before standing up. "I’ll see if I can help out in the kitchen, and I need to thank Hanna for the delicious meal."

"Uncle Raine made it," Gabi blurted out.

Meira looked at Raine, surprised. "You did?"

Raine shrugged. "It was nothing."

"Thank you," Meira said, crouching down to hug him and planting a kiss on both his cheeks.

"Adults are so weird," Gabe muttered. "Gabi, you’re not allowed to kiss Simon like that, you hear me?"

"Of course not," Gabi said, wrinkling her nose. "I don’t even like Simon."

"You don’t?" Gabe looked shocked. "Then who was the letter for?"

"What letter?" Meira asked as she stood up, her curiosity piqued.

"Nothing," the twins said in unison.

"Gabriella Annabelle Gilbert, what letter is your brother talking about? Are you writing love letters already?" Meira asked, eyeing her daughter.

"No, Mommy," Gabi replied. "I don’t know what Gabriel is talking about."

"Gabriel Emerson Gilbert, talk to me," Meira said, turning to her son.

"She wrote a letter to me," Raine interjected. "She was asked to write a letter to a friend, so she wrote it to me."

"I see," Meira muttered. "For the record, neither of you is allowed to date anyone until you’re at least twenty. Am I clear?"

"Yes, Mommy," the twins chorused.

"Good," Meira said, and with that, she left the room.

The twins let out sighs of relief once she was gone, thanking Raine for stepping in.

"You still owe me the truth about the letter," Raine said, raising an eyebrow.

"Oh, it's just like you said," Gabi explained. "We were told to write a letter to someone in our class that we don’t talk to much, so I wrote mine to... Hector."

"Hector? Hector Michaels?" Gabe’s eyes widened in disbelief. "Seriously?"

"Who’s this Hector kid?" Raine asked.

"He’s kind of a loner in our class," Gabe muttered. "His dad’s in prison for armed robbery, and his mom sells puff balls by the roadside sometimes. He’s a welfare student."

"I’d like to meet Hector," Raine said, turning to Gabi. "Do you think I could meet him?"

"Er... sure, Uncle Raine," Gabi replied with a nod.

"It’s not nice to look down on someone just because they’re poor, Gabe," Raine gently reminded. "You never know what tomorrow holds."

"I’m sorry," Gabe said, looking sheepish. "He seems nice, though."

"Good. Now, let’s finish our game," Raine said, and the subject of Hector was quickly forgotten.