(Serena)Or maybe it isn’t.Maybe I just want it to be.Because if it’s not too late, then I have to admit that I still want this marriage.That I’m still hoping. Still waiting.And why would I keep doing that to myself?Not while he’s living in the orbit of his mother and Savannah and their toxic little universe.But things take time to change. Maybe if I just get on with my life, it will give him the time to change.We drive past the glowing streetlights of downtown, and I press my forehead gently against the window, watching the city blur by.Everything feels suspended — like my life’s been on pause, waiting for him to catch up. But the longer I wait, the more I realize I’ve been holding my breath while he decides if I’m worth choosing.And I don’t want to be anyone’s second thought. Not anymore.“Hey,” Ronan says after a while, “for what it’s worth… if he ever does get his head out of his ass, you’re worth the climb.”I look at him, startled. “You don’t even know me.”“I know enou
(Serena)I’ve lost count of how many shots we had after James left.Three? Five? Doesn’t matter.What matters is I didn’t cry.And that I’ve had way too many drinks and the fresh air isn’t helping.It’s been a long time since I’ve been drunk. I like the feeling in one way and it scares me in another.My cheeks are still warm from the tequila and the dancing adrenaline, but my heart… my heart is quieter now.I feel lonely out here. Not just because I am alone, but because I truly feel James and I have separated now.And I don’t like how that feels. It’s a feeling that makes me want to just go find him and be in his arms again. To put up with their crap to be with he man I love. To do it all the way they want me too.But that doesn’t help James, does it. Then I become part of the problem.I have to be true to myself.I’m tired.My spirit is heavy.Not broken exactly. Just bruised all over.I pull out my phone to call a cab, ignoring the handful of paparazzi across the street. I don’t ca
(Serena)“You’re James Hale. You have no true friends.”He looks stunned and angry all at once. I keep talking. “… Not now I’m gone, anyway. You not only gave her the ammunition, you loaded the gun… You are an idiot, James.”“I was trying to find closure.”I snort. “Well, you succeeded because I now have all the closure I need.”“She ambushed me.”“She didn’t find you in a parking lot, James. She built a whole little memory lane with throw pillows and firelight and you and your bruised ego took the bait.”“It wasn’t romantic—”“That’s not the point,” I snap. “It’s not about the kiss, James. It’s about your refusal to see what’s right in front of your eyes.”My heart is hammering so hard I can feel the throb behind my eyes.It takes everything in me not to scream at him, not to give him more of me than I already have.He drags a hand down his face, jaw clenched. “Oh,” he fires back. “You mean like you and Ronan?”I freeze.The dig lands, sharp and intentional. For a beat, I say nothin
(Serena)Ronan’s hands are still on my hips when I see him.James.Standing at the edge of the dance floor like a thundercloud in expensive denim, scotch in hand, fury written all over his face.His eyes are locked on me like I’m the only thing in the room, like he’s not sure whether he wants to pull me close or set the whole place on fire.For a moment, I freeze.I forget the beat. Forget the music. Forget the crowd pulsing around us.All I see is him.And I almost go to him.Almost push past Ronan and explain everything, it’s just dancing, that I understand a media beat up, that Savannah and Margot set him up, that I believe him.But then I see it.The accusation in his eyes. The judgment. He’s on a damn floor, in front of a fire, alone with savannah…. Let’s her kiss him, and he’s mad at me?!Like he’s the one who was wronged. Like I did something unspeakable by being here, by living, by dancing, by breathing in a world that doesn’t orbit him.The fury on his face sucks the air from
(James)Mother has left.I’m here feeling like a big pile of dogshit.How can I have millions of dollars in the bank and still feel so fucking miserable?I can literally do anything I want. But I can’t buy Serena’s love. Or her respect. I can’t force her to want to be with me.There’s something else though, something darker lurking in the back of my mind. Something I’d chosen to forget.But now the memory seeps back into existence. I can’t pack it away again.I hate it. I hate what it means. I hate who it makes my father. That I’m his blood.If I walk away from Hale Industries now, he does win.He gets to say…I told that you’d never be good enough. You are worthless, your mother is worthless.I remember the shoes.Shiny black ones. I hated them because they pinched, but Mom said I had to wear them for my recital.I was sitting on the edge of the stairs, tying the laces the way the nanny showed me.And then I hear it. A loud thump. Something glass shattering.Then a sound like… someon
(Margot)I can feel this is working. So I keep telling him the ugly truth. “You don’t remember the way he threatened to cut us off if I didn’t keep up appearances in public. But I remember. Every moment.”I watch him pace. He’s furious. About Savannah, about the media, about the kiss. About me being here at all.I will not let the empire I built from my pain be taken from me.Still, when I speak, it’s not with fire. It’s with something calmer. Deeper. The tone a mother uses to soothe her child like no one else can.“You think I enjoy this?” I say softly. “You think I like playing the villain in your story, James?”He doesn’t look at me, just runs a hand through his hair, jaw clenched so tight it might snap.I press my hands together in my lap. Composed. But my fingers betray me, twitching against each other. I don’t have to pretend. This is real.“I know what you think of me. You always have. Cold. Controlling. The one who cared more about appearances than feelings. You hate me.”“I