Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 66330 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66330 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 332(@200wpm)___ 265(@250wpm)___ 221(@300wpm)
“I can’t have them both,” I said immediately. “If I try to keep Lily in my life, I think I’ll lose Halley.”
“No one said anything about keeping Lily. I just said tell Halley the truth.”
I stared at Garrett, not comprehending.
“Jesus,” Landon muttered. “He doesn’t even know what the truth is.”
Yes, I did. I didn’t want to acknowledge it, but I knew the truth. Lily had pursued me after I told her to stay away, but only because she felt the same electric energy I did. And it had never just been about sex. I’d fallen in love with her.
Garrett was laying it out for me, gently so as not to piss me off again. “What I’m suggesting is this—tell Halley the whole truth. You fell in love with her best friend. The two of you fought it because you knew it would hurt her, but it happened anyway. But even though you are in love with Lily, maybe for the first time in your life, you’re willing to walk away if that’s what Halley needs you to do. You really don’t fucking want to, but you will.”
Landon was nodding. “If you try to play this any other way, all she’s going to think about is that you fucked her best friend. If you tell her why, it changes things. People can handle almost anything, so long as there is an explanation. A reason. A motive.”
“It’s the senseless acts of violence that fuck with people the most,” Garrett agreed.
“Tell Halley the truth,” I repeated, mulling it over. It made sense when Garrett put it like that. I could be honest with Halley about what Lily meant to me without saying, like it or not, Lily and I are together. If Halley genuinely couldn’t deal with it, I’d stay away from Lily forever. But at least this way I had a chance of keeping my daughter and the woman I loved.
“Tell Halley the truth,” Landon and Garrett agreed.
After I left lunch, I knew I didn’t have much time. I didn’t know when the PI was planning to hand over the information to Kim, but I knew that only seconds would elapse before Kim passed it on to Halley. I’d be shocked if she tried to blackmail me with it. Ruining me in Halley’s eyes was infinitely more valuable than any pay day. She was hoping to find evidence I was hiding assets and lucked into finding out the one secret I’d kept from Halley.
Thinking about it made my back teeth clench so hard that my jaw began to ache, but I couldn’t focus on getting revenge now. One day, I would. But first I had to get ahead of the story. I’d learned that much from Garrett over the years. The first person to step up usually got the benefit of the doubt. I needed every advantage I could get right now. The only thing that could make this worse would be if Halley found out from Kim instead of me.
I called her on my way back to the office.
“Hey Hals, clear your schedule. I’m taking you to dinner tonight.”
“Dinner?” she said surprised. “Is this like, a Zoom dinner? You’ll eat at Giardo’s while I’m at Olive Garden?”
“No, we’ll both be at Olive Garden, if you really want to go to that god-awful place. I’m flying in.”
Another lesson from Garrett—never do important shit over the phone.
28
LILY
After I left Con’s place, I wandered around LA for hours, unable to face going to Halley’s condo. There were too many memories there. I’d find somewhere else to go. Anywhere. But when the rain kicked up, I admitted defeat and made my way back. I had to walk past Con’s apartment building to get there, and I forced myself to look straight ahead. I wouldn’t look up longingly at the penthouse, and I definitely wouldn’t turn my head to stare into the lobby in hopes that he was emerging from it. I couldn’t stop my ears from listening for him though. Desperately hoping to hear my name break through the quiet night. And then to hear an explanation. An apology. And I couldn’t stop my mind from creating the picture of our reunion — romantic as a movie in the pouring rain.
But it never came. Instead, I just got soaking wet by walking so slowly, and I ended up in Halley’s condo alone.
I couldn’t leave this late at night, but I could do the next best thing. For the second time, I yanked my suitcase out from underneath the bed and threw it, open-mouthed, on the bed. Again, I began yanking my clothes from their hangers and filling it with all that I had brought and all that I had accumulated over the last few months. I couldn’t fit it all. That was fine; I didn’t need it all. I began rooting through, throwing out the fancy work clothes I’d bought to impress Con. I wanted to shred the expensive lingerie, but the lace was surprisingly sturdy. I settled for throwing it in a heap on the ground with the clothes. I’d throw it all away before I left.