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“I don’t care about the money?—”
“Stop lying,” he spat. I’d never seen him so angry. His eyes blazed. “Stop lying to me. I trusted you. I let you in. You’ve been pretending this whole time, and you did one hell of a job, Jenny. You earned every penny. I hope it was worth it.”
“Your father threatened me?—”
“Welcome to the club,” he interrupted. “He threatens me all the time. But I won’t compromise my morals to get him off my back. But I guess that’s how we’re different, huh? And I’m not even going to judge you for it. I don’t know what it’s like to be poor, to come from nothing. I just wish you hadn’t pretended to care about me. You fucked me, Jenny. And you did one hell of a job.”
I jumped out of bed, not caring that I was naked, not caring that tears were running down my face, not caring anymore that Lewis Bryson was going to drag out my past, throw me in jail, and then ruin his son. At that moment, all I cared about was Cole. “I’m not lying. I’ve never lied to you about my feelings. I love you. You mean everything to me!”
“Don’t say it. Don’t say you love me ever again. Please, you’re making me sick.” He held up his hand as he headed for the door. “I loved you, Jenny. It was real for me. Please don’t hurt me anymore.”
He fled the room. I threw on sweats and a T-shirt, then ran after him even though I was barefoot, crying, and didn’t have a bra on. “Cole!” I ran after him, even though it was a fancy resort and I had snot running down my face. I ran after him even though he hated my fucking guts.
“Cole, please!”
“Enough, Jenny.” He stopped right before we reached the lobby. “I am finished with you. I’m canceling your contract. I refuse to have people in my life who fuck me over and lie to my face. They’re calledboundaries. You crossed mine. You’re out.”
“You don’t understand. He threatened to hurt you?—”
He stopped and turned to me. “I don’t know if that’s true. But even if it is, you should have told me that. How can I ever trust you if you’d keep something like that from me?”
“I did it to protect you!” I wiped my face. “That’s the only reason!”
“I don’t need your protection,” he said, his face dark and a mask of pain. “I needed your loyalty.”
“You have it.” I started sobbing. “You have it. Please don’t leave me.” I felt like a hysterical child, inconsolable unless he gave me what I wanted:him. All I wanted was Cole and for him not to leave me.
“Clearly, that’s not true. Enough lying, Jenny. Fooling me once was bad enough. But this—this is unforgivable,” Cole said. “This is goodbye. Don’t follow me out here. I’ve been humiliated enough.”
He stalked away without a backward glance.
I stood there, crying. I longed to run after him, but he’d made it clear he wanted nothing to do with me. I’d explained myself. Cole didn’t care.
I’d crossed a line. I was dead to him.
It was all over. All of my dreams went up in a puff of smoke.
Before anyone could see my ruined face, I turned and fled back to our suite.
JENNY
I textedAudrey and told her I was heading back to Boston. I lied and said I was sick. I usually hated lying to the people in my real life, even white lies. But at this point? It was just another sin to add to the growing pile.
She knocked on my door a little while later. “Jenny?” she called. “Are you okay?”
“I’ll live,” I croaked.
She knocked again. “Can I come in for a minute?”
“Nah, I think I’m contagious.”
“Jenny, open the door. I know Cole left. Please let me come in for a second,” Audrey pleaded.
Seeing my friend was the last thing I wanted. “Now isn’t a good time.”
“Then I’ll wait,” she snapped.
I knew Audrey—she would camp out in the hall outside my room. I begrudgingly opened the door. “I don’t want to talk about it,” I pleaded.