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“I’m not going.”

She gives me a look. “Mia only agreed to work with you if she could do it from her town, where things are quiet. We agreed to keep this process off the radar, remember? No paparazzi. No rumors.”

“And no Starbucks, Wi-Fi, or civilization?”

“You’ll survive.”

“Wait.” My heart pumps. “There’s really no Starbucks and Wi-Fi?”

“We’re not in the Stone Age, Jack. Stop being so judgy.”

“You had no problem when Mia was doing it.”

“She was right.”

I roll my eyes. “You expect me to find the love of my life in a village where people still churn butter?”

“I expect you to shut up and trust the process. Mia has her way of doing this.”

I grit my teeth. “This should have been discussed with me.”

“We are discussing it.” She folds her arms. “So what’s it going to be?”

I hiss and storm out of the room, angry and frustrated. With Nova. With Brody. With Harry. With everyone in my life. How did I get here? I hate being at Nova’s mercy. She’s ruthless.

I storm out of the office and straight to the parking garage, jaw clenched tight.

I slide into my car, slam the door shut, and punch the steering wheel lightly. Great. I’m being shipped off like some delinquent teenage boy. All I need now is a personal growth montage.

My phone buzzes.

Dad.

Perfect timing. In fact, I’ve been expecting it. The headlines were particularly vicious today, and old news about me is being dug up and re-exposed. I’m getting all the hate, and I know my dad is worried. Still, I don’t want to have this conversation. I already feel like a disappointment. I’ll break if I hear the voice of the one parent who single-handedly raised me with love and care when my other parent decided to dip and never return.

I stare at the screen, then sigh and swipe to take the call. “If you’re calling to yell, I’m ten seconds from losing it.”

“I wasn’t going to yell,” Dad says quietly. “But I did see the headlines. They’re worse today.”

“Well, I’m used to it. You should be, too. By now.”

“It’s worse today,” he repeats.

I lean back in the seat, staring up at the ceiling. “I wonder why she’s not getting any hate. She’s the one who lied to me. She’s the one who has a loyalty to her husband. Not me.”

“She’s not the one with the reputation,” Dad chuckles. “And you’re more influential, so of course, more attention would be on you.”

“I hate it here.”

There’s a moment of silence where the only sound I hear is my Dad’s soft breathing. It relaxes me. “Jack, are you doing this for her?”

“Stop.” My heart almost stops at the mention ofher. I’m not doing all these for her. I don’t care about her. I’m young and rich; this is normal. “I’m just living my life, Dad.”

“No. You’re spiraling. And I wish to God you’d let someone help you out of it.”

The silence stretches between us.

Eventually, he adds, “Maybe some time away will do you good.”