Page 84 of No Ordinary Hate

“It sounds like you’re thinking of moving out of the spotlight …”

“My house is on the market,” I tell her.

“Where are you planning to move to? Are you going back to Alaska?” She’s trying to look empathetic, but I can tell she’s inwardly rubbing her hands together in glee.

“I haven’t decided where we’re going yet. I don’t think it will be Alaska though.”

“Why is that?”

“I bring a lot of unwanted attention wherever I go and the last thing I’d want to do is hurt the people there any more than I already have.”

“You mean Digger.”

“Yes.”

Sophia shuffles the cards some more. “And what about Brett?”

“What about him?”

“I know he says his relationship with the nanny is over, but do you believe it?” She tilts her head down so she’s looking at me above the rim of her glasses.

“It’s none of my business,” I say shortly. “Brett Kennedy is his own man. He’s free to date whomever he pleases.”

“You’re a bigger woman than I am,” she says. “If Brett was my husband, I’d want revenge.”

“Believe me, if Brett were your husband,” I tell her, “all you’d want was your freedom.”

Ethan throws his hands up into the air out of desperation while Sophia laughs.

“I’ve always liked you, Harper,” she says. “I’m glad to see how maturely you’re handling this situation. I know it can’t be easy, but there’s a grace about you that is going to make you come back stronger than ever.”

“I appreciate that very much, Sophia. Life has a way of giving and taking when you least expect it. It’s not a journey for the faint of heart, but luckily my heart is pretty strong.”

“But your heart isn’t in Alaska?” She’s tenacious.

I’ve already said more than I should but, in the moment, I decide to keep going. “My heart is most assuredly in Alaska, but sometimes you have to make decisions to protect the people you care about. Right now, I’m going to focus on my kids and help them heal in any way that I can.”

Sophia nods her head. “You are a class act, lady. I have nothing but the greatest respect for you.” She turns her head to the camera and continues, “We’ll be right back with more Harper Kennedy.”

When the director calls cut, Ethan and Prisha storm the set like a pair of Navy Seals. Ethan gets here first. “You went rogue. What were you thinking?”

A sense of calm comes over me. It’s a feeling I haven’t had in years. “I was thinking that I don’t care about this town anymore. The dreams that brought me here are all dead. It’s time for something new.”

“You can’t just … decide to end it all,” Ethan says. “I mean, what if you change your mind?”

“I won’t.”

“You better not, because you’ve insulted a lot of people today, including the viewers of this show. Insinuating that people have enjoyed watching your pain.”

Prisha, who has been suspiciously quiet, scrolls through her phone while listening. Then she looks up and says, “I don’t know, Ethan. Social media is loving our girl right now.”

The director calls out, “Thirty seconds!”

“You sure this is what you want?” Prisha asks, tears forming in her eyes.

“I need this, Prish.”

She smiles while she shakes her head in disbelief. “In that case, just keep on keeping on and this should be over soon.”