Page 150 of Rivals

“It’s not my story to tell, Betty,” I say quietly into the phone and glance at Revna.

“That’s fair. Well, have her call me when she’s ready. And Lachlan?”

“Yeah?” My heart thuds harder as Revna moves her pencil on the page.

“Thank you for taking care of her. She needs someone like you.” My hands tingle, and I smile at the phone.

“I need someone like her, Betty.” She says goodbye, and I hang up the phone.

“You’re good for a few weeks, but you and I know she will want to know what happened.”

“I know,” Revna says while her pencil is on the page. “Right now, this is what matters.”

I get the other eight pages that represent our panels and lay them out. I have one more that I couldn’t figure out as part of our story. I wasn’t sure what fit or how it would mix with the rest of them. They all will coordinate in some way. We each saw the fruition of our relationship in a different way. I think that’s what’s going to stand out in this piece. That’s what makes it special. It’s two points of view with the same outcome. I glance at the painting Revna and I made with our bodies and smile at it. It wasn’t our first time, but it felt representative of it. I’ll use hot pink and black. We might just make that specific canvas in the same way.

I know what I have to put on this blank page. Revna wanted to be unapologetic about our story. The opinions are scary, but the truth is dangerous, too. The truth is hard to accept, especially when you don’t want to see it. It’s raw. It’s uncomfortable and convicting. The truth isn’t something you can bend or manipulate into something that looks good to you. I know I have to put Revna’s goodbye to me on this page. It hurts to do it. It rips me up inside, but regardless, it is part of us. I look at the healing woman next to me. If she can find the strength to continue forward, then I can, too.

She is my forever muse.

Chapter 88

Revna

WeworkeduntilIphysically couldn’t keep my eyes open. Lachlan picked me up and carried me to bed. He quit, too, and came to bed with me. I haven’t slept so well in a long time.

I’ve not wanted to take anything because I’m scared of it, which may be a good thing. The only reason I had the coke in the first place is because I was desperate. I was desperate to disappear and fall into something else. I couldn’t work past the fear of the effects it could have, like if it was laced with something. I’d heard horror stories at NA, and it made me hesitate. It’s probably all for the best.

Tonight is NA, and I want to ask Lachlan to come with me. I’ve hidden it from him since I started, and I think it’s time.

We’re still in bed exhausted, but there is work to be done. Every second counts, and we’re just at the sketch stage. Instead of telling myself we won’t make it in time, I’m trying to push through everything else and focus on finishing what we started. It won’t get done unless we do it together.

“I can hear you thinking over here,” Lachlan says. His eyes stay closed, and an arm props his head up from behind.

“I was just thinking about…all the painting we need to do. It’s a lot, and I just hope we can finish it on time.”

“I know we are trying to be all positive right now, but I’ll be honest, Revna, I’m not confident.” I huff a laugh and reach for his hand under the covers. I find it, and he laces his fingers with mine.

“I have to try, we have to try,” I say. His hand squeezes mine.

“I know, that’s why I’m behind you. Together or not at all,” he sighs.

“Please, babe, don’t sound so excited.” He turns with my hand still in his.

“I have something to tell you,” he says. My gut tightens, but I look him in the eye and wait. We’ve been through so much. What’s one more thing?

“You know my dad texted me while we were in Italy.” I nod. “Well, he called me when we got home.”

My eyes widen, putting the dots together. “That’s when you—“

“Yeah,” he sighs.

“Ok, what did he say?” I ask. He won’t make eye contact with me, and his hand is starting to squeeze mine a little too hard.

“He told me he wants me to come back to the family, I guess. But uh, he gave me an ultimatum in so many words.”

“Well, it either is, or it isn’t Lachlan. What did he say?” I ask.

“He told me I could come back into the family, but I would have to work for the family business. The McKays are known for pretty cutthroat business practices. The business is buying other businesses and making them work to be profitable. Or tearing them apart and selling them for pieces. I never wanted a part of it, even as a kid.”