Page 54 of The Book of Luke

“No, I get it, I do…”

“I know how important the money is for getting custody, so I’ll pull my shit together, I promise. Your kids are obviously bigger than any of our stuff.”

Somehow this measured version of her was even more painful than when she’d openly hated me. “I can never properly thank you for that.”

“Besides, I doubt either of us wants to provide more fodder for Troy,” she sighed. “Now let’s talk game before he finds us.”

“Um, based off today, I think there’s a lot more we need to discuss first.”

“God, Luke, don’t dredge it all up—”

“Ignoring the last decade won’t solve anything either. I need to finally apologize for what I did to you and Arjun—”

“Leave him out of it,” she cut me off, so firm yet so fatigued. “Other people getting in the middle, especially Arjun, is where all our troubles started.”

“Okay, it’s just… Imogen, you will never know how sorry I am that I didn’t listen to you every time I should have. Can I at least say that as a blanket statement?”

“Fine. And I’m sorry I slapped you in Italy,” she answered. “Now can we move on? We have more immediate problems. Specifically, your alliance with PB has reached its expiration date.”

“He’s a guaranteed number for us.”

“You’re not on the same team anymore, and he’ll target us, I know it. We only prevent that by aligning with theMedalsguys. Add Erika and Shawn, that’s a strong voting bloc.”

“PB’s the only reason I’m still in the game.”

“Well, the game’s changing every day. And Camdon and Royce colorwithin the lines. They’ve never crossed me.” She halted, the unspoken hanging:unlike you.

“But—”

“Luke, history hasn’t exactly proven you the best judge of character.” She inhaled sharply, straining to keep her tone even. “Nobody is invested in you winning now like me, and I need to be in control. For both our sakes.”

I knew there was only one answer. “You’re in the driver’s seat.”

She nodded. “The only person you can trust now is me. Got it?”

That may have been true, but I wasn’t deluded enough to think she trusted me in return. After the disaster of Season 2, she had no reason to.

25

2004

SEASON 2, EPISODE 5:

“Don’t Go Chasin’ Waterfalls”

Imogen tried to like Barnes at first, inviting him on jogs or to play cards before Helena confiscated them. However, by the fifth Tribulation, she was cornering me in the pool so we could speak without our mics. “Luke, he’s overcomplicatingeverything. Manipulating people, engineering conversations to be on camera, politicking like crazy. Plus, Arjun’s only being a brat because you two are rubbing this ‘showmance’ in his face.”

“We haven’t done shit. Do you know what Helena asked in my confessional yesterday? ‘Luke, are you flaunting your romance with Barnes because you’ve never had a relationship or because you’re a ‘broken little boy running from trauma’?” I glared. “Arjun’s words, not hers.”

“Producers lie to get reactions. He’d never say that…”

“She showed me his fucking interviews,” I said flatly. “Apparently I was so desperate to appear onGone Bollywood, I practically stalked him. As if I wanted anything to do with that shitshow. I mean, the fact that his parents put their children on camera is criminal.”

She sighed, treading water. “I honestly think Arjun’s angriest with himself.”

“And I wonder why you aren’t angry at all,” I muttered before swimming off.

I conceded to Barnes afterward that I felt myself and Imogen drifting, but I suspect he would have engineered what followed the next evening even if I’d kept my fears quiet.