Page 119 of The King Contract
So mortified I want to crawl into a hole with my re-runs and never be seen again.
I wave at my presumably splotchy face. “Never better.”
Dan smacks his lips together, clasping his hands. “If it helps to hear, he’s a mess, too.”
I want to act like I don’t care. That this information is irrelevant and uninteresting to me. But the truth is, my hardened heart splits open a little at the thought of him being upset.
“It does help,” I admit reluctantly.
Dan snickers. “He didn’t go about it the right way.”
Those words set off the anger I’ve been trying to tamp down every day this week, and I sit up to face him directly. “Go aboutwhatthe right way? When he missed the one thing I was terrified to do and swore he would be at? The part where he convinced me it wasn’t for show? Or the part where he kissed his ex-girlfriend in front of everyone? I was so . . .” I can’t finish the words, instead choosing to bite my lip violently to stem tears and distract my brain from reliving what were some of the most wonderful moments of my life to date. “We had a contract. We fulfilled our obligations. It’s over.”
I glance down at my red-raw fingernails, furious at myself for tearing them down to the quick again. That’s what Noah Fucking King did. He also ruined my nails.
“I can’t speak for him, but I can speak as his best friend,” Dan says. “I’ve never seen him as happy as when he was with you. That wasn’t pretend, Millie.”
I shake my head. “I don’t need to hear this again. I told you, it doesn’t matter anymore.”
Dan sighs loudly. “Yes, it does. All of it matters. You both deserve to give this another go, without that stupid contract in the way.”
“It wouldn’t work,” I argue. “We don’t even live in the same country and my trust is shattered with him. I doubt we can work through that while he’s in the middle of the most important thing in his life.”
“But youwantto.” Dan waits for me to argue his point, but I can’t.
“It doesn’t matter,” I repeat. “I was humiliated, and Noah was under so much pressure. And the kiss, Dan. I know he said it was only two seconds, but think about it from my point of view.”
Dan lets out a long, loud sigh. “You’re going to kill me for this.” He ducks his head to avoid my hanging light on his way to the front door and heads straight out.
Perplexed, I lean forward, waiting to see if he’s going to return or leave me hanging with a cryptic last message. I hear him shuffle as he reapproaches the door and steps inside, followed by a slender, almost-floating woman with vibrant, red hair.
Sofia Carlson is standing in my foyer.
51
MILLIE
You’re on my shit list
“Hi Millie, I’m Sofia.”
Six million subscribers on YouTube, Sofia.
I close my mouth to stop gaping at the stunningly beautiful woman standing inside my home that desperately needs to be scrubbed.
“I hope you don’t mind me stopping by,” she continues, her gaze darting to Dan. “Dan seemed to think it would be better not to give you any forewarning.”
Ex-girlfriend who kissed my fake ex-boyfriend, Sofia.
I get to my feet, my eyes narrowed in on Dan. “You’re on my shit list.”
Dan nods as if he expected this. “Fair. I’ll give you two a minute to talk.”
He lumbers out the front door, whistling for Winston to follow him, and the two of them disappear, leaving me in the most uncomfortable silence I have ever experienced in my home.
I’m wearing the same pair of pyjamas I put on three days ago. There’s a half empty bowl of cereal on the floor by my feet andthree dirty mugs on the coffee table. I desperately need to wash my hair, and Lord knows what my face looks like. Dan kindly pointed out I look like shit, so hooray for me.
“Why are you here?”
