“This might make me sound like an asshole, but money doesn’t mean anything to me—I have more than I’ll ever need,” Beck says with a shrug. “I’d love to pay for anything you want for the rest of our lives. I meant what I said when I told you I want a future together. You don’t have to give Viktor that kind of control over you anymore. Please, Cody, let me help.”
I take a deep breath, needing a moment to think about his offer.
It would be so easy to let him do it, to let Beck try to fix everything.But easy doesn’t always mean right.
“Beck, I love you too.” I cup his face with my hand, holding his desperate gaze. “I do want that future with you,” I reassure him. “But, I still want to be my own person. I just found out that Viktor, a man I’ve respected and considered a friend for years, is abusing the power I gave him in my life. I know you’d never do that, but I can’t giveanyonethat kind of control over me again.” I sound as defeated as I feel, but I know I need to explain everything.
Beck nods, thankfully not looking hurt by what I’ve said. “I get it, Cody. I want us to be individuals who make each other stronger. I wouldn’t want to rely on anyone that much either,” he says, making me fall in love with him all over again.
I lean in for a soft, slow kiss. Beck’s lips on mine immediately calm my racing heart. I might not know what happens next, but if we’re together, I know I’ll be okay.
Eventually, he pulls back, still looking concerned. “So you agree with me though, you’re not freaking out?” he asks.
“No more than when I first realized I wanted to kiss you in Florida,” I say with a shrug.
“You’re amazing.” He laughs, leaning in for another short kiss. When he pulls back, there’s a determined look on his face. “We’ll find a way to get you out of here,” he says with a nod. “We’ll keep acting like we don’t realize how awful Viktor is, maybe come up with an excuse to transfer out some of your money that he wouldn’t question, and we’ll figure out how to get back whatever secret you gave him as collateral.”
He makes it sound so feasible that I don’t hesitate to agree. “Okay, let's beat him at his own game.” I let out a breath of relief, happy to have the beginning of a plan, but the calm feeling is short-lived, replaced by more anxiety as another thought hits me. “What about everyone else? He’s manipulating thousands of people, we can’t just run away and let him continue to hurt people,” I point out, and Beck smiles fondly at my concern.
“I love how much you care,” he replies, then lets out a big sigh. “You’re right. I’ve only really thought about how to getyouaway from Viktor, but we should probably try to gather some proof of what he’s doing, try to expose him somehow.”
“I should be able to get proof. I have access to a lot of stuff with my position, and I’ve never given Viktor a reason not to trust me,” I say with more excitement.
“I’ll call Jordan. Maybe see if he can do some research while we’re still here and figure out what kind of evidence we’d need. He’s always wanted to do more investigative pieces. Maybe he could even write an article for his company,” Beck says, sounding hopeful.
Then his expression falls, becoming serious again. “You don’t have to tell me anything you don’t want to, but how bad will it be if the secret does come out?” he asks with concern. “Even if we do get the document back, Viktor could still tell people.”
“Oh, I don’t care ifyouknow,” I say honestly. “I’ve just never told anyone before. I guess I didn’t know how to bring it up—thinking about it always bums me out because I have really mixed feelings about the whole thing,” I explain before launching into the story.
“In college, one of my frat brothers did one of those ancestry DNA kits, and I thought it sounded fun. My grandparents had all passed by then, and I didn’t know much about where either side of my family was from. So, I got the kit, spit in the tube, and sent it away. I’d honestly forgotten about it by the time I got the results email a few weeks later,” I say, pausing to take a deep breath before I get to the difficult part.
“I wasn’t expecting much, especially not in the relatives section. Both of my parents are only children, so I figured it’d be blank. That’s why I was shocked to see a result claiming that I had a relative—a probable half-sibling,” I say, stopping to gauge his reaction.
Beck’s face lights up. “That’s great, Cody! You’ve always wanted siblings!” he responds, sounding so happy for me.I love how excited he is over something that he thinks will make me happy.
“Well, the app allows you to create a public profile if you'd like, and you can choose to let family members see it. So, I went to their profile and found out that we’re the same age.” I watch his expression fall as he realizes what that would mean.
“So, your dad cheated on your mom while they were still together?” he clarifies, and I nod.
“He must have. The guy had his full name and picture on the app, so it was pretty easy to find his social media. He also grew up in California, and there were some posts about his mom, and how amazing she was for raising him on her own. I have no idea if my dad knows or not, and even though they split up a few years later, my mom’s never said anything about him cheating.” I take another deep breath, trying to collect my thoughts so that I can explain everything properly. I know a secret about my dad cheating almost thirty years ago might not seem like that big of a deal to some people, but I hate the idea of hurting my mom, even if it isn’t actually my fault.
“My mom is already really hard on herself,” I say. “My entire life, she’s constantly made comments that she isn’t pretty enough, young enough, interesting enough. I think the rejections over the years in Hollywood and comparing herself to the women she was auditioning against took its toll on her self-esteem. Even though they didn’t stay together, I know their marriage was important to her. It’s always been a point of pride for her that my dad, a successful, popular man in the industry, chose to marry her, to have a family with her, and that he never remarried anyone else. It made her feel special in a way that nothing else really has. I didn’t want to hurt her if she didn’t know he cheated,” I explain, and Beck guides me to lie down with him.
I rest my head on his chest, letting the steady beating of his heart calm me as he runs his hands through my hair. It feels amazing when he plays with the long strands, and I focus on how connected I feel to him, on how lucky I am to have Beck here lending me support as I continue. “If the other woman never told my dad, I’m sure she had her own reasons not to. I didn’t think it was my place to bring it up. And then there’s my dad. He’s always been known as one of the good guys in Hollywood. He doesn’t have the predatory reputation that so many men in his industry do, and he’s helped so many people get housing with his charity. If news of a cheating scandal, especially one that resulted in a secret child, got out, the media would run wild with it. You know how things get twisted to fit whatever narrative will sell the most copies or earn more clicks. He isn’t a bad person, but his secret could ruin everything that he’s worked so hard for.”
Beck is quiet, probably waiting to see if I’m done. As much as I want to be, I force myself to admit the real reason I don’t want Viktor to share the secret with anyone. “I hate the idea of it being my fault that any of them are hurt. I’d never want to hurt the other woman or her son. And, I love my parents, but they already make so little time for me. What if they blamed me for the fallout? I don’t want to lose either of them.”
“I’m so sorry you had to deal with that on your own, especially when you’ve always wanted more family. And I know you’d never intentionally hurt anyone, baby,” he says quietly, placing a kiss on the top of my head as he continues to stroke my hair. “Did you ever reach out to your brother?” he asks after a few moments of silence.
“No, I was too afraid to,” I admit. “He’s never reached out to me either. What if he hates me because I grew up with our dad?” I whisper.
“Or what if he’s always wanted a brother too, and ends up being really cool?” Beck counters.
I give a noncommittal hum as I think about that possibility. “Let’s deal with the Kyla stuff first and then if the secret isn’t forced out, I can think more about my options,” I suggest, and Beck kisses me on the top of my head before agreeing.
“We should try to get some sleep,” he murmurs, sounding halfway there already.
“Okay. Goodnight, babe,” I whisper, knowing he’s right.
