“I can’t believe we didn’t know this,” Robyn says. “So, you lived in Chicago? Wait, are you moving to New York?” Her eyes grow wide with excitement.
My stomach drops to the floor. This is always how it is. People find out about Miles, and it’s as if I don’t exist. There’s not even a second of thought put into why we aren’t married anymore. He can’t possibly be anything but the good-looking, charismatic journalist who’s breaking news one made-up story at a time.
This is what I’ve been avoiding. The thing I’ve been hiding from. They say the past always catches up with you. No matter how hard I’ve run, my tired ass just hit the wall.
Reality hits me under the chin in one quick, hard blow. It’s only a matter of time before my name and our relationship hit the airwaves once again. The thing is, I’m not sure how Miles will address it. All the former ugly details will spread, but he’s convinced the network we’re still together.
I suck in air, holding it as the realization hits. This was his game plan. His way to sweep it under the rug and come out looking like the hero. The sweet man who rose above, forgave his unfaithful wife, and is now living happily ever after at the very top.
My stomach stirs, and my body breaks out in a cold sweat. I can’t control any of it.Fuck!
My mind spins. What I can do is figure out what in the hell Cory is trying to do here.
I push out of my chair. “Will you guys excuse me for a second?” I stop in my doorway and face their confused expressions as my body warms with the force of blood pumping through me. “Be careful. Surface-level assumptions can be quite deceiving.”
I walk two offices down and swing the door closed. Cory shifts his pointy nose away from his computer screens.
I cross my arms, trying to calm my raging anxiety, soaring fast and furious. “I heard you enlightened everyone this morning on my previous relationship.”
He twists toward me, crossing his legs. “Is that a problem? I didn’t realize it was a secret.”
He knows damn well it’s none of anyone’s business.
“What the hell is your problem? I’ve done nothing but do what I’ve been asked and hired to do. I’m not trying to steal your work or your superiority. I’m just trying to pay my bills and make sure my kids are fed.That’s it, Cory.”
He shrugs one miserable shoulder. “I just wanted to understand why Griffin hired you.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” My temperature spikes, and sweat pools in my armpits.
He links his skeleton hands in his lap. “We got tons of applicants. You were barely qualified. No experience. Hardly an education compared to everyone else.” His head falls to the side, baiting me to see something I don’t. “You’re a beauty queen who can no longer live off her title, looking to fight social injustice. At least, that’s what you built your platform around. I’m not sure how far that will get you now.”
I press my eyes closed to keep from smacking him. I clench my jaw so tight it’s possible my teeth shift.
When I open them, he sits there, socially inept as ever.
“Cory, whatever your point is, all I achieved has been hard-earned, including being here.” My stomach pinches and rolls with his insinuation that I got this job for some other reason.
I inhale slowly, and his beady eyes only stare back. “I’m not sure what you aim to gain by wasting your time researching my past, but all damage to me personally has already been done. I have nowhere to go but up from here.”
I turn, saying a silent prayer that’s true, and haul the door open, not giving a single shit about anything he says or does. The only thing I have left to lose is Ollie and Frankie.
Cory can do his worst with old stories and lies. It no longer matters what these people or anyone else think. There it is. The swift kick of reality I’ve needed. My priority is to protect my kids, and that’s what I will do.
I blow past Marcie and Robyn, who eagerly wait for the lowdown I won’t be giving them. I stand in my office and yank my phone off my desk.
MILES: Don’t drag this out, Sarah. You won’t win. My move has been announced, and the welcome party is scheduled for next month. I expect you’ll be there.
I squeeze my phone tightly, wishing I could throw it against the wall. Bile climbs up my throat with the realization that he’s not wrong. I won’t win. At least not the way I’ve been playing.
My eyes burn with tears, and I blink them away, knowing I need to get it together if I have any chance of keeping Ollie and Frankie from Miles’s absurd and harmful expectations. And I want my life back.
I walk back down the hall all the way to Griffin’s office. I knock on the door.
“Hey, Sarah.”
“Do you have a few minutes?” I inhale a deep breath, needing it to slow my adrenaline.
He nods, peering at me over his reading glasses. “Sure. I was hoping you’d come to see me.”
