“The pregnancy reveal is staying in. I’d suggest coming to terms with it.” The producers nodded at them both and ambled off towards their cars. Zoe turned to Nathan, tears pressing at her eyes no matter how hard she tried to hold them back. She’d messed up, big time. Now, the show was going to be the exact opposite of what Nathan had wanted — the exact show she’d promised him itwouldn’tbe.
“I amsosorry,” she said. She reached for Nathan’s hand, but he took a step back. “Please, let’s talk. We can still fix this!”
But Nathan wouldn’t look at her. He just turned on his heel and walked away. Zoe wanted to run after him and beg him to talk to her, or at least to acknowledge the baby, but she couldn’t. She’d effectively ruined his career and his reputation with her poorlytimed conversation about her pregnancy, and he was never going to forgive her.
Zoe sank onto the curb and buried her head in her hands. She had no idea what to do next — only that she needed to try to fix her mistakes, however she could. Not just for her, but for their baby’s sake.
CHAPTER 25
ZOE
The next day, filming resumed. Zoe arrived bright and early to get everything ready, but Nathan met her at the door. His expression was closed, his arms were folded, and he looked like a completely different man from the one she’d spent the night with just a month ago.
“You don’t have to stay,” he said.
“No, I will. I need to help manage everything, and I’m going to try to get that… scene… cut.”
“I think it would be better if you left.” Nathan was looking over her shoulder as though the very sight of her was unbearable, and Zoe’s heart shattered again. She was very close to tears, but her strong, professional side won out.
“Unfortunately, I can’t do that. I still have work to do here.” She pushed past him. “I won’t get in your way, but I need to do my job.”
Zoe and Nathan spent the morning avoiding each other. Zoe spoke with the patients, helped the light and sound crew get set up, and waited for her moment. She’d been up half the night,and she had a plan for how to get the pregnancy reveal out of the show, once and for all.
As soon as the producers arrived, Zoe pulled them aside.
“I imagine you want to discuss the pregnancy reveal again,” the showrunner said in a bored tone when Zoe managed to corral them into an exam room long enough to talk to them.
“I do.”
“I think we were clear yesterday.” The lead producer frowned at her. “We have every right to use that audio.”
“No, you don’t.” Zoe folded her arms. “I never signed a waiver for my voice to be used in the show — unlike Doctor Hale or his staff or patients. Legally, you can’t use my audio without my permission, and I don’t give my permission.”
For once, the trio fell silent. For a long moment, they just looked at her. Then the lead producer spoke.
“You have every right to ask us not to use that audio, Ms. Devine,” he said. He no longer had the joking, light tone he’d used before when telling them that the scene was staying in. “Unfortunately, though, we just aren’t interested in producing the show without it.”
“What?” Zoe’s heart sank. “You’d pull the show if I took the audio?”
“We would.”
“But you accepted the show without any scandalous content,” Zoe reminded them. “We agreed that it was going to be heartwarming.”
“Yes, but we hoped to find something like this. People like heartwarming content, but they like scandal a lot better.”
Zoe couldn’t believe this. The network had lied to them, and now they were essentially blackmailing her.
“It looks like you have a decision to make, Ms. Devine,” the lead producer said. “I understand that you’ve staked your career on this show. We took a gamble on you, despite hearing bad things from a certain PR icon in the city, because the show looked like something that could really take off. Without the show, and with a black mark from a leading network, as well as from Carla Vassallo, I can’t imagine you’d find it easy to get another opportunity like this.”
“So, Ms. Devine,” the showrunner put in. “What’s it going to be? Your career, or your privacy?”
“I—” Zoe couldn’t finish her thought. If it was just aboutherprivacy, she would choose the show every time. Sure, announcing a pregnancy on air would be a bit of a professional speedbump, but she could get over it. The real decision was between her career and Nathan’s. If they went ahead with the show, her career would continue to take off, but Nathan would be forced to put aside the serious work he did and participate in the kind of scandalous reality show he hated. If she pulled the audio, the show wouldn’t happen. Nathan would be okay — he’d still have his practice and his patients, even though he wouldn’t have the money he’d hoped for to expand. And Zoe would have to slink back to New York City and probably get a job in advertising or retail or something. She’d never be able to work in PR again.
“Yes?” the lead producer said.
Zoe lifted her eyes to his. She thought of her mother, lying on her deathbed, asking Zoe to promise that she would always live life to the fullest. Zoe had thought that meant chasing her career and her dreams, but maybe it meant something more. Maybe it meant doing the right thing. Maybe it meant trying to fix your mistakes, no matter how much it cost.
Nathan would never forgive her, but maybe, just maybe, Zoe could give her child a chance to know their father.
