"No." I rise. "I can manage."
There’s nothing left to fix. Nothing left to fight for.
It’s over.
CHAPTER 31
MADDIE
The trip back to New York is a blur.
The airport is half-empty, as if even Las Vegas wants nothing to do with me right now.
I keep my head low as Snorty curls against my chest, warm and silent. I’m guessing he senses his usual theatrics aren’t welcome today.
The flight is quiet—a merciful reprieve. Most people fly into Vegas at this hour, not out of it.
Outside the window, the desert disappears into gray cloud cover. The world feels muted.
So do I.
When we land at JFK, the cold hits like a slap. Snorty tucks his face into the opening of my coat as I board the train that will take me to my mother’s house in Connecticut.
The car explodes with commuters, and people who look like they’ve lived too many lives in too few years.
Snorty presses closer for protection. I scratch behind his ear with one hand while calling Janie on the other.
“What? You left Las Vegas before thebig concert?”
“No questions,” I say, keeping my voice low. “I need to tell you everything at once or I’ll fall apart halfway through.”
I explain it all—the tabloid, Rio’s reaction, and the meeting with Prince Michael and Antoine. I leave out a few details so I don’t break down again, but Janie hears enough.
“Maddie, wait. What does this mean for the money you were going to make? That you were going to use for Snorty's surgery?”
I sigh. "I should have read that fine print. Apparently, I violated some 'conduct code' so I won't be receiving it."
“Oh Maddie! What can I do to help?”
“Nothing. Just be there for me.” I take a deep breath before telling her about my mother’s illness. I’ve mentioned her health to Janie a few times. But this will be new news.
“I’m going to move in with my mom for a while. I’ll stop by our apartment after work tomorrow to pack some clothes.”
“She’s okay, right?”
“No. The doctors are uncertain about everything. They don’t know how much time she has. They don’t know what the treatments will do. We’ll learn more this week.”
I hang up and press my forehead against the train window. New York blurs past me, sharp and fast. My whole life just shifted tracks. Maybe all I can do now is stay on the rails.
CHAPTER 32
MADDIE
After a day spent traveling, I step onto my mother’s street.
Nothing has changed.
The white picket fence still leans slightly to the left. The rose bushes need trimming.
