“That’s a decision we should have made together! You knew how to reach me. You should have told me what was going on soIcould decide if I should leave the conference or not.”
“Oh, for God’s sake,” he says, his voice rising. “I’ve been flying all over the world trying to make a better life for you, and trying to protect you from the enormous hurricane of shit that was about to come your way—and trust me, it would’ve been a game changer for your family—but instead of being grateful, you’re actually pissed at me.”
“I could have stopped them!”
Will raises his voice. “How exactly? Because turning on the water works wouldn’t work on someone like Dylan.”
“Water works? Wow. Nice, Will,” I say, my voice shaking with anger. “I would have used my position and power to threaten the network. And it would have worked too. And I wouldn’t have had to sell both our souls back to the devil.”
“What are you talking about?” he asks, walking away from me and pacing. “I made an incredible deal for us. I spent over seven hours sitting in an editing booth, fighting with her over every tiny bit of audio. And in the end, I won. They’re not going to air the part where you told me your mum committed suicide!”
I gasp and my entire body goes numb.
“Yeah, that’s what the big secret was. Your mum’s death. Do you have any idea how hard I had to fight for them to give that one up?”
“Oh my God,” I whisper, feeling like I’ve been punched in the gut.
“It’s thefirst thingI thought of when I realized what they had done,” he says, his voice quiet now. “I was standing in that airport holding that stupid backpack, and I remembered the moment you told me the truth about your mum. And immediately, I could see a future of hurt and anger for you and your pain becoming something public for people to judge and poke fun at. So I literally ran to the ticket counter, spent thirty-six hours on planes, and went directly to the studio the second I landed, and Imadethem take it out. Me. And I managed to get them to sign an agreement so they’ll never share it. And here you are, totally pissed at me for doing the right thing. I didn’t sell either of our souls. I turned a crisis into an opportunity.”
I cover my face with both hands and close my eyes, exhaustion overtaking me. “This is too much,” I whisper.
“I know it is,” he says, his tone becoming more gentle. “I’ve been living it for days so you wouldn’t have to. But it’s okay now. I fixed it and no one will ever have to know.”
“I’m the one who betrayed my family. I should’ve been the one to fix it.”
“In the end, does it really matter?”
“Yes, it does.” I pick up his plate and dump the rest of his cheesecake into the garbage, then toss out mine, even though it looks so delicious. Soon, the two of us start doing the dishes, silently stewing while we work. By the time the dishes are put away, we’re both moving slower and more carefully, and the mood has shifted. I’m less angry but that feeling has been replaced by utter defeat. I turn from the sink and lean against the counter.
Will leans against the island opposite me with his head down. Rubbing his jaw, he says, “I needed to be the hero this time, not just for your sake, but for myself, too. Do you know what I loser I felt like after the pre-show? Having the world know you bought me a yacht and all I’ve given you is a stupid shell?”
“Do you think any of that matters to me?” I ask.
“But it matters to me. It matters to your dad who could barely be bothered to talk to me, or your brother, who went out of his way to make sure I know I’m not good enough for you.” He lowers his tone and looks at me with an earnest expression. “I want to give you the life you deserve. I want to give you your freedom so it can just be the two of us again.”
The words come out before I can stop them “I don’t want my freedom.”
His head snaps back. “What?”
“I know I said I wanted to get out, but I don’t. Not anymore,” I say. “The truth is, my life is much better now than it was when I met you. I’m finally calling my own shots and doing important work for once, and I can’t give that up.”
His face hardens. “Wow, and you’re sitting here accusing me of keeping secrets when you’ve been holding onto a pretty big one.”
“I haven’t had a chance to tell you I changed my mind because you haven’t been here,” I say in the most accusatory tone I can muster.
“Excuse me for flying all over the world trying to make a life for us.”
“Ohplease,” I scoff. “You’ve been flying all over the world doing exactly what you want to.”
“What? Is it a crime to love my job?” he asks.
“No, but please don’t pretendeverythingyou’ve been doing is for me when a lot of it is actually for you.”
“It’s forus. So we can have the kind of life we want,” he says. “Or at least the life I thought we wanted, but apparently you’ve changed your mind now.”
Urgh. Why did I ever say I would go Megxit? Stupid, Arabella. Stupid. “It’s not like I’ve planned out every detail of our lives or something. I just don’t want to give up the work I’m doing. I have a lot of responsibilities. It’s not so simple to walk away from it all.”
Will sighs. “I’m not saying you have to, but the work you’re doing—no matter how important it is, doesn’t come with a salary. Mine does.”
