‘I’m not proud of it. I let my anger get the better of me.’ His stomach rolled just remembering the way his fist had crunched into Liam’s jaw. ‘Tonight when I saw them, I was still angry and bitter, but the initial heartache and pain? That’s no longer there.’
‘That’s good, right?’ A small wrinkle appeared between her brows and he longed to kiss it smooth.
‘Today was the first time I’ve seen them since New York. They ambushed me in my apartment. Sat me down and explained that the rumours in the tabloids, for once, were true. They were sorry. Their on-screen love affair had developed into something real.’ The betrayal had been a white-hot poker straight through his heart. ‘Savannah got upset and Liam told her to leave. That’s when he asked me if I wanted to hit him – as if that would make everything right between us. But I did hit him. Hard.’
Ellie’s hand reached out to rub his shoulder, fingers pressing into muscle he hadn’t noticed growing tight.
That day had been the first and only time he’d punched someone, and it had hurt like hell, both physically and emotionally. Because seeing his brother’s split lip and feeling the ache of his knuckles hadn’t helped. Nothing would ever make things right between them. His brother had lied to him, and broken the one thing he’d thought he could always rely on: his family.
‘I told Liam I never wanted to see him again. My family have always had one rule. To put the family first. Above jobs, money, friends, girlfriends… Liam broke that rule, and I stupidly thought my parents would take my side. But they wanted me to forgive Liam and move on, and now they think I should pretend I’m delighted my brother is marrying my ex. I’m beginning to realise that, when they said family should come first, they only meant their golden boy Liam.’ Rolling onto his back, he stared up at the ceiling. ‘Maybe they’re right. Maybe I am overreacting,and I should let go of all this anger and bitterness. After all, it’s making me unhappy. I just don’t know how.’
Ellie raised herself onto her elbow. ‘Just because they want you to move on doesn’t mean you can or should. You need time.’
‘But I want to. I don’t want to feel this way any more, every time I look at them…’ His words died. He was unsure of how to voice his anger, jealousy and bitterness – and it wasn’t all directed at Liam and Savannah either. Seeing his parents today had also been difficult. He couldn’t understand why they never supported him, never took his side in anything.
Ellie’s face was filled with sympathetic understanding. ‘They broke your trust, and I know exactly how that feels. I faced something similar once, and I found it— No, Istillfind it difficult to talk about.’ She couldn’t meet his eyes. ‘I should have told you about it sooner. But honestly, I’m still ashamed, even though I know now it wasn’t my fault.’
He shifted a little, so that he could catch her eye. She looked so vulnerable. As if she were afraid he wouldn’t be able to handle her secret. ‘Go on.’
She blew out a breath. ‘I haven’t had many serious relationships, except one. David. I met him at the gym – that’s relevant, by the way. He was a proper gym rat, obsessed with body-building and his image.Thatshould have been the first red flag. Anyway, we got talking one night – I was there late because of my shifts, and he said he preferred the quieter times. We exchanged numbers, texted every day and started dating pretty quickly. David was pretty intense, but incredibly romantic – he told me he loved me within a couple of weeks. Honestly, I was flattered by all his attention and fell for him quickly. I was stupidly desperate to fall in love and start my happily-ever-after. I was an idiot.’
‘Why? You sound brave!’ Alex had always been cautious and slow to trust in relationships. But he’d still ended up hurt, hadn’t he?
‘I ignored all of my doubts – all the red flags. The fact that he didn’t want me to meet his family and friends, or talk to me in the gym during the day. I gave excuses to Hannah every time she pointed out how weird his behaviour was, that he was busy with work or wanted to concentrate on his training.’
Ellie laughed, and the sound was so bitter that Alex’s hands twitched with the urge to gather her close.
‘Turns out,’ she continued, ‘he had a fiancée. She came storming into the gym when she found our texts. She was the complete physical opposite of me and I think David cheating on her with someone who looked like me—’
‘There is nothing wrong with you,’ snapped Alex, his rage threatening to boil over.
‘Well, rightly or wrongly, seeing me humiliated her. She didn’t take it very well. Started screaming at me and chasing me around the gym. David had to drag her out eventually, all while trying to explain that I didn’t mean anything to him. All of his friends were laughing and filming the whole thing. They couldn’t believe he was a secret chubby-chaser.’
Alex’s stomach flipped at the casual way she’d said such a cruel and derogatory phrase. But he’d worked long enough in Hollywood to understand about unrealistic beauty standards and the horrors they inflicted on people.
‘I think I went viral on TikTok for a couple of weeks. Thankfully you couldn’t see my face too clearly, and the video was mocking David more than me—’
‘Fucking assholes,’ Alex growled.
Ellie took a deep breath. ‘Anyway, that was over a year ago, and I’m only just getting over it. So, don’t be tough on yourself, it’s still early. Give yourself time.’
Alex knew he was opening himself up for another brutal rejection, but he couldn’t allow Ellie not to know the truth. ‘You’re gorgeous, Ellie. Anyone who can’t see that must be blind.’
She reached out and placed her hand over his heart. The touch was affectionate, but also subtly reminding him of their invisible boundary. He could understand why. Their relationship wasn’t real, and she’d been hurt once before by a liar – he knew how brutal that could be. ‘Thank you. But I’m not stupid, I know I don’t fit the ideal body type. That’s why people think they can say abusive shit and get away with it. I’m not under any illusions with you, so don’t worry.’
‘I think you are beautiful and incredibly sexy,’ he said, unable to let her think otherwise. ‘You didn’t think I’d choose just anyone to be my fake girlfriend, did you?’
Her chocolate eyes widened, and she was too sweet, too delicious for him to resist. He sat up and twisted his body over hers until she flopped onto her back with surprise. Leaning forward, desperate for her to see the truth in his feelings for her, he pressed his mouth firmly against hers, and she softened beneath him.
Boundaries, he reminded himself harshly and raised his head. ‘I want you to know that, even if our relationship isn’t real, my attraction to you is, and I don’t give a fuck about beauty standards, I know what I like, and it’s you.’
Shock, confusion and arousal filled her face as she stared up at him.
He brushed aside some of her hair, allowing himself to feel the silky softness between his fingers. ‘Go to sleep, you’ll need your rest to face Holly’s tournament tomorrow.’
She closed her eyes, her full black lashes fanning across her olive cheeks. She’d once told him that her family was a melting pot of different cultures, just like the East End. English, Welsh,Spanish, Polish and Greek were all part of her tapestry of heritage. So many countries, in fact, that she didn’t know them all.That’s London for you, she’d told him cheerfully. Everything about her was uniquely wonderful.
Alex got up from the bed, but didn’t move to the bathroom immediately, instead allowing himself the indulgence of admiring her now that her eyes were closed. She was beautiful and warm, and the kindest woman he’d ever met. Even exhausted, she’d been attentive and gracious with his family, including Savannah’s overbearing younger sister Holly, who he suspected wanted to build a film career to rival her sister’s and wasn’t afraid to walk over people in the process.
