Eden had thought a broken heart was another of those romance clichés. It hadn’t hurtthatmuch when Zach asked for a divorce. She’d been disappointed, sad, but also—deep down—relieved.
But now ... she had a physical ache in her chest, throbbing with each beat of her heart. “Why?” she whispered into the phone, because she had no idea how they’d gotten from her moment of jealousy at the party to Anna backing out of the tour.
It made no sense. And it hurt. God, it hurtso much.
“I messed up,” Anna said just as quietly. “Can I see you?”
“Yes. Come to my room ... or I’ll come to yours.”
“I’ll come to you.” Then Anna was gone.
Eden sat there in her pajamas, face scrubbed clean from the makeup she’d worn earlier. Luckily, she’d already schmoozed everyone she needed to schmooze before she left the party, so she’d been able to retreat to herroom after she left Anna’s. She’d been in the middle of a good cry when Stella called with the news that rocked Eden’s world.
Maybe now she would at least find out why Anna had done it. Ten agonizing minutes passed before Eden heard a knock at the door. When she opened it, Anna stood there in leggings and a hoodie, her hair wet and uncombed, hanging messily around her face.
“Sorry, I had to get dressed, and I ...” She gestured to Kyrie, who stood beside her with a sheepish expression. “I can’t walk the halls alone anymore.”
Eden nodded, gesturing Anna inside. She was relieved when Kyrie didn’t try to follow her in. Eden closed and locked the door, then turned to face Anna, not even trying to keep the hurt or the anger out of her expression. “What the fuck, Anna?”
“I panicked.” Anna’s voice shook, and tears streamed over her cheeks. “I’m so sorry.”
“Well.” Eden didn’t know what to say. Mostly, she was sad. So devastatingly sad. She’d been looking forward to traveling Europe with Anna so much. The idea of her not being there ... Eden felt her own tears begin to fall. “Are you breaking up with me? Or did you just not want to tour with me anymore?”
“Neither.” A sob escaped Anna’s throat. “I’d never seen you act the way you did with Camille earlier. It scared me, and I just ... lost it.”
Eden exhaled, clenching her fists at her sides. “I’m sorry for causing a scene downstairs. I didn’t mean to get jealous or possessive. I just ... I hate that woman. I hate the way she treats you, and I wanted her to leave you alone.”
“I know,” Anna gasped through her tears. “I still think you escalated things with her tonight instead of helping, but that’s no excuse for the way I reacted.”
“We both fucked up tonight,” Eden agreed.
Anna nodded. “We did, but I made the biggest fuckup of all by breaking my contract. I thought you’d fight me. I think Iwantedyou tofight me. I wanted to see if you’d wield your power and try to control me the way Camille did.”
“I told you I’d never do that.” Eden couldn’t believe Anna had thought she would ... even for an irrational moment. That hurt so fucking much.
“You did, and I should have trusted you. If I could take it back ...”
“You probably could,” Eden said with a shrug. “I mean, if you really wanted to.”
Anna swiped at her tears. “What?”
“If you want to unbreak your contract, I won’t fight you on that either, but ... we need to talk first. Obviously. Because this is a lot, and I’m really upset. And hurt.”
Anna looked at her hopefully. “Do you think I could?”
“I don’t know. I’m not a lawyer. Talk to me, Anna.”
Anna dropped onto the bed and covered her face with her hands. “I panicked. Did I say that already? David tried to make me sleep on it, and I overrode him. I’m going to call him back and tell him to never let me do that again.”
“Sounds like a good idea.” Eden sat beside her, keeping some space between them.
“Did you mean what you said about walking into the party together? About kissing me onstage? You’re ready for that?”
“Iwasready for that.” Eden’s eyes stung, and her stomach felt sick. “Then you backed out of your contract without even talking to me first, and now ... I don’t know what to think. You broke my heart tonight.”
Anna’s expression crumpled, and her shoulders slumped. “I’m so sorry. I’ve told you what it was like with Camille, the ways she would control me and undermine me. And today, Kyrie told me that you wanted me to give up my hotel room, and then you got in a pissing match with Camille, and I’d ... I’d never seen you act like that before.”
“I’dnever seen me act that way before either,” Eden admitted. “I don’t intend to make a habit of it, because I didn’t like myself verymuch, either, but I’m new at this. I’ve never loved anyone the way I love you. I’m protective of you, but that’s not the same thing as being manipulative or possessive. I didn’t think you were going to run off with Camille. I just didn’t want her to hurt you, and I’m sorry thatIended up hurting you instead.”
