Revenge porn.
I almost lost my cool when I said it out loud. If it has that power over me, imagine how many angry hornets it will kick up online.
I take a few seconds, collecting my thoughts.
Lena’s tears come now, streaming down her cheeks in hot rivulets. She doubles over, hiding her face, sobbing quietly in a way I’ve never seen.
Shit.
Her agony lances through me. I feel like it’s the first time she’s really let herself cry about it, and it’s been building up forever.
“My longtime fans know I’ve been keeping quiet. I haven’t posted for a few days. I had to sort out how I wanted to handle this,” I say, still looking at her. “In the end, nothing seemed perfect besides the hard truth. I knew I needed to stand up for the woman I love. I had to stand up and roar for her the way I should’ve from the very beginning.”
Lena sobs harder, her hand covering her mouth. Queenie trots over, leaning against her knee for moral support, whale eyes fixed on her distress.
“Let me end with this confession—I’m the second biggest idiot in the world,” I continue, still watching her. “But I’m just an idiot, and not a monster. I never wanted any of this to happen, to spin out of control. The reality is, I’m not so different from any other bonehead who ever fell in love. I can’t stand seeing the woman I love turned into a martyr against her will. And I can’t finish Lena’s battle when she’s the one who’s been hurt and wronged. She deserves to end it on her own terms.”
Luis slides over, leaning down and patting Lena awkwardly while Queenie noses at her face, licking away the tears.
Out of the corner of my eye, I still see comments pounding in like hail—probably a few people asking about the soft sobbing in the background. Asking all sorts of questions I don’t feel like answering.
For me, there’s just one that matters, digging at my brain like a hungry dog with a buried bone.
“That’s it. That’s my attempt to answer your questions, and now it’s my turn.” I pause until she looks up, staring at me with her tearstained face. “My only question is for Lena, the love of my life. Woman, how can I ever win you back?”
XXV
Dog Years
(Lena)
I’m coming apart.
Threadbare.
Torn at the seams.
Everything I’ve kept inside for so long—since before Brady, since Harry and his filthy videos ruined my life once—comes gushing out in one ugly wail, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.
The dam has broken, and I’m being swept along the current.
So many emotions. So many feels bombarding my heart like diving birds, but none bigger than his rough, naked confession.
Brady Pruitt loves me.
Holy hell.
The words don’t feel real, but when he says it, when he calls me the love of his life—
Eek!
I’ve never seen the kind of sincerity written on his face. And even though there’s a camera going, still filming this moment for the world to see, he’s talking directly to me.
Woman, how can I ever win you back?
Doesn’t he know?
Doesn’t he realize he already has?
