‘Fuck other people.’ But he quietens his voice.
‘I can’t, Luc,’ I say quietly. ‘I don’t trust you.’
His head snaps to look at me, eyes wide. ‘You don’ttrustme?’
I shake my head. ‘No, not anymore.’
‘I haven’t done anything to break your trust,’ Luc protests.
I unlock my phone, and the article appears straight away on the screen. Waiting for me. I hand him the phone.
‘I know it was you.’ A tear slips over my waterline. ‘No one else knew.’
‘I– it wasn’t me.’
‘It must have been.’
‘It wasn’t! What do I have to gain from this?’
‘Apparently they pay quite a lot of money for stories like this.’
‘You think I would do this formoney? Do you not know me at all, Sienna?’
‘I thought I did.’
‘I promise you. I swear on my mother’s life. On Lydia’s. On Kealan’s. Onyours. It was not me.’
‘Luc, only you, my family, Jess, and Mimi know.’
‘What about Dennis and Kareem?’
‘They’re under NDAs and they’ve worked with me for a decade. I trust them with everything.’
‘I’ve known you for a decade.’
‘That’s different.’
Giulia is back, the collection of wine glasses growing further on our table. I use the toothpick from my cheese to skewer a piece of ham.
‘Everything okay?’ Giulia asks. I leave the ham on the plate.
‘Fine, thanks.’ Luc doesn’t look at her.
‘She means with the wine.’ My joke doesn’t land.
‘We now have a Pinot Grigio blush for the rosé fans. Do you like rosé?’ She pours us a small measure in a fourth glass and disappears.
Is it me or does she leave much quicker this time?
‘Sienna, I shouldn’t have to prove to you that it wasn’t me,’ Luc says. ‘You should trust me by now. I have nothing to gain from this.’
My heart trusts him, but my head responds with why I shouldn’t, a million reasons a relationship between me and Luc would never work.
‘This is the second time in our relationship that you’ve jumped to conclusions and haven’t trusted me.’ Luc stares at his plate.
I frown.
‘With those pictures of me and Leia, you immediately jumped to conclusions, got really drunk and was pictured with Alex Pauls.’
