My hands shook as I threw clothes into my overnight bag. I refused to feel like I was running away. I was choosing myself and Avery, as I should. Protecting our peace was more important than waiting for Hudson to finally see what was right in front of him.
When I finished packing enough for a few nights for both of us—just in case—I zipped the bags and headed downstairs.
Then I sent Hudson a text before I could talk myself out of it.
Me
I need space until Maddie is no longer entwined in your life. I can’t keep doing this.
I stared at the sent message, my heart aching. I still loved him. That was the worst part. But love wasn’t enough if he kept letting Maddie erode everything we had.
I didn’t wait for a reply. Turning my phone on silent, I tossed it into my bag. I was done waiting for Hudson to see what was right in front of him.
There would be no more letting Maddie’s “accidents” chip away at my peace and my sister’s sense of security. Protecting her was more important than holding on to a relationship that kept hurting me.
10
HUDSON
When I went to Maddie’s apartment, I never expected it to result in my phone blowing up a second time because of another set of photos that never should’ve happened. And although I wasn’t touching her in any of them, the story being told was even worse.
“Fucking hell,” I muttered, raking my fingers through my hair as I paced back and forth on my deck.
I knew I needed to call Serena to give her a heads-up, but I hated the thought that my actions would cause her pain. It was the last thing I wanted to do, but somehow, I’d messed up twice in one day.
Just as I was pulling her up in my contacts, a text came through from her. One that rocked my entire world.
I read it three times, the words blurring while I tried to take them in. My stomach twisted, and I had to grip the railing to steady myself.
She wasn’t just asking for a night or two. This felt final. Like she was drawing a line that could be the end of our relationship.
I couldn’t let that happen.
Heading inside the house, I grabbed my keys, jumped in my Range Rover, and drove straight to her Hollywood Hills house, my heart pounding the whole way. I had to explain. The newest batch of photos looked horrible, but they weren’t what they seemed. If I could just tell her what happened, maybe she’d let me in. I needed to fix this before our relationship broke completely.
When I pulled up, her gate was closed. I punched in the code she’d given me when I finally convinced her how serious I was, heaving a sigh of relief when it still worked. I wasn’t sure what I would’ve done if she’d blocked me from being able to get to her house.
I parked in the driveway and rang the bell with a shaking hand.
When she opened it, the first thing I noticed was that her eyes were red-rimmed but dry. She looked exhausted, beautiful, and so guarded it hurt.
“Serena, please. Let me explain the photos. It’s not what it looks like.”
She didn’t slam the door in my face, but she didn’t invite me in either. She just stood there, crossing her arms over her chest as she waited for me to make things right.
I wasn’t sure how long she’d give me, so I spoke fast. “Maddie was running some errands for me. She called when she was done. Said her car wouldn’t start. She’d gone back to her apartment before dropping everything off at my place. But then she was stuck, so I drove over to help. I called my car guy and had someone come look at it. While we were waiting, she accidentally spilled coffee on my shirt. One of the errands was picking up my dry-cleaning, and I changed into a new shirt so I didn’t have to drive home soaked. That’s it. The photog must have caught me coming and going because of the earlier bogus lunch photo. I already have people looking into how thathappened, given the club's strict no-photos rule. I’m handling it. I swear.”
“Handling it?” she echoed softly, shaking her head.
“Yes. I have my team looking into the leak at the club.”
She angled away from me with a derisive snort. “If you want to fix this, you need to look closer to home, Hudson.”
“I know you think Maddie?—”
She lifted her hand, stemming the flow of my words. “We’ve gone round and round on this for months now. But let me try to break this down for you one more time, using today’s events as an example.”
Judging by the cold look in her blue eyes, I figured this wouldn’t go well for me, but I would listen to whatever Serena had to say for as long as she was willing to speak to me. “Okay.”
