Elena’s eyebrows lifted slightly, the first real reaction I’d seen from her. “That’s quite a statement coming from you. Walk us through what happened. The public has seen the photos and rumors. What’s the real story from your side?”
I took a slow breath, letting the regret settle in my chest before I spoke. “I let someone from my past get way too close. My childhood friend moved to LA after a bad breakup. I gave her a job as an assistant I didn’t even need when she couldn’t find a job on her own.”
“None of that is groundbreaking news to my viewers,” she pointed out. “It had already been uncovered that you two grew up together, which only added to the speculation about your relationship with Maddie.”
“There was no relationship beyond friendship, except for my role as her boss,” I bit out, shaking my head. “I gave someone I thought I could trust access to my life, home, and schedule. And she used her position to damage the woman I love.”
“The red-carpet leak?” Elena asked.
“That was just the tip of the iceberg,” I admitted with a sigh. “There were too many instances when I chose loyalty to the wrong person over the woman who holds my heart.”
Elena nodded, her lips pursing. “I’d think one time was too many.”
“You’re right,” I agreed. “And because of my choices, Serena got hurt. Publicly, repeatedly, and painfully. The photos, rumors, and speculation that I was cheating—all of it happened on my watch. That’s on me. Not Serena. Or even the press. I opened the door to the shit Maddie pulled, and firing her after the damage was done doesn’t erase my culpability.”
Elena nodded slowly, giving me space. “Firing a childhood friend must’ve been difficult. How did that conversation go?”
I let out a short, humorless laugh. “Exactly how I needed it to. She arranged the photos, and I have a witness to her confessing to it.”
“That certainly counts as cause for firing,” Elena murmured. “Did she say why she did it?”
I gave a rueful laugh. “She thought she was protecting me from Serena’s so-called jealousy over our friendship, which was a complete fabrication on Maddie’s part. I’d been blind to her machinations for months, but she’s no longer part of my life in any capacity. I’ve cut off all contact.”
“So you fired your childhood friend after the damage was already done,” Elena pressed, not unkindly but firmly. “That’s convenient timing. What would you say to the people who think this is all performative?”
I paused, looking directly into the camera for the first time. “I’m here today because Serena deserves to hear—from me, publicly—that I see exactly what I did wrong. I’d like for her to know I’m choosing her. Every single time from now on. No more excuses or putting anyone else first. She’s my priority for as long as she allows me in her life.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Sarah’s hand tighten around her tablet. She didn’t say a word, but the proud nod she gave me when Elena wasn’t looking told me she understood how much I meant what I was saying.
“That’s a pretty apology, Hudson.” She leaned forward, her eyes narrowing. “But a lot of people watching will wonder if this is just damage control. You’ve built an entire career on being the strong, silent type. Why should anyone believe you’re suddenly willing to burn it all down for one woman?”
“I’m willing to grovel for the rest of my life if that’s what it takes to prove I can be the man Serena deserves.”
Elena studied me for a moment, the silence stretching just long enough to make an impact. “You seem like a very different Hudson Holt than the one we usually see. The guarded action star who never talks about his personal life.”
“Because the old version wasn’t good enough for the woman I love.”
The rest of the interview blurred into a haze of honest answers. I didn’t deflect or try to spin anything to make myself look better. When Elena asked about the future, I told her I was taking it one day at a time—starting with showing Serena that she was my priority. When she asked if I was worried about backlash, I admitted my only concern was losing the best thing that had ever happened to me.
When the cameras finally cut, Sarah gave me an approving nod from across the room. Elena stood and shook my hand. “That was brave. Not many people in this town are willing to go there.”
I didn’t deserve her admiration. Not when I’d dragged Serena into this bullshit by not listening to her. “Desperate times call for desperate measures.”
I walked out onto the deck the second they left, gripping the railing until my knuckles went white. I’d broken every rule I used to live by about keeping my private life private.
But it still wasn’t enough.
I kept imagining Serena watching this, wondering if I really was finally seeing what she’d tried to show me for months.
Words on camera were easy. Proving I meant them was going to be the hardest thing I’d ever done. And the terrifying part was that I still didn’t know if Serena would ever let me try.
15
SERENA
More than a week after we checked in, we were still camped out at Château Marmont, extending our stay until the media frenzy around Hudson and me finally died down. The paparazzi had mostly moved on from circling our house, but the online speculation was still vicious. I’d put my phone on Do Not Disturb days ago, letting only Avery’s texts and calls through.
My team could wait. I wasn’t ready to deal with damage control or carefully worded statements. If they had a business-related question, they could email me. I was the one who paid them, not the other way around. They could deal with being ignored for a bit while my love life was in shambles.
