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I grit my teeth. “I can’t believe what I’m hearing. Who cares if they keep saying what they’re saying? The point… the point is to stand by me. I’m your girlfriend. I’m pregnant with your child. And if those rumors aren’t true, the least you can do is tell the world that they’re not, no matter what anyone else has to say about it!”
Reese stares at me. I can’t tell what’s hiding behind his eyes and that scares me. I’m so good at reading him, but there’s… there’s pain here that I’m not sure how to comprehend.
“I’m benched for the rest of the season,” he croaks. “And after that, I’m getting traded. I don’t know where, just that at this point, the Bulls are done with me. So no, Olivia, none of this matters. None of it fucking matters until we let it go away.”
I freeze. I can’t believe what I’m hearing, but at the same time, my heart crushes for Reese. He’s being traded… He’s never played for anyone other than the Bulls. When people hear the name, they think of Reese Dalton. He is Dallas. Dallas is him.
I shake my head. “I… I’m sorry you’re getting traded, Reese. I really am. But this isn’t okay. If you’re getting traded, the worst has already been done. The only thing we can do now is set things on a better course for the future. We can’t let Holly just win everything. Aren’t… aren’t I more important than that?”
“It’s not about you not being important. It’s about how much I’m actually able to fix in this situation, Olivia—which isn’t a whole fucking lot at this point. I can’t stir the pot anymore or I’ll lose my whole career?—”
“What about losing me, Reese? Because I don’t see how we can overcome this if you’re not even willing to stand up for me and our child?—”
“That’s not even fucking close to what’s going on here, Olivia.”
“Then what is it? You’re not even considering setting the record straight! Everyone thinks I’m some homewrecker, that I’m a pregnant, slutty mistress who broke up a loving family?—”
“You’ll survive,” he sneers. “My whole career is gone. It’s not like this really affects you. No one even knows who you are.”
My jaw drops. He can’t be serious. But as the seconds tick past and he doesn’t recant, I say the only thing left to say.
“Fuck you, Reese.”
Then I storm off, heading to the guest room.
When I slam the door behind me, I wait with bated breath. I hope that Reese will follow me. That he’ll attempt to do the right thing.
But he doesn’t. The footsteps go straight past the guest room and right to the main bedroom. Its door slams, too. Inside, something breaks.
I feel my heart shatter with it.
47
OLIVIA
I am so tired of shedding tears over a man. Before they sneak past my squinted eyelids, I ring up Quinn.
“Hey, sweetheart,” she answers on the first ring. She sounds somber by her standards. “I’ve been waiting for you to call.”
“You’ve seen everything?” As much as I hate the idea the story has spread so far, there’s something comforting in not having to rehash everything out there to Quinn.
“Yeah. I didn’t want to, like, overwhelm you. I figured you’d end up calling me when you were ready.”
I can’t help but sniffle. “It’s—it’s fucking stupid!” I burst. “It’s all lies—you know it’s lies. Holly… I don’t even know who’d take her seriously enough to spread all her nonsense. And you know the worst part? Reese isn’t going to say anything about it! He’s just going to let people think that all the nasty shit she said was true this whole time. He—he’s getting traded from the Bulls. That’s all he cares about right now. Claims if we say nothing, it’ll all just blow over.”
“Mm… Okay. So you know how we just had a conversation about how I’m not Reese’s biggest fan?” There’s a crackle as she switches ears. “I… well, okay, I think it’s an asshole thing to not try to clear the air on things. Like, don’t get me wrong, that’s shit. But—throwing him a bone here—maybe he’s not doing it intentionally trying to be an ass. Maybe he’s lost right now.”
I can’t believe what I’m hearing. “Quinn, he’s okay with letting people just say whatever they want about me?—”
“Babes, I’ve seen the way he looks at you, the way he goes to war for you. One thing’s for sure: he sure as hell is not okay with it. But with the way paparazzi just spin any old thing into whatever they want, you fighting back will just give them more motivation to be assholes, probably, yanno?”
“Are you serious right now?—”
“I’m not taking his side; I’m just trying to explain things. I don’t know a lot about this kind of stuff, but I have seen the shit that people put into the tabloids. He one hundred percent should stand up for you but… what if he’s not thinking clearly right now?”
She can’t see me, but I know I look confused. “What do you mean?”
“You said he was getting traded, right? Doesn’t that mean he’s getting moved to a completely different team soon? I dunno. For a guy like Reese, isn’t the team like family? So how would it feel if you were suddenly kicked out of yours?”
