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“No, this isn’t a funny situation. He worked really hard to keep that secret about his dad. He paid a lot of money to keep it quiet so it wouldn’t come out until we were ready to face it.”
Great. So Adalyn believed I leaked the story. “It was in the justice system and was bound to get out eventually. I am not the one who leaked it. Oh my gosh, doeshethink I leaked it?”
She was quiet for a minute. “You really didn’t?”
“No, of course not. I haven’t even had my phone on all week because I can’t bear to see all the stupid pictures of myself on social media. I only left my house because I had a wedding to do today, which Bridget knew about because I had permission on the original schedule to return home for it and then meet you in Park City. Ask her if you don’t believe me.”
“I believe you, Beth.” She gave a sigh that sounded riddled with uncertainty. “Honestly, you should probably stay low for a little while until the newness wears off in the media. They’ll leave you alone eventually.”
Eventually? “I can’t live like this. I have clients. I have a life. I already took off weeks for the tour and then another week for the wallowing.”
“Oh, Beth—”
“No, don’t feel bad for me. I feel bad for Rhett. My life will eventually go back to normal, but his life will forever be juggling crap like this.”
“You’re not wrong.” She sighed. “Good luck. Thanks for reaching out.”
“Thanks for believing me.” I hung up the phone and spent the rest of the drive to my house fuming. How could he possibly think I would be the one to leak this information? It proved that our time together was not enough to give him any sense of my character and values. I’d been willing to play along with his hidden dating, though, so how should he believe I was better than that? What had I done to prove my integrity?
That truth slapped into me with force. I couldn’t expect anyone to believe the best of me when I wasn’t acting like I had any principles. It was a chastising thought, lowering my mood further.
When I pulled into my apartment complex and parked in my spot, I sat in the car and stared at the group of people sporting cameras and likely waiting to take my picture on the walkway to my door. This was crazy. They hadn’t noticed me yet, though, so I started to pull out of the parking lot again. There was no way I was staying in my apartment.
Someone caught sight of me, and I was flooded by paparazzi before I could get out of the parking lot. Cameras clicked and flashed while people shouted my name with various questions involving the charity tour and Rhett’s dad. I tried to shield my face a little with my hand and drove straight to Charlie’s house.
My phone started ringing when I pulled up and parked on the street in front of her sea-green Victorian house. I answered it. “Can I stay with you?”
“Oh my gosh, Beth, this is insane. Have you seen the news? It got out.”
“I know, and they found me.” I looked at her one-story home with a wraparound porch. It would be safe, right? “They won’t leave me alone, and I need to hide.”
“Come over. I’ll be home in ten minutes.”
“I’m already here.”
“Pull into the driveway so we can hide your car, then. See you soon.” She hung up.
Smart thinking. I pulled into her long, slightly hidden driveway that ran along the length of her house and parked beneath an old oak tree.
When my car was off, I took out my phone again and located Rhett’s message thread. I couldn’t help it. I was hurt that he could so easily believe the worst of me. I understood I hadn’t been on my best behavior or espousing the virtues I’d been raised to have, but had I not at least proven I could keep a secret? My fingers typed before I could consciously decide what to say.
Me:I don’t know who leaked the stuff about your dad, but it wasn’t me. My phone has been dead for a week anyway. But even if it wasn’t, you should know me well enough by now to know I would never do that to you.
Rhett:The only people with access to that information were on my team except for a few trusted friends that I told. I don’t know what to believe.
Me:I want you to believe me.
Me:If no one else really knew, then you should probably look internally. Someone on your team might not be trustworthy. You can spend your time hating me, or you could figure out who the real culprit is. I mean, I didn’t take all those photos of us and post them on social media.
Rhett:I didn’t think that was you.
Me:I’m glad to know you can see some reason. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry this is happening to you.
It was undeniable that someone close to Rhett had been taking pictures of us. That same person probably let it slip to the media about his dad. Adalyn was too sweet; Bridget was good at her job, and it wouldn’t help her job to leak that information; and the bodyguards had been with Rhett too long to betray him in this way. I had no idea who it could be.
Regardless, the fact remained that I was innocent.
Chapter Twenty-Six
