AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“I’m not sure how you think the truth is going to be more helpful. You want to spill the truth? Tell them how I’m such a fuck up that because I spent years being abused in the foster system, that the moment someone showed me a scrap of kindness, I thought it would be a great idea to fucking elope in Vegas after less than a year of dating when I was eighteen. Inform them that my charming husband dumped me over the phone a few months later, saying he’d made a mistake and he didn’t want to see me again. Cause I’m sure that will be a way less juicy story than whatever bullshit PR statement you could come up with on your own,” I retorted, my words laced with venom.
The normally unflappable Carl was left momentarily speechless—a first in all the time I’d known him.
After watching him struggle to formulate a response for another few moments, I took control of the conversation.
“Great, so can we agree to never talk about this again? In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve got bigger things to focus on than what some dumbass journalists write about my personal life. And please don’t mistake my jumping on a plane to be with Gray as some sentimental gesture. If paps want to stake out his front door and hound him for months on end, I also couldn’t care less. In fact, I might even go so far as to call it karma.”
I wasn’t entirely sure I would go that far. My feelings toward Gray were a tangled mess, ever-changing and complicated, but Carl didn’t need to know that.
“Colt, I apologize,” he gritted out, as if each word physically pained him. “You caught me off guard. But we still need to address this. Don’t make a rash decision you might regret later.” Carl's attempt at sympathy unnerved me. This man, for all his skills, only cared about himself and his job.
“Why are we still talking about this?” I snapped, any pretense of patience long gone. “I’ve made myself clear—I have nothing more to say. You work for me. So if I tell you to use your better judgment and concoct a story to placate the media, then fucking do it. I don’t need the details, and I don’t want to be kept in the loop. So unless some other long-lost husband emerges today claiming to be on his deathbed, spare me another damn word,” I declared, my voice ice-cold.
“Understood,” Carl responded tersely, the tick of his jaw betraying his underlying anger at being reprimanded by a man two decades his junior.
∞∞∞
The blast of the unreasonably cold air conditioner sent shivers down my spine, raising goosebumps on my exposed skin. Why did hospitals insist on being so damn frigid? Did they expect the elderly to start decomposing while still breathing, necessitating morgue-like temperatures? Also, wasn’t heat supposed to inhibit bacteria growth? I wasn’t entirely sure, but it sounded plausible based on my vague recollections from science classes—back when my attention wasn’t constantly occupied by ogling a certain someone.
Thinking of Gray prompted me to shift uncomfortably on the plastic of the waiting room chair—or, to be more accurate, the private “grief” family room in the hospital. The nurse had emphasized that the room choice didn’t imply anything specific; it was simply the only space available for a celebrity to await updates without attracting undue attention from other patients and visitors.
Unfortunately, the nurse couldn’t provide any updates on Gray’s condition. Only his doctor had that information, and he was still in surgery. Whether the operation involved Gray or another patient remained a mystery, as she couldn’t disclose that detail either.
So there I sat, twiddling my thumbs, my mind swirling with worst-case scenarios. Some might label me as dramatic or pessimistic, but experience had taught me that hope often led to nothing but heartbreak.
Earlier, I had retreated to the solace of a secluded smokers’ area to make a much-needed call.
“Someone better be dying because you know we have a deal,” Willy’s familiar sass greeted me. “Every Wednesday morning is Zoom mimosas and brunch. Doesn’t matter what time we both finish work, what city you’re in, or if doomsday is upon us. And since you answered your damn phone, I know it’s not broken, and it’s not the reason I’ve been sitting on our Zoom call for over an hour waiting for you! I have gossip that needs spilling, and I can only do that with spiked orange juice in hand!”
“Please don’t mention someone dying right now. I’m barely holding it together,” I choked out.
“Jesus, babe, I was kidding. Are you okay? What happened?” His tone shifted to alarm.
“It’s Gray. He’s in surgery, and I don’t know if he’s going to be okay, and I…” I broke off with a sob.
“Deep breaths, hon. Where are you?”
“I’m at the hospital… Apparently, I’m still Gray’s next of kin, so they called me.”
“What the actual fuck…” Willy paused, processing. “So where exactly is this hospital? I’m guessing it wasn’t conveniently near your last show.”
I scoffed, quickly explaining my location. “I’m ordering an Uber to the airport right now. I’ll get Carl to give me all the details once I’m on the way,” he declared decisively.
“What?”
“Obviously I’m coming to wait with you. Good news or bad, this is not something I’m going to leave you to face by yourself. You need your support system around you, and we all know Carl ain’t the warm and fuzzy type.”
“He’s not that bad,” I weakly argued.
“Babe, he is a total snake who only cares about money. He pretends to give a shit about you because you make him a boatload. But make no mistake, he would murder his own mother if he thought it would get him ahead in life. It wouldn’t surprise me if he tries to get you to leave without even seeing your man. Knowing the can of worms that is about to be opened, that will probably mean your tour is dunzo.”
“I can’t worry about that right now. I can’t focus. There’s so much I need to tell you, but I don’t even know where to start.”
“Exactly why I’m on my way. You need someone who loves you keeping the vultures away while you process everything. Now please try and get some sleep, and I’ll see you as soon as possible. We can analyze everything once I’m there, and can make sure you don’t have to fall apart alone.”
“Okay,” I whispered.
I didn’t deserve a friend like Willy
