Alex
Can you at least get Kate to respond to one of his messages?
Chelsi
Alex
I’ll take that as a no.
Chelsi
Alex
How about you tell me how she’s doing?
Chelsi
I swallow hard, handing the phone back to Alex. Unable to say a single word.
The soul-crushing pain I felt earlier intensifies, making me breathe rapidly and clutch my chest as a million negative thoughts swirl through my mind.
I have broken Kate’s heart. The one thing I swore I’d never do again.
Will she ever be able to forgive me?
Can I ever forgive myself?
This is the longest, fucking worst day of my life.
CHAPTER FORTY
jake
In the backseatof a black car, I try to stay focused on what the private investigator is saying about Kate’s dad, ignoring the fact I’m finally in Chicago and only a block away from her condo. I’d already be at her front door if it wasn’t for this call. The one Max insisted I take after he spoke with the PI. And I can see why.
How the fuck am I going to tell her this? Especially after everything I’ve put her through the past couple of days.
After ending the call, I lean my head back, trying to prepare myself for what comes next. It’s been completely radio silence from Kate. She hasn’t responded to any of my texts or voicemails. Not answered a single call. Chelsi continues to leave me on read, too. If it weren’t for Alex, I’d have no idea how she’s doing. It all makes me assume the worst, and that’s exactly what I did onstage last night, and the entire four-hour plane ride here. Spiral into a pit of despair, realizing I might have lost the love of my life over a drunken night and some stupid fucking photos. At the bare minimum, I’ve hurt her and damaged her trust, and that’s equally as heartbreaking.
Fuck. I need to stop stalling. Just get up the courage to go inside, knock on her door, and pray she’ll give me another chance.
“Ready to go, sir?” the driver asks, glancing at me in the rearview mirror. “Security is ready to escort you into the building at any time.”
I blow out a deep breath and nod. The car starts moving again, turning down the next street and driving to the back of Kate’s condo building, where there appear to be far fewer paparazzi compared to out front. As soon as the car stops, two burly security guards open my door and flank me on both sides as they hold back photographers for the brief walk to the entrance. The security guards escort me to the elevator and ride with me before leaving to head downstairs once I’m outside Kate’s door.
Clenching my fists tightly, I take a deep breath and knock three times.
Chelsi opens the door partially, blocking my view inside. It’s a fucking gut punch, taking me back to when Kate and I broke up. When I stood in the same spot, begging Kate to talk to me. Pleading with Chelsi to open the door and let me in. I ended up walking away that day without talking to her; hopefully, today goes differently.
“What do you want?” Chelsi asks, her voice full of irritation and a scowl on her face.
“I need to talk to Kate,” I beg. “Can I please come in?”
Chelsi crosses her arms, blocking the entrance. “I don’t know. I’m really fucking pissed at you. My best friend has been sobbing nonstop because of your actions. What the fuck were you thinking?”
Out of habit, I run both hands through my hair, messing it up even further and not giving a flying fuck about it. “Iwasn’t thinking. I had too much to drink, but nothing happened between that girl and me. What you saw?—”
“WhatIsaw? You mean what the entire fucking internetsaw. Do you know how many people have called or texted Kate about the photos and videos?” Chelsi fumes, loud enough to convey her anger, but quiet enough so no one beyond the two of us can overhear. “Her fucking mother called her to say, ‘I told you so.’ Do you have any idea what that did to her?”
