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Chapter 29
Luna had driven back to Nash’s house after she was sure he’d left. She then wrote a note and left it on the kitchen counter. After hugging Monica and patting her duck she left again knowing it would be for the last time.
His horse being hurt, his parents being hassled by the press, it was all part of being involved with her, and given time he’d learn to hate her. She was leaving before that happened.
Exhaustion rode her as she drove up to the Lodge, physical and mental. She walked inside and came face-to-face with Olivia and Simon.
Excellent.
“Well now, look at you,” Olivia said. “Embracing your country roots, darling?” Her eyes traveled over Luna leisurely.
Luna ignored her and walked to the stairs.
“Nothing to say?” Simon said.
“Of course not. She knows her title of clean and healthy queen is tarnished. Knows that now it will be ‘lie down and open your legs with Luna.’” Olivia laughed. “Or get drunk with Luna.”
She tried to swallow down the anger.
“Where’s Nash? I heard his family weren’t too keen on an interview?” Olivia poked at her. “I need to spend some time alone with that big handsome man. I’m sure he’d come around to my way of thinking,” she said with a sly smile.
Luna dropped her bag, the sound on the wooden floor loud enough to be heard by Lenny, who was at reception on the phone. She turned and faced the couple. Hearing Nash’s name on Olivia’s lips had made her see red. The thought of this woman anywhere near the man she loved…God, she loved him.Just thinking about him made a heavy weight settle in her chest.
“You’re pale, Luna. Need some water?” Olivia asked. “I could throw it on your face.”
Simon laughed.
Luna moved until she was a foot away from the couple
“Olivia, I have spent years putting up with you attacking me. Years of your bullshit and lies. I have no idea what your problem is other than the fact that I beat you out for modelling contracts because you were too high-maintenance for anyone to deal with.”
The shock on Olivia’s face was laughable. It felt good.
“You and I were friends once, but that all changed because of you.” She jabbed a finger in Olivia’s chest. “That’s on you not me. All of this is on you. Maybe I should have spoken up earlier. Maybe when you set your fans on me? Maybe when you started spreading lies about me. I didn’t, because I thought if I left it, you’d go away. You didn’t. You doubled down.”
“You deserved it!” Olivia spat. “Such a GoodyTwo-shoes. Luna McKinley, healthy and sweet. A real role model.”
“So this really is all about jealousy.” Luna shook her head as Ted arrived to stand behind Olivia. He gave her a nod and a gentle smile. He was there for her. Just like the people she’d come to love in this town were. Her friends, she thought, feeling weepy all over again. But she’d never let this woman see her cry.
“I’m not jealous of you,” Olivia scoffed.
“Then why all this bullshit?”
She opened her mouth, but no words came out. Olivia couldn’t answer that question, and they both knew why. Because every word Luna had uttered had been right.
“Here’s the thing,” Luna said, the fight leaving her. “I don’t care anymore. I don’t care that Simon took those pictures of me and Nash and you posted them everywhere. I don’t care that you were desperate enough to have him buy off the stripper to get pictures of me at a private party. I’m done. But,” she added, “you keep coming at me, and I’m fighting back. You come after any of the people in this town or my life that I care about, and I will do everything in my power to make you pay, Olivia. I’ve never fought back, but believe me when I say it will get dirty, and you won’t know what’s hit you. I can play mean when I need to.”
Nodding to Ted, Luna picked up her bag and walked away, leaving Simon and Olivia watching her in stunned silence. Reaching the door to the stairs, she opened and closed it softly behind her.
She’d made it to the third step when she felt a hand on her arm and was turned.
“Let me go, Simon.”
“You want me.” He pushed his face into hers.
“Back away.” Luna looked into his eyes and saw that his pupils were huge and his face pale. Clearly he was under the influence of something. “Leave me alone, Simon.”
He jerked her against his body and kissed her hard. Luna tasted blood. She fought him, scratching his face. He released her, and she ran up the stairs and into her room. Closing the door, she pressed her back to it. Hands shaking, she called Hugo.
