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I winced.
“Do you know what time it is? Where are you? I’ve been worried sick!”
“I’m fine, I’m–”
“You’re fine?” she shrieked. “Did he kidnap you? Brainwash you?” She huffed. “Did you see the newspaper? Oh my God, Rylan, you are all over every freaking magazine! Are you crazy? Are you freaking out? Are you okay?”
Nodding, I closed my eyes. “Yeah, G, I’m okay.”
“You sound really calm.”
“I just found out.”
“I don’t understand. Like, what happened? I hardly ever see you anymore and now this? I don’t know what to think. You were tied to a chair, Rylan.”
“It’s not…” I shook my head. “It’s not a big deal.” Or, well, it hadn’t been. Until Mina freaked out and now…
I traced the crisscrossing red marks running up my calves–
“Not a big deal,” Greer shrieked!” She huffed. “I talked to Lacey, but she’s no help.” Greer gasped. “Oh my God, Ry, did you know she used to be his sub?”
My gulp was audible in the quiet bedroom. I’d forgotten all about that.
Lacey.
Stella.
I sighed. “I did. Yeah. I just found out last night.” I slumped down the side of the bed and leaned my head back. We hadn’t even had a chance to discuss Lacey yet and now something way bigger was going to take over our conversations.
This was certainly not the way to start a relationship, but then… we hadn’t really gone by the books so far. Why start now?
“Are you okay, Ry?”
“Yes. No.” I sighed again as the tears started to push against my eyes. “I don’t know, G.”
“Where are you? Want me to come to you?”
“No, I couldn’t ask you–”
“Rylan Janine. Don't try to be strong enough for everybody right now, okay? This is a big deal. You’ve been… violated.” She paused and that word hung in the air, seeping into my bones.
I had been violated.
Someone had taken very private, very intimate photos of me and leaked them to the press.
I couldn’t even begin to know what that meant for me. For my future. The internship was obviously over. No one would hire me. I slept with the boss.
A sob slipped past my lips and I slapped my hand over my mouth. “Oh my God, Greer.”
“Drop a pin and I’ll come to you.”
I nodded, squeezing my eyes shut as a rush of anguish tore through my chest. Another sob racked my body.
“Rylan.”
“Okay, I will.”
“Where are you? Give me an idea.”
“Whitestone.”
“The fuck? What are you doing out there?”
“I’ll explain later.”
“Oh my God, he did kidnap you.”
“Greer, please.”
“Okay, babe, I’m sorry. Send me your location. I’ll be there as soon as I can.”
I did as she asked.
“Okay, got it. I love you.” She ended the call and the phone fell from my hands.
I pulled my knees up to my chest and hugged them, crying into my arms.
How could someone do this to me? How…?
Who? What kind of person would do something so horrible?
The more I processed what happened, the harder I cried. Sobs shook me–
The door flew open and I looked up into Reed’s wide eyes. He rushed over to me and settled beside me, pulling me against his body and holding me while I cried.
“Shh,” he murmured against my hair. “I’m going to fix this. It’s okay, it’s okay.”
But it wasn’t okay. Everything I’d worked so hard for was gone.
He rocked me for a long time, curled up on the floor with me and whispered into my hair, trying to calm me while his life was falling apart too, which only made me cry harder. We’d both be ruined after this. He’d have to explain his private life to the world, and they wouldn't understand, wouldn’t accept him. He’d lose his publishing company, his livelihood, and all because of me.
Because I forced myself into his life and turned it upside down.
He’d told me as much.
The pain ripped at my chest, tearing me apart the more I thought about what was going to happen to us, what we would lose.
Finally, I looked up at him and he cupped my face, smoothing the tears away with his thumbs.
“I want to take a shower.”
He nodded, searching my gaze, then scooped me up and rose to his feet. He carried me to the shower and set me on the toilet while he turned it on, then, when it was warm enough, he stripped me out of his clothes, scooped me up again, then carried me into the stream of water.
