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“You’re one to talk. You didn’t tell anyone about your divorce until your kids showed up.”
Julia wrinkled her nose. “I guess we all have our secrets.”
“Not me,” Alana said with a shrug. “All my secrets are out there, now, making tabloids a ridiculous amount of money.”
“When you ruined that painting, you stood up for women, everywhere, who want to prove themselves to the husbands who think they’re nothing at all. As far as I’m concerned, it was an act of service.”
Julia dried her hands and reached for her phone, drawing up several articles.
10 Ways Alana Tarkin Gave Us Life When She Destroyed Asher Tarkin’s Painting
What Alana Tarkin Taught Me About Abusive Marriages (It’s Not What You Think)
The Real Story Behind That Asher Tarkin Painting
Asher Tarkin: Should We Cancel Him?
Alana’s eyes widened with surprise. “There are think-pieces about me?”
“Honey, there are loads,” Julia returned. “Some source said that Asher was manipulative and cruel to you, and newspapers have run with it.”
Alana’s eyes filled with tears.
“Alana, he was so cruel to you. You never deserved any of it.” Julia dropped her phone and wrapped her arms around Alana, cradling her.
But although Alana had left, and although Alana could abstractly call Asher “cruel,” it was still difficult to understand that the rest of the world, finally, knew this horrific secret.
For twenty-seven years, she’d loved a monster.
What did that mean about her?
Upstairs, Alana staggered into the darkness of her teenage bedroom. Piece by piece, she removed her clothing and sat at the edge of the bed, studying her phone. Without realizing how or why, her thoughts turned to that poor girl on the boardwalk, the one who, at sixteen or seventeen, already didn’t think she deserved to nourish her body to survive.
It was too soon for something like that.
The world hadn’t yet trampled her.
ALANA: Hi Sarah.
ALANA: It was really wonderful to meet you today.
Alana took a deep, staggered breath. Did she dare hit the nail on the head? Then again, she feared that already, with Sarah, it was too late.
ALANA: I wanted to tell you that back in my twenties and thirties, I worked as a model. It was a challenging environment with a number of insane demands. My friends and I often went days without eating, which resulted in sicknesses, loss of hair, fertility issues, and so much more. I was lucky to have survived it.
ALANA: I know the pressures of being a woman often feel insurmountable.
ALANA: But please, let me know if you ever need to talk.
ALANA: I think we’d have a lot to say to one another.
ALANA: Good night.
