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My hands shake, and this moment feels like an out-of-body experience. I’ve never found myself in a situation like this. One so terrible, I’m afraid I might not return from whatever I’m about to see.
I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and go for it.
I’m not prepared for what I find. Bile rises in my throat as the full impact of the moment hits me like a ton of bricks.
My chest heaves, and my vision blurs.
Teagan didn’t just tip them off about Paxton and me. She tipped them off about everything.
The phone falls from my grip as a sob rips through me.
Teagan is @Deathtothesystem, and every single leak that @stargossip posted came from her.
44
Mallory
@Stargossip: Tensions are high on set, and no one is safe from the destruction this movie has caused. The only question left to ask is who will make it out unscathed?
@Iloveme: All bets are off. I think they’re all fucked.
@Betterthanfiction: I’m with @Iloveme. It’s not looking good for any of them.
@Bradforlife: Brad will be fine. Teagan’s dunzo.
I somehow manage to pick up the phone and dissect the evidence pointing at Teagan as the traitor.
I’m staring at the phone as Teagan comes striding in from the bathroom. Her hair is wet, and she’s wearing a T-shirt and leggings. She looks so young at the moment. So innocent. It reminds me of when I first met her. Back then, her eyes were full of hope, before she became this jaded stranger.
She stares me down, not saying a word. She’s a shell of the woman she once was.
Angry.
Broken.
Done.
As she comes closer, the intensity of the moment is palpable.
“What are you doing here?” she asks, voice full of accusation.
I’ve known her since she was only sixteen. A beautiful girl I watched grow into the woman before me. She’s still gorgeous, but her sneer is new. Ugly.
I shake my head, my eyes filling with unshed tears.
“Why?” I say in a low voice. “Why?” A sob breaks free. I’m trying to pull myself together but losing the battle.
This hurts so damn much.
I straighten my shoulders and steel my voice, determined not to break down anymore. She doesn’t deserve my pain. She’ll only get my anger. “How could you do it?”
She turns her head away, her face shifting from rage to guilt. The silence lingers for what feels like an eternity before she speaks, her voice thick with emotion. “I had to . . .” She trails off, searching for the words. I shake my head, not allowing that to be her answer.
She owes me more than that.
“You don’t understand.” Moisture forms in her eyes as her hand lifts.
I cross my arms over my chest, needing the security. “Then explain it to me because I’m having a hard time understanding how you could sabotage this film that we worked so hard to land you.”
“That’s the thing, Mal. I never wanted it.” I can see the truth in her eyes. Her words hang in the air, a strange and heavy weight between us. “This life. This career . . . it isn’t my choice.”
“It was always your choice.” I spit the words out, growing more frustrated by the minute.
She shakes her head. “I told you I wouldn’t do the movie. I tried to get out of it, but you took it upon yourself to fight Paxton. You got me more money, and my mom . . . she wouldn’t let me out after that.”
My eyes narrow in on her. Her hands ball into fists, and her shoulders stiffen at the mention of Theresa.
“What do you mean, your mom wouldn’t let you out?” I take a step toward her. “What did she do?”
“What didn’t she do?” Her voice rises, startling me with its intensity. “She did everything. Most recently, she wanted me to seduce Brad. But if you want me to go back farther . . .” She takes a deep breath. “My mother would withhold my meds as a kid so I wouldn’t gain weight. I couldn’t let it continue because all I wanted was . . .”
“What?” I need her to let it all out. To open up for the first damn time.
“I wished for it all to end. I-I wished to—” She chokes on a sob.
My world stops—my heart pounds.
I blink, trying to convince myself I didn’t just hear what I thought I did. I stare at her in shocked horror. I’m about to speak when she forges on.
“For years, I’ve struggled with depression and intrusive thoughts. I’ve tried to stop working . . .” Her head shakes, and she blows air through her nose like a bull ready to charge. “But she won’t let me. She hangs everything on my shoulders. The money. The failed career she had.” She takes a deep breath, and I don’t move. Don’t say a word. “She holds it against me that she gave everything up for me. How it’s all my fault that she got pregnant and chose to keep me.”
