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She’s jealous. She doesn’t want to forget we ever happened.
“It’s irrelevant. I’m not marrying her. If there was even a second that I ever considered it, then you and I… I’dneverhave touched you, Mads. Can’t you see that? That wouldn’t be fair on anyone.”
“She wants to marry you,” she repeats, ignoring me.
“It’s not fucking happening,” I snap. “Never.So forget about it.” I lower my voice, cursing myself internally for losing my shit.
“Last night, Drew said you asked Eve to send me to Italy,” she whispers, breaking the silence. “Why?”
“Because you’re an incredible writer, and you deserved the opportunity.”
“And it wasn’t because you’d heard me tell Drew a million times how I wanted the chance at a full feature?” Her voice is quiet, and something tightens in my chest from hearing her doubt herself.
“You were the right choice. You’ve earned your chance all the years you’ve worked there. Don’t question your abilities. Eve was going to pick you anyway. I just nudged her to decide faster, that’s all.”
“Uh-huh,” she murmurs disbelievingly.
“Although I’m not sure you’ll have an article to write now.” I rotate my head, cracking my neck. “Vex might not happen. Not if we don’t have a company to run it.”
“It’s serious, isn’t it?”
I stare across the empty gym and for the first time ever I’m drowning in the emptiness of my giant house. I’ve never been bothered by living alone before, until now.
“Dad’s still holding on to the business by a thread. But I swear I’ve never seen him like this before. He’s… It’s frightening. He looks like he could cause himself a stress-induced heart attack any second and drop dead.”
“My god, Logan... What can I do to help?”
“Nothing, Mads. I’ll fix it. I told him I’ll find a way. Vex can bring in more than the rest of the business. It just needs to go ahead. I can’t lose it. It’s the only chance I’ve got.”
There is a way. I just need to find it.
“And it’s your dream,” Maddy adds.
“Yeah. But that’s not what matters right now.”
There’s a long silence as we listen to each other breathe, the comfort of knowing the other is there enough to keep the overwhelming urge to give up from winning.
“I’m so sorry, Logan,” Maddy whispers. “All these years, I’ve been so wrong, so—"
“It’s done. Don’t think about it again.”
I can’t bear to hear her apologize to me. I was still a shit to her, something I’m beginning to understand from her point of view. But it’s the lack of fire in her voice that ruins me the most. She’s always been ready to fight me. Maddy without fire is like the earth without air.Inconceivable.
She scoffs. “How can you say that? I’ve been so unfair to you. I’ve been sorudeto you. Over and over.”
“Nah, you just kept me on my toes,” I say, desperate to lighten a suffocating conversation.
“Don’t try and make this any less tragic than it already is, Logan.”
“Tragic? This isn’t the opera, Smiles.”
Her breath catches. “Maybe it should be. I can play Butterfly, and you can be Pinkerton.”
“The guy who marries someone else?” My heart seizes in my chest as I use my free hand to rub my dripping hair with the towel. “I told you. I’m not—”
“Maybe you should. Gabrielle’s wonderful. She’s kind and smart. You look good together. And she’s never told you she hates you. Never blamed you and buried her head in the sand, toofuckingstubborn to see what’s real. You’ll save the business for your father. For your family.”
“She’s not you.”
