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It's all a fucking show. One that makes two things crystal clear. The first? This motherfucker wants the world to think he made her. The second? I've never wanted to kill anyone with my bare hands as badly as I want to kill this motherfucker.
When it's over, I drop the phone to the counter, pulling her into my arms. She hasn't said a word through the entire six-minute production. She's barely even moved. I know this has to be killing her, but she faces it with her head high, not speaking.
The fact that she isn't saying anything worries the hell out of me. Makenzie isn't a quiet woman. She's the kind who tells you exactly what she thinks about any given subject. She knows her own mind and isn't afraid to speak it. She isn't speaking it now.
"Talk to me," I whisper, chaffing her arms with my hands.
"And say what? That he's lying about all of it? He is. I never slept with him. I never touched him."
She doesn't have to tell me that. Her innocence still stains the bedsheets in tiny drops.
"He's a liar, Zion. It's what he does. It's who he is." She shrugs in my arms. "I can't change his nature, just like I can't force people to believe the truth. They'll believe what they want to believe, regardless of whether it's true or not. What can I possibly say to change that?"
"Fuck," I growl, burying her face in my throat as my heart threatens to break for her. She shouldn't have to know so much about how the world really works…and yet she does. It's as sad as it is infuriating. Fuck her mother and every other person who taught her those lessons. She shouldn't have had to learn them. It kills me that she did.
"What do you want to do, angel baby?" I ask after a moment, leaving the ball in her court. I've fucked up once already, trying to do it my way. This time, it's her decision to make. This is her life. The choice should be hers.
"What do I want to do? Shower," she sighs. "Olive and I have a photoshoot in a few hours."
Chapter Ten
Zion
Twohourslater,wepull up outside of Club Za's content house. The driveway isn't as packed as last time, but there are multiple SUVs and flashy sportscars in the driveway.
"How big is this shoot, beautiful?"
"Um, I think there are six of us," she says. "It's for a women's magazine. Some article about rising stars in Nashville outside of the music industry."
"And you're one of them? Damn, angel baby," I say, proud as hell of her.
"It's just an article, Zion."
I kill the engine, climbing from the truck without a word. She's got her seatbelt off by the time I circle around to her side, but I don't help her out yet. I trap her in her seat, leaning over her.
"Stop doing that shit."
"What?" She blinks at me, her brows furrowed as if she doesn't know what I'm talking about.
"Stop downplaying your accomplishments and brushing shit off like it's no big deal, Makenzie. You've been doing it since day one. I tell you that your tits are gorgeous; you say they're just tits. I say you look like a goddess; you say it's just a dress." I cup her cheeks between my palms, forcing her to look at me. "You're fucking perfect. You deserve every ounce of success you find. Don't downplay who you are or what you've created for yourself. It's fucking extraordinary, and so are you."
She watches me with wide, startled eyes. Does she even know she's been doing it? I doubt it. It's just one more scar her fucking mother left her with. She doesn't know how incredible she is because she's never had anyone to tell her. Fuck that noise. I'll tell her. Every damn day until she believes it as fully as I do.
"Okay," she whispers.
I brush my lips across hers, helping her down from the truck.
It's overcast today, the sun playing hide and seek behind thick clouds. Her pretty dress still sparkles in the light, shimmering as if it's made of diamonds. She looks as beautiful as ever.
I lead her up the stairs and inside the mansion, blinking at the transformation. The furniture in the living room has been pushed to the edges of the room, leaving the rest of it open. A massive backdrop and photography lights dominate the far wall. Natural light filters in from the glass wall on the opposite side, creating a mosaic of color across the tiled floor.
I spot Bianca messing with the photography lights. One of the chicks from the fundraiser is here too, Lucy or Lexie or some fucking thing. I didn't pay attention when she introduced herself. I was too busy staring at Makenzie's tits in her pretty little dress.
Everyone turns in our direction as we step into the room. It goes eerily quiet.
Fucking hell. They've all seen Taggert's video.
Makenzie doesn't shrink from their stares. She doesn't react at all. She simply points at Olive and Madden across the room. "There's Olive."
