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She barely pauses. “She promised she would keep everything she found confidential, and she has—this wasn’t her fault. I tossed the file into a drawer and forgot about it, and when my house was broken into, it was stolen. I should’ve destroyed it—I meant to destroy it—but I didn’t. I’m so sorry, Gabe.”
My heart slams against my chest, pushing me to take a step toward her. “Your house was broken into?”
Her eyes narrow. “You didn’t know?”
“No.” I rub my aching forehead. If David knew and didn’t tell me…
She takes a deep breath and her shoulders relax. “Well. Now you know. I didn’t do it.”
The unconcerned tone of her voice gets under my skin. “You threatened me. Told me I’d regret leaving you. How am I supposed to know you didn’t do this?”
Ashley stares at me for a long moment, her eyes finally registering that she understands. I don’t believe her.
“It wasn’t a threat.” She shifts her grip on the fruit basket, her voice dropping to a whisper. “I thought I meant something to you, that you would regret your choice. That you saw me for who I am and liked me. But you didn’t, did you?” Her voice breaks, tears beading her eyelashes and even though I shouldn’t, I want to wipe them away. Ashley’s a brilliant actress and I’m not going to fall for it, but goddammit my skin itches for her.
I liked her too damn much. She became my weakness, and I had to let her go while I still could. While I still had something worth protecting. And she took it all away. “Why did you do it, Ash?”
“No,” she says with a sad little laugh, her eyelashes fluttering as she blinks away tears. “I didn’t do anything, but you…you told them it was me. Some spurned lover bullshit.”
“Wasn’t it?”
Her eyes shimmer, but she doesn’t look away from me. Not for a second. “I’ve lost the only job opportunity to come my way sinceLove on the Line. Your lawyers are threatening me, saying I breached the NDA. I can’t afford to fight them, let alone settle. They’re combing through my phone records and my bank accounts and every aspect of my personal life. Another violation of my privacy. And that break-in? That was one of Kate’s fans. You did this. To me. I loved you, for whatever it’s worth.” She finally looks down at the fruit basket she’s still holding, sniffles, and hands it to me. “Welcome to the dark side, Gabe. You’ll do just fine here.”
With that, she walks out the door.
Chapter thirty-one
Ashley
TheangerIfeeldeserts me the moment Gabe’s door closes. I’m empty as I take the elevator down, leaving him behind in his new lofty tower. I thank the concierge, but the effort it takes to smile at the older gentleman drains me.
Gabe doesn’t believe me. He will never believe in me. He’ll turn himself into what he fears most, trying to measure up to his uncle, and nothing I can do will change a goddamn thing. I can’t fix this or save him. I’ve never felt so powerless in my life.
It’s late when I get back to Lauren’s. Staying with her has been good. She’s really stood beside me, helping me find Gabe’s new apartment or providing a shoulder to cry on. I was worried her boyfriend Jax would be on Gabe’s side since they work together, but he appears uninterested and entirely neutral. He’s curt, but not in a way that feels unkind.
Odds are good both Lauren and Jax are asleep, so I lock the front door behind me, kick off my flip-flops, and walk out to the pool.
I sit on the edge of the shallow end to slip my feet into the water. A silent tear slides down my cheek and I brush it aside.
I love Gabriel Sinclair, whatever he’s turning into, and I don’t know how to stop. This is too much like breathing.
He’s hurting. The gossip sites are still frothing over his secrets and the horrors of his childhood. It’s sickening. It was hard for him to open up to me on the road. He must hate reliving all this again.
And he believes I did this to him. It might destroy me.
I should’ve destroyed the dossier. Or at least remembered it after the break-in. I suppose the SuperVan that broke in sold it. Although I wouldn’t put it past those cops either.
Gabe’s past is going to continue to bleed out into the public, and nothing short of a major scandal is going to knock him off the top.
I freeze and a laugh bubbles up from deep inside.
Well, fuck.
I’m a walking scandal. I could steal the spotlight from him with one phone call.
Except I’d never work again. Not in entertainment. There’d be no chance for me to claw my way back. Worse, I’d destroy my relationship with Jessie and the parts of my family I’d like to be closer to.
It’s a big risk. It wouldn’t fix anything, but it would ease his suffering a bit. It’s what the hero or heroine would do, right? Sacrifice themselves for something bigger? That’s what the movies say, and what’s bigger than love? I’d be honoring what we had and who he helped me become.
