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So lying in that hospital bed, so very far away from home and without Sean, without being able to walk, knowing my recovery was going to take months, I didn’t want to face it. I’d already given up.
But then Darryl walked through the door and told me they were getting married and it was the ray of sunshine I needed. Ryder figured I needed someone to talk to.
This was my goal—to be at my best friend’s side when she married the most perfect man in the world for her.
My goal hadn’t been to sit on a chair at the back of the room, where I could barely hear what was being said, with one eye on the door just in case Justin ran in and ruined the wedding. It wasn’t to lie to Julia and tell her I needed to sit down throughout the ceremony.
But I’m not going to complain about my self-centered, spoiled brat of a sister. No, I’m going to accept that Mimi is out to ruin me. Again. I don’t know what I did, or when I did it, but I’ve done something to upset my sister and she wants revenge. Every time I find happiness, Mimi ruins it.
It’s deliberate this time, too. She’s sabotaged my relationship with Sean, and I have a sneaking suspicion she sabotaged it twelve months ago, too. Does she expect me to let her get away with it? I keep giving and giving, and then suddenly I’m lucky to be alive. Does Mimi care? No!
The photographer waves for the bridesmaids to gather for a photograph. Mimi smiles as the photograph is taken and then she looks at me, “How does it feel Ash?”
“Sorry?”
“I’m sure you’ve figured it out by now.” Mimi wraps her arms around me. “So tell me how it feels to have everyone and everything you love taken away from you by a person you love while they parade around in your life.”
“What?” I gasp and turn around to face her.
“It’s a feeling I will never forget.”
“I told you…” I begin, but when I look at her, I know she doesn't care. The little truce we’d achieved yesterday afternoon wasn’t a truce at all. It was her blindsiding me. Manipulating me. “How long have you been playing sick twisted little revenge games?”
“I’ve had eight years to poison Stephi against you.” She smiles like it’s something she should be proud of. “She hates you because I told her about what a selfish evil bitch you really are. She knows you’re the reason her parents got divorced. She knows you’re the reason her dad left her to move to LA. She even knows you’re the reason her dad is unhappy. She’s never going to accept you.”
“You did this to Stephi?” I gasp. My heart shatters into a million pieces. My sister has been warping a child’s mind since she was seven years old? How could she? “You tortured that poor little girl into believing her dad doesn’t love her? You made her hate me?”
“I told her the truth about you.”
“They said I was the one who wasn't strong enough to hack it in Hollywood. They said Krystal wouldn't last five minutes without my twin by my side. Hell, I don't even want to be here.” My whole body shakes in dismay. “But I am here. Not a washed-up has-been living off Mommy's fame or her soap, like you. I’m a multi-award-winning movie star and one of the most sought after and highest paid names in the industry.”
“It should have been me!” she hisses. “You were my sister. My best friend. My business partner. We did everything together. But you didn’t give a shit about me or what I wanted when you ditched me to go to college. You didn’t care when I was suicidal because you went to fuck a married man instead of helping me.”
“I told you I sacrificed everything because of how guilty I felt,” I plead. “I’ve hated every fucking second of the last eight years. But I did it for you! And you’ve done everything you can to destroy me?”
“Revenge is a dish best served cold.”
“Go on, Mimi. Say it!” My sister looks blank for a moment. “You wish they had pulled the plug on me sooner. You wish I was dead. Then you really could be Krystal couldn’t you? No one would ever know!”
The way she looks at me…that cold contempt as though I’m not worthy of her spit. Not even if I was on fire. It breaks me.
“If you want her that much she’s all yours!” I cry out. “I don’t want to be her anymore!”
CHAPTER 18
SEAN
I sit in a hidden corner of the hotel's sky garden and VIP bar. Justin Ramirez gave me the heads up that he’s meeting Ashleigh up here, and I want their reconciliation as my exclusive story, because it’s going to be my last. I’m done.
If Stephi wants to go to school in LA, then I’ll figure something out. But I’m done with being Mr. Showbiz. I’m done with parties that I know Krystal will attend. I’m done with writing stories about celebrities. I’ve been doing it for six years. It was meant to be a stop gap until something better came along, and I’ve never looked for anything else. So, I’m done.
I film Justin as he crosses toward the table where Ashleigh sits. When Justin finally reaches her, their reunion is so perfect it could’ve been scripted. He places his hand on her shoulder. She looks at him. Her eyes light up and she smiles. It’s the same smile she used to give me before he got in the way.
Justin gently helps her to her feet. There are no words spoken between them. I guess he doesn’t need them. His hand comes up to her cheek. It's a slow gentle caress and she turns her head into his palm. His touch bothers me more than I care to admit. It’s her reaction that does me in. That soft close of her eyes. The intake of breath. She did the exact same thing with me less than twenty-four hours ago.
And then Ashleigh melts into Justin and my jaw locks. The urge to break Justin in two takes over me. It’s so quick it takes the air from my lungs. It doesn't get any easier to breathe when she starts to sob in his arms. This is the man who she declared to be her enemy for years and she cries into his chest, opens herself to him in ways she’s rarely been with me. She’s rarely vulnerable with me.
It's been more than a year since I’d caught them kissing in that deserted hotel corridor. I should be used to watching Ramirez take care of the woman I love. But as Justin wraps his arms around her, the urge to take him out has never been stronger than it is right now. The monster that favors green roars inside me and I barely stop the oath on the tip of my tongue.
