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I ask my driver to take me to my apartment and close the barrier between us so I can wallow in private. My phone rings in my hand and I jump as I see his name on the screen. Everything in me wants to hear his voice, but I have to protect myself. I can’t allow him or me the luxury of a long-drawn-out goodbye. This entire thing was a mistake to begin with. I should have just been honest with my parents from the beginning.
Fresh tears fall as the call cuts off and I think of my parents. They’ll be devastated when they find out, but what choice do I have?
Arriving at my apartment, I walk inside, and I’m struck by how cold and stark it is compared with the home I’d shared with Hudson and Tia. I’d thought it was classy but all the white, black, and gold lacks the beautiful chaos I’ve grown to love.
I don’t want paintings by some million-dollar artist, I want pink and green splotches on printer paper that are meant to be flowers. I want dolls strewn about the place and the beads from a charm bracelet underfoot.
I take a shower and let the tears that just seem endless purge from my soul in the hope that it will allow me to feel better. When it doesn’t, I decide I need action. Dressing in my comfiest leggings and an old hoodie of Hudson’s because I’m a glutton for punishment now, I make a call.
“Hey, how is Tia?”
“Hey, Linc, she’s doing okay. Hudson is with her now.”
“What’s going on? You sound upset.”
“Hudson and I ended things.”
“You what?”
“It’s for the best.”
“Wait, I’m putting you on speaker. I’m with Beck and Harrison.”
I sigh, knowing it’s pointless to argue and maybe this is for the best. I can tell them all at once and be done with it.
“Are you okay, Aud?”
“Yeah, Beck, I’m fine.”
“You don’t sound fine,” Harrison argues, never one to take things at face value.
“You know what, I’m not fine. The man I love has ended our fake marriage, my father is dying, and I’ve never felt so lost in my life.”
“He’s a dead man.”
I shake my head at my hot-headed cousin’s threat. “No, he isn’t. Just leave it alone.”
“You love him?” Beck is always the one who picks up the things I try to hide.
“Yes, but it isn’t enough.”
“You want us to come over?” Harrison is shuffling around in the background, and I can imagine him dropping everything to come over and console me. All of them would and it’s why I love them all so much.
I shake my head, even though they can’t see me. “No. I called because I need a favor from you, Linc, and it’s a big one.”
“Anything.”
I close my eyes as a fresh wave of tears prick my lids, but these are in relief and gratitude.“I want Kennedy to buy Redman Media.”
“Isn’t that the media outlet that broke the story about Beck, Xand, and Amelia?”
“Yes, it fucking is,” Beck hisses, anger at the way the people he loves were treated still evident in his tone.
“Yes, and it was one of their reporters who followed me yesterday and is now writing all this bullshit about Tia and Hudson. I won’t allow them to hurt that child or Hudson.”
“What will you do with it?”
“Fire every last one of those assholes and clean house.” My blood is humming with the need to fix this, and this is the only way I can. I haven’t had the heart to read what’s being written but, from Hudson’s reaction, it must be bad.
