AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“It’s the girl you’ve been seen with, right?” Jerry started, his voice calming a few degrees.
I stared out the window of my condo, watching as the blue sky stretched and branded the world with the last few weeks of summer.
“Yeah, it is. She’s…” I let out a lungful of air. “She’s from my past…the one that got away or whatever.” I waved my hand at nothing, feeling a little embarrassed to get so sentimental, but whatever. It needed to be said.
“Okay…but what does that have to do with you ghosting me?”
“I just needed some time with her…and the kids. They aren’t from this life…the attention and bullshit celebrity lifestyle. They wouldn’t follow me into the spotlight, and I just didn’t want to lose that,” I explained, or at least I tried to.
Silence ensued; Jerry let out a small sigh before he finally spoke up.
“I can understand that, Ryan. Truly, I can…but your contract…” He trailed off. He didn’t need to say anything else.
“I know, and I’ll be there by the end of the week.”
“No, you don’t get it.” Jerry’s voice picked up a notch, something like regret filtering into it. “I had to make some decisions you aren’t going to like, but it was either that or get the lawyers involved,” Jerry explained, his tone switching to that inflection he saved for business meetings and leaving zero room for arguing.
“What does that mean?” I stood up, running my free hand through my hair.
There were a million and one things he might have had to agree to: photo ops, benefit dinners, special appearances. The list was endless, but something in my gut told me I already knew what he had done. His prolonged silence only confirmed it.
“You didn’t,” I muttered on a groan.
“You left me no choice!” he yelled back.
“You always have a fucking choice, Jerry! I’m a human being, not a fucking machine,” I spat back, anger zipping through me like I was a power line.
“I’ll see you for pre-production by the end of the week.” Jerry softened his tone right before he hung up.
Just as I pulled the phone away, about to call him back, the doorbell rang.
