Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 121734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 121734 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 609(@200wpm)___ 487(@250wpm)___ 406(@300wpm)
He scoffed. “This is the biggest pity party I’ve ever seen in my life. That’s what you’re doing.”
I felt slapped in the face.
He thought he knew better, but he’d learn. Why can’t he see that?
I shook my head. “I’m going to ruin your life. I’m telling you, and you don’t believe me.” This was emotional torture in ways I couldn’t explain. I said it again. “I’m not worth this. Throw me under the bus for your career. At least I’m of some use that way.”
Had this been worth it for me?
To touch him. Feel him?
I looked at him, really looked at him, and it hurt. He was everything I wanted, and he was standing in front of me, trying to fight for me, but I knew I would lose him. I believed that with every fiber of my being. So. Was he worth it?
The answer hit me hard. It was the same reason I had let myself fall in the first place.
Yes. Being loved by Tyler, just for one night, two, or however long it would’ve lasted, that would’ve been everything. But I wasn’t. He couldn’t see it now, but he would eventually.
I had to make that decision for him instead.
He softened and stepped toward me, his hands out.
I shook my head. “Don’t do this. Trust me. You will regret it later on, and it’ll be too late by then. I’ll have ruined you. Toss me aside now. Please.”
His hands cupped my face. “Oh, baby girl,” he said tenderly.
I winced. “Don’t.”
He leaned his forehead against mine. “I’m asking for an interview right now. That’s it. I will give you the universe, if that’s what you want, but I know that’s too much for you to believe. It’ll spook you, so let me do this. Do the interview with me. You are worth burning down the world. Give me that pleasure. Do it for Skylar. Do it for me.”
Tears streamed down my face. “Don’t, Tyler.”
“I’m going to do the interview with Martine. I’m going to tell her everything. It’ll come out no matter what. This way, we’re telling it your way. My way. Let’s do it together.” He found my hand and laced our fingers. “Let’s burn your brothers’ worlds down.”
51
RAIN
Iworried I was going to vomit, but I did it. Somehow, I made it through that interview.
I didn’t put all of my family’s business out there. I just couldn’t, so I was vague about parts of it. I didn’t give examples of the things Daniel used to say. I just said Dane and I didn’t have a relationship growing up. As for my dad, I was honest. Everything I told Kashvi and Tyler, I told Martine.
She asked at the end if I could summarize what it was like growing up with my dad, and my answer was, “It was lonely. Because he refused to speak to me directly, I did not grow up with a father. I grew up in someone else’s home, and while they were kind enough to allow me to eat their food and know that I was physically safe under their roof, I do not know what it is like to have a father or a mother. When I lost her, I lost him. Though, to be honest, I don’t have memories of my dad before my mother passed either, so it might’ve just been that I lost my only loving parent when my mom died.”
Martine seemed a bit stunned, blinking a few times before she moved on to more questions. The majority of the interview was about the high school rivalry, which had Martine salivating. There was a hungry look in her eyes.
After the interview, I felt dazed. Had I really said all of that?
“Some people are going to be sympathetic,” she told me. “Some people aren’t. These are hockey fans. They’re mean. Of course most people, if they really put themselves in your shoes, would cringe at the thought of growing up the way you did. Being fed and sheltered is great, but kids need a lot more than that.”
I shrugged. “There was no physical or sexual abuse.”
“It’s sad that you’ve made that your baseline, and that’s why you don’t feel you have a right to be upset.” She included Tyler. “I’ll write it so there’s minimal blowback on the women, but I’d also like to talk to your sister. Is that an option?”
Tyler raked a hand over his face, standing. The bags under his eyes were more pronounced after the interview than when it had started, as if going through everything had aged him. “I’ll reach out to her and ask. I’ll be honest. I don’t know if she’ll want to talk to you, but I’ll explain the situation, and we can go from there.”
“That’s all I can ask. Thank you.” She gave us both a nod before leaving. As she did, Kashvi came in, her arms raised. “I have good news. We killed the story.”