Page 124 of Affliction

“Yes, Mom,” I said in mock annoyance.

“Where’s Terry?” Catherine asked, looking around. “I thought for sure he would be here waiting for your arrival. Does he not know it’s over?”

“He does. Goat took care of everything and left him an hour or more ago,” Jackson confirmed.

“So where is he?” Catherine asked me.

I sighed and closed my eyes for a moment, drawing in a bit of strength before continuing. “He’s not here because we’re not together anymore. I ended things with him while I was in hiding.”

I let the words sink in. I received a gasp from Ally and Catherine. Jackson didn’t react. He just watched me.

“Why in the hell did you do that?” Ally asked.

“Because it was the right thing to do. We weren’t going to work. Him jet-setting around the world to take photos and me being based here in Los Angeles. It’s just better this way, okay?” My tone was a bit clipped, and I could tell Catherine wasn’t going to challenge me. But Ally wasn’t buying it. I was sure we were going to have more conversations about this later.

“It’s time for your pill,” Ally said, breaking the awkward silence. “I’ll go get you some water.”

She left the room in search of water and my pills. Jackson came over and lowered himself onto the sofa beside me. “I heard what you did, you know.”

“He told you?” I asked, confused.

“To which he are you referring?”

“Hawkeye,” I confirmed for him.

Jackson nodded. “Yeah, he mentioned that you let the man go. Suggested that I have someone check on him so he didn’t run off and play hero.”

“He didn’t, did he?” A chill ran down my spine. I hadn’t thought of that, but that was definitely something Terry would do.

“No, he stayed in just like we asked him to. He was upset, though. Goat said he’d never seen a man in worse pain. Even the broken nose didn’t seem to bother him as much as you breaking his heart did.”

“Jackson,” Catherine warned from behind him.

“Just making conversation.” Jackson turned his head to smile at her. Catherine shook her head in return.

“He’s fine,” I told her.

“He’s something,” Catherine said with another shake of her head. “Come on, honey, I think it’s time we let Mia rest and get you on home. You haven’t gotten a lot of sleep either lately.”

“Yeah, rest. That’s definitely what I need right now.” The hungry look in his eyes made me turn away. The heat of his stare had me feeling like I was intruding on a private moment between the two of them.

“Let’s get home,” Catherine said as she made her way over to say goodbye to me.

She leaned in and wrapped me in a tight hug. “Reconsider your decision. You two were good together.” Her voice was so low, I wasn’t sure I heard her right.

“Thank you for everything,” I said in return.

She shook her head slightly and gathered her things. “I’ll see you on Monday.”

“Why wouldn’t I be in the office tomorrow?” I asked her, confused.

“Because I sent a memo to the staff letting them know that you would be working from home until Monday.” I went to protest, but she continued. “Relax, Mia. Ally is coming over to work with you, and I will handle things from the office. Just get some rest.”

I nodded, seeing the I-mean-business look on her face. Arguing would have been futile. “Thank you.”

“You don’t need to keep thanking me. I would happily do this for you anyway.”

“You’re an angel,” I told her.

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