Page 36 of Tell Me It’s Right

The second my gaze falls on the screen, the sight hits me like a physical slap. The blood in my veins runs cold.

Taylor leans over for a look and chokes on his drink.

“Makayla,” I say very, very calmly.

She sighs. “Liam, listen, it just?—”

I point the screen at her face. “Why. The.Fuck.Is my ex-girlfriend your spokesperson?”

“Okay, listen?—”

I toss the phone on the table, shove my chair back, and head for the door.

“Liam!” someone calls, and high heels click after me. “Liam.” Makayla grabs my arm a few paces from the door and forces me to face her. “When I first asked her about this, it was before you guys broke up.”

“And now?” I demand.

“Look, Liam, she’s…her career is on the upswing. She’s doing really well, and her socials audience is an exact match for ourideal customer. We’d never be able to find another model or influencer with her reach to do this for what we’re paying her. We’re going to reach an entirely new market with her. It’s just business.”

“Just business,” I mutter.

I wrench my arm away and yank the door open. I shake my head once, twice, trying to calm the rage billowing up in my chest. She doesn’t know the full extent of what happened with Hailey. No one does.

But that aside, to get far enough in the process with her to have these mockups without even asking me first? She never would have done this behind my back unless she knew she was doing something wrong.

“One big, happy family, huh, Mak?”

“Liam, I’m sorry to spring this on you like this?—”

“Best of luck with the new business. Seems like it’ll be a smashing success.”

“Liam—”

I slam the door behind me.

Sweat drips down my face and falls onto the wood floor in front of me. My muscles ache as I push again, and again, and again. But I don’t stop. Not until my arms physically fail midway through a push-up and I collapse against the ground.

It’s just business.

I turn the music up louder in my headphones, loud enough I should probably be worried about causing permanent damage.

I switch to the pull-up bar hung over the bathroom door and grit my teeth as I haul myself up over and over. But no matterhow much my muscles scream, it’s not enough to drown out what’s going on in my head.

Blowing up my phone is one thing. But weaseling her way in with my family? Into the business? Makayla may not have understood exactly what she was doing, but Hailey sure as hell did.

Maybe it was stupid of me to not fully realize it until now.

I’m never getting away from her.

I’m never going to be free of her.

Fuck, this isn’t helping.

I drop back to the floor and rip my headphones off. Music continues to blare from them as I toss them on the bed and yank a shirt over my head.

I can’t stay here. I can’tbein this apartment, not when I can remember every place she used to leave behind little notes…can picture her laughing on the couch…hear her screaming at me from the kitchen as she took the plates out one by one and smashed them against the floor…see her blocking the door so I couldn’t leave…

I snatch my keys off the counter and jog down the stairs to my car. Once inside, I plug my phone in to charge, and the screen lights up, revealing the half a dozen notifications I’m ignoring.

---