Page 116 of Mistaken Impression

“So he accused you?”

“Yes. It probably didn’t help that, according to Mac’s agent, the studio were claiming they’d been duped by him, and that I was going to take over his role.”

“You are?” He’s as shocked as I was by that.

“No, of course I’m not. You know as well as I do that I could never appear in front of the cameras.”

He shakes his head. “So, that part is a lie?” he says, frowning.

I shrug my shoulders. “I’m not sure. The producer has been either calling me or texting me every day since I got back here. I’m guessing she wants to discuss the situation.”

“But you haven’t taken her calls?”

“No. I’m not ready to talk to her yet, but when I do, I’m going to tell her I’m leaving the show. Not that I really need to. I had a contract for the first season, and that’s ended now. They haven’t sent me a new one for the second season, so I in reality, I can just ignore them.”

“I think it’s best if you make it official and tell her, even if you just send her an email.”

He’s probably right. “I—I know. I just need to get some strength back first. Kennedy’s a tough woman to deal with.”

“Do you want me to handle it for you?” he asks, and while I’m tempted to say yes, I shake my head.

“It’s okay. I’ll email her. I should have done it before now. She’s been asking me to call, so I assumed I’d have to speak with her, but you’re right, I can just send her a message, and keep it remote, can’t I?”

“Yes, you can.”

“Does Mac know you’re leaving the show?” Hunter asks.

“No. We didn’t get as far as discussing that. He’d already decided I was the guilty party. There didn’t seem any point in talking things through.”

“So you left him?”

“Yes.”

“Just like that?”

“He tried to get me to stay. In fact…” I let my voice fade, remembering Mac’s words.

“In fact, what?”

“He begged me not to leave him.” The pained expression on Hunter’s face makes my chest hurt. “What else could I do? He didn’t trust me, Hunter.”

He reaches out and puts his hand on my shoulder. “It’s okay.”

“No, it’s not. We’d only just got back from Vermont. He’d taken us to a beautiful cabin up there, and we’d had the most perfect weekend. I was going to tell him I was in love with him. I was going to ask him to move in with me… and then we got back to Boston and it all…” My voice cracks and even though I thought I’d run the well dry, my tears fall again.

Hunter steps closer, putting his arms around me, and I sob against him.

My body aches. From the top of my head to the tips of my toes, I’m just a mass of pain, and I struggle against it, my fists clenched against Hunter’s chest.

“Why? Why did he do this?”

He sucks in a breath. “Can I say something?”

I lean back, despite my tears, and look up at him. “What?”

“I remember, when I screwed up by jumping to conclusions about Livia, my little sister was the one telling me not to give up.”

“I know, but I’m not the one who screwed up, am I? I didn’t jump to conclusions. He did. That’s why I left him. I’ve never… I’ve never…”

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