Page 93 of Breakaway

“I know that, Angie.” I instantly cringe at how I sound. She doesn’t deserve my anger; this is not her fault. “I just have no clue why someone would do this. If Kai thought my article wasn’t good enough, or compelling enough, he should’ve told me.” I shake my head, my heartbeat racing. “Plus, you know, this”—I point at the article—“requires a lot of digging. And I didn’t know about some of those things from Roman’s past. He never told me about them.”

“You think Kai asked someone to dig up dirt on Roman? To rewrite your article?”

“It seems like that, but…it doesn’t make any sense.” I close the magazine and toss it onto the coffee table. “Kai came to my office the second he finished reading it and said he loved it. He praised me for writing so openly about my past, about mytrauma and my feelings for Roman. He said I was very delicate with what I put in there.”

Angie bites her bottom lip, her palm absentmindedly caressing her baby bump. “Roman is very reserved; he doesn’t like talking about his past. I’m honestly not sure anyone but Colton knows much about him. So I understand why he saw this article as a betrayal.”

“So do I.” I stand up and start pacing back and forth. “Roman struggled with opening up to me. And…and he said no one knows about some of the things he’s told me. He really trusted me, Angie, and now he thinks I used him to write this story. He doesn’t believe I love him.”

“He’s pissed off and hurt. Before he can really listen to you, he needs to calm down. If there are things in there he didn’t tell you about, it will be easy to prove that you didn’t write that.”

“I need to talk to Kai first. I need to know how this happened and who is responsible.” I grab my phone from the table. “Fuck, it’s eleven p.m.”

“Wait for tomorrow, Nev.”

“But—”

“You can’t change anything right now. Plus, Roman needs time to cool off—give it to him. He’ll listen to you. I’m sure he will.”

“What if you’re wrong?”

Angie stands up from the couch and takes my hands in hers, holding my gaze. “Roman was angry and hurt, but he still asked Drake to tell me to come here. That speaks volumes. Your husband loves you, even if he doesn’t realize it.”

“I’m so scared I’ll lose him forever,” I confess. My heart flutters weakly in my chest, afraid to beat stronger because of the pain it’s in.

“You’re the girl who makes his bad days better. The girl who makes him the happiest I’ve ever seen him.” Angie smiles softly,her fingers rubbing my wrists with affection. “Sometimes to get to our happy ending we need to go through some shit, to fight against all odds, but that only makes it more worth it. He was yours before you knew it. Even before he knew it.” She lets go of my hands and cups my face. “The way you met, him saving you that night at the club, letting you stay here, asking you to go to Vegas with him…it’s destiny, Nev. It can’t be anything else.”

“I hope you’re right.” I smile at her in return. Her words plant seeds of hope inside my chest, waves of warmth that spread through my veins. “Will you stay with me?”

“Like you even had to ask,” Angie laughs.

Listening to her melodic laughter, I feel the tightness in my chest loosen a bit. A familiar comfort blankets my body, and I know it’s all because of her. She’s my family. My home. And with her around, I start to believe that all is not lost.

This man is mine, and I’ll do anything to get him back.

“Hey,”I say, walking into Kai’s office without knocking. “You got a minute?”

Kai’s eyes roam over my face, deep wrinkles bracketing his mouth as he frowns. “Is everything alright? You don’t look so good.”

“I look like someone who spent all night crying, so ‘don’t look so good’ sounds like a compliment.” I slump into the chair across from him and fold my arms over my chest. “What happened to my article?”

Kai rears back in his seat and presses an open palm to the top of his head, confusion written all over his face. He pokes his tongue into his cheek, studying me in silence. “What do you mean? It’s doing amazing. All the comments are positive,praising you for being brave enough to speak up, thanking you for sharing a story so many can relate to. It only proves what?—”

“I don’t care about any of that, Kai.” I cut him off angrily and lean forward, setting my elbows on his desk. “What happened to my article? Who did you ask to rewrite it?”

“Rewrite it? I didn’t ask anyone to rewrite it,” he states with conviction. “You sent me a draft, I read it and told you how much I loved it. Then, a day later, you sent me another draft, saying you thought it would be more powerful than the first and I should use that one.”

My jaw falls, and I gawk at my boss, unblinking.I did what?

“I-I sent you another file?”

“Nev, are you okay?” Kai asks quietly. “If you’re having problems, just tell me. I’ll do what I can to help.”

The buzz in my ears intensifies. Kai says something, but I don’t hear it. A fog clouds my mind, and my heart suddenly feels so heavy, it’s preventing me from being able to take deep breaths.

“Can you…Kai, can you show me that email?”

“Of course.” He nods, clicks his mouse a few times, and then turns his screen to me. “I was surprised you decided to revise it, honestly. It went from you talking about your feelings for Roman to you telling his story, but I thought you decided to add more drama. To drive your point home about people who live without love.”

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