Page 98 of Burn It Down

Before Ines comes out to greet us, Cora takes my hands and looks at me, something clearly brewing in her brilliant mind.

“This is going to sound crazy, but just hear me out,” she starts. “We don’t have to do this.”

“Cora—”

“I said, hear me out, Jacob,” she says sharply. “I’ve been processing everything you said about your parents forcing this relationship on you. While I don’t love that…obviously…I do loveyou.I’d hate to see you lose everything just because of your sexual orientation. We are a smart match. Please consider continuing the ruse of a relationship. We can both see other people in private. And wouldn’t that be an even better way to get back at your father?”

I can’t believe my fucking ears. You think you know someone…

I stand with my mouth agape for a solid minute looking at the woman in front of me, barely able to process what she’s saying.

“Cor, do you hear how crazy that sounds? That’s not a life I want for either of us…or for Dylan. I don’t want to hide him. I don’t want to miss holidays and birthdays with him because of obligations to my fake wife in order to keep my father happy. No. Fuck that. My dad can keep his fucking money.” It takes me a minute to get there, but finally, I ask, “Cora, why the change of heart? This wasyouridea,” I remind her.

Her eyes go glassy as she chews on the inside of her cheek.

“Because if I lose you, I lose everything,” she says, not making any sense. It feels like that should be my line.

Finally, she squeezes my hands.

“Please?” she prods.

“Cora, I’m so sorry. I truly wish I could help, but I’ve spent enough of my life pretending and I’m just not interested in doing it anymore. It isn’t fair to you or Dylan.”

Before Cora has a chance to respond, Ines comes around the corner and I watch Cora’s professional demeanor slide into place, all the pain and hurt from a moment ago gone, but my own shock still lingers.

Cora greets Ines with a kiss on each cheek.

“Ines, thank you so much for working us in.”

“Of course, although I’ll have to admit, the news breaks my heart. You two were the perfect couple,” she pouts, hugging me hello.

Cora laughs as we begin to follow Ines to her office. “We still are the perfect couple, which is why we’re here together and not tearing each other down in the tabloids.”

Ines’s office is neat and orderly and she’s tried very hard to make it warm with framed photos on the wall, a large bookshelf and matching desk, and even an area rug under the two chairs in front of her desk, but it’s hard to make a windowless room with cinderblock walls anything other than prison-like.

“Would anyone like coffee?” she asks, already standing at the single-serve Keurig machine.

“Please,” Cora and I both reply, sharing a small smile.

As Ines messes with the machine, she begins telling us the flow of the morning.

“We have an hour to plan your segment before we’ll start shooting so we can air it at eight o’clock. Give me a brief background of the issue, why you’re making a statement and at the end, Cora, darling, do you have any upcoming events you can plug at the same time? I’d hate to leave our viewers with the taste of high society scandal in their mouths instead of something useful.”

Her words are blunt, but I understand her point.

“Always,” Cora replies, sweetly.

Ines hands us our coffees and sits down behind her desk, opening her laptop ready to type.

“Okay, let’s begin with why you’re here and I’ll ask questions along the way. If I hold up my hand it just means pause so I can catch up on my notes, but pick up in the same spot when I flash a thumbs up.”

Cora speaks first. No doubt, the audience will like her much better anyway. I’m resigned to the fact that I’ll be the asshole who led her on only to dump her for a man and people will be irate that I wasted her time.

Going on record with the news station may seem like overkill, especially because people in the next state over don’t give two shits about our lives, but in this state, in thistown, our breakup is a big deal.

I cross my left ankle over my right knee and keep my hands clasped in my lap as Cora begins to talk, poised and regal as ever, pretending she’s already in front of the camera.

“Many of you may have read in yesterday’s paper, that Jacob Ellington and I are recently engaged. As the governor’syoungest daughter and a business woman with a face in many social circles, I have received an outpouring of love and congratulations. However, it is important to set the record straight and Jacob and I have come here together this morning to do just that.” She takes a deep breath and finishes the shocking introduction. “Not only are wenotengaged, Jacob and I are no longer romantically involved at all. Our six-year relationship has come to an end.”

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