Page 99 of Faking It

Ignoring her outburst, I go on. “She came by the studio two weeks ago, looking for you. Said you owed her for destroying her life. I paid her ten grand for her to go away. It’s obvious she didn’t.”

“My mother came into town, and you didn’t tell me. Does that make sense to you?”

“I was trying to protect you. Seeing her would send you back to that dark place. I didn’t want that for you.”

“Margaret is a sorry excuse for a mother, but I know her better than anyone. She wouldn’t leave town for ten thousand dollars. That greedy bitch would want much more.”

Which means I got suckered. Fuck me.

“She wouldn’t leave town without confronting me,” Ana continues with confidence. “Don’t stand there and lie to me. Be honest, at least.”

There’s no getting through to Ana when she’s hysterical like this. Based on how turned off I am, I don’t even want to try. Yet, I have one parting statement.

“If you really want to find the mole, look inside your camp. How did Micah get that scoop before it went out?” I ask, yanking open the door. “A little critical thinking could’ve saved you from fucking up what we have.”

Her crumbling expression is the last thing I see before I slam the door, stomping away from the trailer, walking fast to god-knows-where.

Chapter 35

Ana

My body jerks as the door slams on Gideon’s exit. I hear the thudding from his stomping feet, each step taking him farther away from me. Surrendering to the tears that had been lingering since Tori gave me the news last night, I crumble to the floor. How could a beautiful thing get ugly so fast?

What he said about my mom being in town… that can’t be true. There’s no way Margaret found me. The girl she threatened at the bar four years ago no longer exists. I did everything in my power to ensure that.

Right?

Even if Margaret recognized me and came to LA, she’s not the type to leave just like that. Not for ten thousand dollars. In fact, she would demand ten times that amountand stillconfront me. Like that night at the bar, she would demand that I support her for the rest of her life, payback for denying her that ride on the money train.

No, what Gideon said made no sense. Which means I’m right, and he betrayed me. Not only did he betray me, but he lied to my fucking face.

God, I really thought he was different.

Men. They’re all assholes.

How would I survive if Tori hadn’t caught the scandal before it got out? Thank God for my best friend. My only friend. I might’ve lost Gideon, but I still have good people in my corner. I’m going to focus on that positive fact rather than this god-awful feeling in my stomach.

My cell phone rings as I wipe the tears from my face.Speak of the devil. I answer the call from Tori while pushing myself up to sit on the couch.

“I was hoping you’d be done with shooting by now,” she says after I greet her. “How did it go?”

“What, the shoot, or confronting Gideon?”

“Both, I guess.”

“The shoot went well. Ended with a bang.” I sigh, stuffing the memory of that toe-curling kiss into a forgotten folder. “I can’t say the same for me and Gideon. Well, I guess we ended with a bang, too.”

“As in, you’re over?”

“Basically.” I swallow the lump in my throat. “He denied leaking my story, no surprise. Then he lied about seeing my mom.”

“Your mom?”

I give her a rundown of that part of the conversation, and she scoffs when I’m done. “He’s going to say anything to cover his ass.”

“I know, right? Then he made that stupid remark about Micah.”

“What about Micah?” Tori asks quickly.

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