Page 19 of One Last Verse

“Are you still pissed at me for not censoring Shayne’s review? Is that what this is?” He leaned forward, his Red Bull hitting the coffee table between us.

“No. It’s just become too much. The magazine and the documentary…”And Frank.

The silence between Levi and me dragged on. His foot was bouncing. He rested his elbows on his knees and absently stared at the slices of pizza inside the box.

“You knew when we jumped into this how much work the film was going to be. I can’t keep doing both,” I said. “It’s wearing me down.”

“Don’t lie to me, Cass. It’s because of him, isn’t it?”

“It’s not only him.” I shook my head. “But I can’t be in three different places at once. I’m exhausted.”

Levi was right. Frank was one of several reasons why I needed to give something up. He was still a hot mess after the surgery andRewiredate up all my time.

“I need us to see it through, Cass,” Levi argued, his gaze focused on a stray pepperoni. “For Isabella.”

“We will. I promise. That’s why I want to dedicate more time to the project.”

“The odds aren’t in our favor.”

I knew exactly what he meant by that. Frank's involvement was now up in the air.Frank's career was up in the air.

He'd been released from the hospital two days ago into an immediate madness of countless meetings with the lawyers and a disaster in the press. Mind dulled by the physical pain and the pills fighting it, he hadn’t been able to produce a single coherent sentence.

My thoughts spun. I didn’t know how to explain to Levi what was going on in my life right now without jeopardizing Frank’s privacy. I didn’t know how to tell him I hadn’t been able to sleep at all since the accident. Instead, I’d tossed and turned in the huge empty bed in my lover’s Malibu mansion, hugging the sheets that still smelled of him, wearing his shirt, pretending he lay near, pretending he was still his charming, sexy self, pretending his name hadn’t been dirty-laundered online, pretending he hadn’t been severely medicated in the hospital.

“I know,” I said softly. “And trust me, I hate this as much as you do. I’ve given everything I have to this magazine, but I can’t split myself apart. I need to take a step back.”

We sat in silence for a little longer. My chest was heavy and stiff, and I felt the pain of the entire world gathering within me.

“You think I’m a traitor and a coward, huh?” I swallowed past the lump in my throat.

“I don’t think you’re a coward,” he corrected me. “I think you’re stupid, Cass. We’re on a fucking roll.” They were mean words, but there was no cruelty in his voice. He sounded more disappointed.

“Okay. Maybe I am.”

“Trust me, I know what’s going on in your head.” Levi sat back, his eyes on mine. “Too bad you don’t give yourself enough credit, Cass. If the two of you are for real, why hide it?”

“You know why.”

“Paparazzi is always a great excuse. You're throwing away all your hard work for a rich dick.”

“Well.” I drew in a deep breath. “Thank you for your honesty.”

“Hey, if it looks like shit and smells like shit, it’s definitely not daisies, baby.”

“You’re just jealous,” I called him out.

“Of course I'm fucking jealous.” Disdain and anger tweaked his face. “We spent seven years creating something meaningful, and we’re this close to making it to the top”—he held up his hand and pinched his thumb and forefinger together—“and he swoops in and takes you away.”

“I don’t think you understand that what I’m trying to do here is going to benefit both of us.”

“He can hire an army of nurses to tend to his needs. You don't need to be by his side at all times.”

Frank alreadyhadan army of nurses. We, along with everything happening and about to happen, were more complicated than that.I needed to be by his side and I needed to distance myself fromRewired.

“I’m simply refocusing my energy and time on what’s important. I’ll be able to get a lot more done working from home.”

“Right. Like Mr. Perfect hasn’t monopolized all your time already.”

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