Page 111 of One Last Time
“Why do you have no problem believing me?” Iask.
“Because for my entire life I’ve wanted to be like you. I’ve wanted to be good, honest, loving, and half as pure as you are. There is no way you’re capable of destroying someone like that and living with yourselfafterward.”
“Oh, Nic, you’re all thosethings.”
She pulls me into her arms. “This isn’t about me, but right there is what I’m talking about. I tell you something about you, and you turn it intome.”
I shake my head, trying to shove down the next wave of hurt. “I can’t do this. I can’t lose him. I know it seems so crazy, but I love him and I want a life with him. I thought he was my second chance. He was supposed tobe. . .”
I can’t finish the words. It’s all too much. Loving him was easy, losing him ismisery.
“I’m so sorry you’re hurting. You’ve had enough shit in your life, I hoped this would bedifferent.”
The tears I thought were dried return again. Hurt isn’t a strong enough word. Pain, agony, wretchedness, torment . . . those come a little closer, but they still fallshort.
“It would be one thing if any of it were true, you know? If I did it, I could accept him leaving and us being over. I have no answers as to how that email was sent. It’s there! Sitting in my sent box.” I grip my hair with both hands. “How? How did I send something I neverwrote?”
“I don’t know. None of it makes sense. Whoever did this, clearly doesn’t want you to be with Noah. Does he have any crazy exes or anything you can think of? Anyone in his past who would want to hurthim?”
There are so many things about this that don’t add up. He told me that he didn’t really date and that her family was taken care of, but maybe they changed their minds. Noah and I haven’t been photographed together, so it isn’t like they would even know we were a thing. Unless he still speaks tothem?
“Not that I knowof.”
“What about Scott?” sheasks.
I huff and look out the window as the sun starts to rise. “I would love to make him the villain, Lord knows he plays it well, but how could he? He doesn’t know anything about Noah’s past. Plus, we’ve been getting along for the most part. Scott has a new baby on the way and future wife, why would he give a shit aboutme?”
“Yeah, and he’s not that smart,” Nicolesmirks.
“There’s that, too. I wish I could make sense of any of it.” I look at her through blurry vision. “As much as I want to think about it, I can’t. I want to see him, touch him, hear his voice, but he doesn’t want meanymore.”
If I had known this was all the time I’d have with him, I would’ve done everything differently. Looking at it now, I was stupid. Noah was never going to stick around, and I should’ve seen that. We live in different worlds, and believing this could’ve worked wasreckless.
My phone rings, and I rush to find it. Maybe it’s Noah. I hope with all that’s inside me that it’shim.
However, the name flashing throws me for another loop. Why would my cousin’s wife becalling?
“Catherine? Is everythingokay?”
“We should talk, babe. I just got off the phone with one of my publicists, and I read thearticle.”
My breath hitches. “Thearticle?”
She clears her throat. “Noah Frazier isrepresented—”
“Byyou.”
“Yes, my firm handles his PR, and I’m on my way to meet with him, but I have toknow...”
“I didn’t do this, Cat,” I sayquickly.
“Okay.” She hesitates for a second. “When I saw your name, and Noah filled me in, I was shocked to hear you were behind it. Especially when they said you were his girlfriend.” Catherine muffles the phone and says something that I can’t makeout.
I pinch the bridge of my nose, wondering how much worse this can be. My family is involved, my kids are going to have to hear that Noah is gone, and I’mbroken.
“I’m sorry,” I say as my stomach rolls. There’s nothing I hate more than disappointing people. “I made my editor take itdown.”
She sighs. “I know, but it was already out there, and nothing is ever really gone. I’m doing the best—” She stops, covers the phone, and then comes back. “Sorry, Jackson is flipping out. I’m having to stop him from losing his shit. He’s not happy that you’reinvolved.”
