Page 57 of Marry Me…Maybe?
Looking him dead in the eye, she said, ‘I’m not going to change my mind, Theo. Let me go.’
He stared at her. ‘So that’s it? You’re just going to leave?’
Her nod was curt and definite. ‘Yes.’
‘And that’s your final word?’
His eyes were wide and haunted, and she knew if she didn’t get away from him right now, she’d lose the courage to walk away.
‘No, this is.’ She leant forward and brushed her lips gently against his.
Before he could put his arms around her to stop her, she backed away.
‘Goodbye.’
Back in London, she let herself into her house on autopilot and took a shower, washing the smell of Theo off her for the last time, holding back the tears that pressed painfully against the back of her eyes.
When she got out, she drank a big slug of wine straight from the bottle.
It didn’t help one bit.
Pacing around didn’t help either.
Her eyes felt hot and aching with unshed tears, but she was determined not to give in to it.
She wouldn’t cry. She wouldn’t.
‘Shake it off, Emily, shake it off,’ she muttered to herself, flapping her hands about and letting out a maniacal laugh when she thought about how ridiculous she’d look to anyone peering in.
That numb, floaty feeling that she’d had after hearing her mother had died was back – only this time it was joined by a low pull of horror, deep in her belly.
She was never going to be able to see Theo again.
And it was all her own fault.
She’d been so busy trying to plug the gaps in her life with the meaningless adoration of strangers that she’d put herself in a position where nobody real could get near her without getting hurt.
Her mobile rang and she grabbed it quickly, glad of the distraction. Her heart rate spiked as saw the name of the executive producer ofTreasure Trailflash onto the screen.
‘Ben, tell me something good. Please. I’m begging you.’
There was a small pause. ‘I’m sorry, Emily, it’s bad news.’
She slumped down onto the sofa. Of course it was. How could it be anything else?
‘After a lot of discussion, we’ve decided to go with Daisy Dunlop as the new face ofTreasure Trail,’ he went on. ‘The station was pushing heavily for someone of her stature to take over, and unfortunately the story about you in the papers today was a deal-breaker for them. They felt your image wasn’t quite in line with theirs.’
‘Right.’
‘I swear, Emily, I fought for you all the way.’
‘Of course you did, Ben.’ She was too exhausted by it all even to inject enough venom into the sentence to give it the cynical twist it needed.
‘Look, I’m sorry. I’m sure you’ll pick up something else great soon. You’ve a real talent, and that’s not going to be overlooked for long.’
‘Thanks,’ she said dully, desperate to end the call now.
‘Okay. Well, sorry again, and I want to wish you the very best of luck for the future.’
