“Okay. Then I’ll make this easy for you, Michael.” I draw in a shaky breath, forcing myself to meet his gaze. “I choose my writing.”
The anger on his face gives way to alarm. “Alex, wait.”
“You know,” I say bitterly, “I’m surprised you even wanted to be with someone as immature and ridiculous as me in the first place.”
He scrambles out of bed and reaches for his pants. “I didn’t mean—”
“It doesn’t matter. I can’t do this, I’m sorry.” And as I gaze at his handsome face, his pleading eyes and knitted brow, I know I am sorry—sorry that I can’t be with this beautiful man. But I’m not going to stay with someone who doesn’t understand me or care about the things that matter to me.
With tears escaping down my cheeks, I dash out of his apartment and down the stairs, hoping there might be some way to rescue my career.
41
When I push the front door open, Cat is sitting in the living room and my heart sinks. I haven’t seen her in days and I’d been so eager to talk to her about Mel. But now that’s the last thing I feel like doing.
I try to slip in quietly and go straight to my bedroom nook, but before I can even get in the door she turns to me, her eyes narrowed to slits.
“What the hell is wrong with you?”
I feel a bolt of shock. “What?”
“How could you do that to Mel?”
With a weary sigh, I lower myself onto the chair next to her and wipe my cheeks. “I… have a lot to tell you.”
“Yes, you do. Honestly, Alex. Mel went to all that trouble to help you with your writing and then you get together with Michael? After everything he did to her?”
I press my fingertips to my eyelids. “First of all, I didn’t know she was his ex-wife.”
“What? I told you at New Year’s.”
“No. I think you were going to tell me, then Kyle arrived. Anyway, he didn’t do anything to her. She was the one who cheated on him.”
Cat blinks. “What?”
“She was the one who cheated,” I repeat. “Not him. He told me everything.”
“Are you kidding me? You believe him over her?”
“I do, actually, but it doesn’t matter. I made a mistake with him and it’s over.”
She snorts. “Well that doesn’t mean you haven’t hurt Mel. I can’t believe you would do this to her.”
I examine Cat’s face and frustration bubbles up inside me. She’s so loyal to Mel, but Mel doesn’t deserve her loyalty at all. “She’s full of shit, Cat.”
“What the hell are you talking about?”
I grit my teeth, suddenly at the end of my rope. This hideous woman has no regard for anyone else’s feelings and somehow I’m the one being crucified. I can’t believe Michael thinks I’m like her.
“You know her new secret man? It’s Mark. She’s dating your ex-husband.”
Cat’s jaw drops. “Wow. I cannot believe you would say that.”
“I’m sorry, but it’s true.”
“No. She would never do that to me.” Cat stares at me for a moment, screwing up her face. “I can’t believe you’re doing this, after all we’ve done for you.”
I jerk back, stunned. She thinks I’m making this up to hurt her? I open my mouth to say something, then close it again as the words die on my tongue. What’s the point? She’ll never believe me over Mel. Mel is too good a liar.
Cat stands, raking her eyes over me with disgust. “I thought we were friends, Alex. But obviously I was wrong.” And with that she stalks up the hallway to her room, slamming the door.
I stare after her, my heart pounding, my breathing shallow. I know she’s just angry, but her words sting all the same. Before I know it, the tears are coming hard and fast, and I bury my head in my hands. It feels like everything is falling apart and I don’t know where to turn. I just want to crawl into bed and sleep for a million years; forget I ever came to this bloody city.
I trudge over to my nook and sink down onto my bed, but now this little space that has brought me so much comfort is just making me sad. I don’t belong here, in this apartment with someone who doesn’t trust me, in this building with the man who hurt me.
I don’t belong here at all.
With trembling hands, I reach under the bed and grab my suitcases, quickly gathering my things. I take my clothes down off the rack and empty the drawers, stuffing the contents haphazardly into my bags. As I pack, I remember the day Cat told me I could live here and feel a fresh spasm of hurt. I can’t believe she thinks I would lie to her, that I would make up something so hurtful. But she’s known Mel for years and I’ve only been here for a few months. Of course she believes Mel over me.
My cheeks are wet as I finish shoving all of my possessions into my suitcases, wishing so badly that things had turned out differently.
Then I take one last look at the apartment I’ve called home since I arrived, and with a heavy heart, head out the door for the one place I have left to go in the city.
By the time I’m ringing the buzzer to Geoff’s apartment, it’s nearly midnight. From the street I can see the lights are on, and he lets me in quickly, waiting at the door when I get to his floor. His face falls when he sees my puffy eyes and he ushers me inside without a word, taking my suitcases and guiding me over to his sofa.
“I’m so sorry to show up unannounced. I didn’t know where else to go.”
He pats my arm. “Don’t you worry about that. Of course you’re welcome here.”
I sit stiffly, playing with the hem of my dress, holding my breath. I know if I
