Reeve pulls out his cell, handing it to me. “Call Rudy if you don’t believe me. He’ll confirm it.”
As if his best friend on set wouldn’t cover for him! He really must think I’m an idiot if I’d believe that. I thrust his hand away. “I don’t care if he does. I don’t care if you were high. You promised me you were done with drugs, but that was obviously another lie, and it’s not an excuse.” I rest my head on the wall, and my body shakes as I flounder.
I’m drowning in soul-splitting pain.
Suffocating under an avalanche of hurt.
Torn between rage and gut-wrenching heartache.
“I’ll quit the movie,” Reeve quietly says, cautiously approaching me again. “They can sue me. I don’t care.”
“What about your career?” I hiss, lifting my head and staring straight at the wall. I can’t look at Reeve. It physically pains me to look at him now.
“I don’t care about my career!” he cries. He puts his hand on my back. “I only care about you.”
Shucking out of his hold, I carefully wrap my one good arm around myself, as if that will keep the shattered pieces of my psyche together. “You don’t care about me. If you did, you would’ve pulled out a long time ago. You only care you got caught.”
“That is not true.”
I harrumph, turning to face him. “It seems you need a little history lesson, so let me enlighten you. From the very start, you have refused to see what is blatantly obvious. That bitch, Bianca, and Cassidy have conspired to make my life miserable. They’re behind it all, I’m sure of it, but you still don’t believe it. That”—I point back toward the dining room, where the TV is probably still playing—“was carefully timed to inflict the worst pain on a day that should be special. A day that will now be forever tarnished for me. But I’m sure you’ll find some way of defending that bitch and blaming the press. Or better yet,” I say, gnashing my teeth. “Why not turn it around on me? Because you’re so good at that!” I scream.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spot my dad physically restraining my mom. I love how readily she wades into battle on my behalf, but this is one fight I need to finish myself.
“Go on!” I roar. “Tell me how selfish I am for not supporting you! How much I’m adding to your stress because I won’t get with the program and endorse your so-called fake relationship!” I’m really hitting my stride now, and months of pent-up frustration pours out of my mouth. “I am the only one who has suffered for your dreams. Me! Not you!” I place a hand over my heart. “I have been humiliated and vilified at every turn. I was attacked, and I know that bitch orchestrated it, and there you go kissing her in public without any regard for my feelings! You did that days after professing undying love for me and promising to fix everything! I have tried to love and support you, but you continuously shut me out. You refused to accept Mom’s help. You refused to believe me. Me! The person you profess to have loved for nineteen years. Instead, you believe that conniving slut. You—”
“It wasn’t that I didn’t believe you, Viv,” Reeve pleads, cutting across me. He grabs fistfuls of his hair. “You were so irrational when it came to her that it made it difficult for me to believe it wasn’t jealousy driving your behavior, but I see it now.”
“Well, that makes it all fucking right then, doesn’t it?!” I screech, poking my finger in his chest again. “Tell me one time I was irrational!? One time I said something that hasn’t turned out to be true?” I plant my hands on my hips, daring him to challenge me.
“Rehashing that shit won’t do either of us any good.”
A derisory laugh escapes my mouth. “Bullshit. You can’t think of even one thing because you know I’m right!”
“I’m not disagreeing with you!” he yells, and I see red.
“Don’t you dare shout at me, you two-timing bastard! You have no right! I’m entitled to my anger! I’m the one who looks like a goddamn fool in front of the entire world. Not you or that man-stealing whore! So don’t you fucking shout at me.” I slam my fist into the wall, beyond angry at this point. “Ugh.” Dad releases Mom, letting her run toward me. I hold out my hand. “Stay back, Mom. I’m getting this all off my chest, and then Reeve is leaving.”
She stops running, leaning against the wall, concern etched upon her face.
“This isn’t on me,” I continue, in a more even tone. “This is all on you. You've messed up everything, movie star. Your selfish pursuit of your dreams at all cost has destroyed what we once shared.”