Page 108 of Contentious

“I don’t have the mental energy to do an interview right now.”

“I think you have to. People want to hear from you about what happened, and with the manhunt for Marlon making the news every day, your point of view is badly needed to balance the discourse. Otherwise, the story becomes Cresley Dane drove her ex crazy, and he tried to kill her new boyfriend or some such bullshit.”

“They’re really saying that?”

“In the absence of truth, fiction takes over. You know how this works, love.” Teagan showed her a photo of Cresley sitting outside on a bench with Carson yesterday. She’d taken him out to get some sun on his face, as he’d requested. “This was online this morning. ‘Cresley Dane comforts Carson Remington as he recovers from being stabbed by her ex, Marlon Beckett, in the yard of her Hollywood Hills home.’ It already has more than a million views.”

“I understand that you’re concerned about the impact to my career, but I’ve done nothing wrong, and neither has Carson. We’re victims of a violent crime that happened to take place at my home.”

“You need to say that publicly, Cresley, and reclaim the narrative from the trolls accusing you of driving Beckett crazy, which is why he stabbed your new man.”

“Write something up and send it over. Text me when you send it. I’ll turn it right around. That’s the best I can do right now.”

“We’ve already prepared a statement that’s waiting for you in your inbox. Let me know when it’s approved, and we’ll release it for you.”

“Thank you, Teagan, and I’m sorry for going silent on you.”

“I understand you’ve been overwhelmed. So this sexy new man of yours, Carson Remington… You’ve been holding out on me, girl.”

Cresley smiled. “It was brand-new when this happened.”

“And now?”

“He’s very special, and I’m looking forward to taking him home and helping him to fully recover. That—and Ty—are my sole focus right now. Everything else needs to be put on hold.”

“Already done, babe.”

“What’s D&G saying?”

“That they hope your friend makes a speedy recovery, and they hope you can get back to work before too long.”

“They’re not threatening to pull out of the deal?”

“Not that I know of, and I would’ve heard.”

“That’s a relief.”

“Take care of your man. We’ll deal with the rest.”

Cresley hugged her friend. “Thank you. Love you.”

“Love you, too. I’m so glad he’s going to be okay.”

“So am I. I’m not sure what I would’ve done…”

“Don’t go there and check your email.”

“I’m on it.”

Chapter Twenty-One

Anthony walked her to the elevator and then to the fifth-floor room in the South Patient Tower, where Carson had been moved after being released from ICU in the Saperstein Critical Care Tower earlier in the week. He’d made a joke about “graduating” from ICU.

His hospital stay had been extended because his erratic blood pressure had required more extensive monitoring than what was provided outside the ICU. Now, after four days of a normal BP, he was cleared for release.

Although she was thankful for everything the medical staff had done to save Carson, she wanted to get him out of this place and never come back for the rest of her life.

When she walked into his room, he was seated on the bed, wearing a pair of the joggers he’d been living in at the hospital, along with a long-sleeved T-shirt. He’d been plagued by chills since the surgery and had been wearing long sleeves and sweatshirts to stay warm. He was still far too pale for her liking, but his gorgeous brown eyes lit up with pleasure, as they did every time she walked into the room.