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Juliet
There was nothing that could have prepared me for this. I know that what I have been doing with Ryan is wrong, and I haven’t cared. Instead, I chose to put myself in a bubble and believe that nothing could pop it.
Well, reality check. It’s been popped. And everything I’ve done, all the hours I’ve put in? It’s going to mean nothing.
Ryan’s face, as I shoved him out of my room, is an image that will be hard to forget.
The tears sting my eyes as I try to compose myself enough to call Max.
“Juliet?” His voice barks into the receiver and the waterworks are instantly back. I can almost hear the anger falling away from him at the sound of my tears. “Oh my girl, how could you let this happen?”
“I don’t know.” It’s the only answer I can manage. “Olivia—“
He stops me. “I’ve spoken with her. Valerie is on a plane right now. She’s coming to try and… save this.”
My heart drops at the mention of Valerie.
“Save it?” I ask.
“Juliet, your involvement with Mr. Knox, whatever that may be… it’s plastered on the front of every headline in the country. Your name, your role, our company. The very integrity of Acton PR is coming into question. I knew sending you was a risk, but I never thought something like this could happen.”
I press the back of my hand to my mouth.
“Olivia wants to speak with you before you leave. We’ve got to get as much distance between you and this fiasco as possible before it gets any worse.”
“Before I leave?” I whisper into the phone.
Max lets out a breath.
“Yes, you’re coming home. Valerie will stand in for the remainder of the tour. We have to try and salvage what remains of this relationship.”
I nod, not caring that he can’t see the gesture. There are no words left for me to speak. I just feel numb.
“Talk to no one, under any circumstances. Do you understand? Olivia will ride with you to the airport, but other than that, nothing. You have no comment.” I can tell this conversation is painful for him.
“I understand.”
“Good. I’ll check on you later, just please leave quietly. If for nothing else, do it for me.”
“Of course, Max. I’m sorry.” It’s more of a whimper than an apology.
There’s a long silence before he finally ends the call, and when he does, I crawl into the bed and cry some more. I cry until there are no more tears inside me.
???
I place the last of my things into the suitcase and zip it. I set it upright and pull out the handle. With one bag on my shoulder, and one rolling behind me, I leave the hotel room.
Ryan is sitting on the floor outside my room, his back against the wall. He looks at the bags and then up at me.
“Fuck.”
I shrug, thankful that I’m out of tears.
“Just give me a little while to talk to everyone, okay? This is ridiculous. I can just say we were dancing and you needed some air or some shit. We can say nothing happened, that it was camera angles and photoshop.”
“It’s too late,” I manage. “My boss should be landing in an hour or so. She’s taking over my position on the tour. My plane leaves shortly and I’m just praying I still have a job when it touches down.”
Ryan stands and takes a step toward me but I hold out my hand.
