Chapter 23
Chapter Twenty-Three
The biggest problem with filming a reality show in the middle of nowhere was that there was absolutely no place to escape to if it all blew up in your face.
I wasn’t quite sure how long I’d been walking, but it must have been close to an hour. I couldn’t say for sure. I had been too busy replaying all of my interactions with Eli to try to decode the true meanings behind them.
How had it all been a lie? Just some perfectly orchestrated plan to clear his reputation. And he got what out of this? The chance to make his movie, apparently. He’d made it abundantly clear how important that was to him. It was one of the first things he’d ever said to me. Maybe I shouldn’t have been surprised, in hindsight.
The dirt road had ended a ways back and turned into a two-way paved road. Who would have thought something as simple as concrete would seem like a sign of life? I kept waiting to spot more signs of civilization; some place that would have a phone. Instead, I’d only passed a few other windy dirt roads that probably led to other farms or ranches .
I could have attempted to jump the fences and get their attention, but a woman traveling alone out here, wandering onto a mysterious ranch all by herself? I wasn’t about to turn this already sad story into an even sadder one.
My feet ached and I thought about turning around. It was stupid to be out here alone. No water. No food. No way of contacting anyone. It was all so dumb, especially now that the sun hung threateningly low in the sky.
Crap.
I was definitely going to perish out here. And how sad was it that my first thought was that at least I wouldn’t have to face Eli?
There was a turn-off ahead. Picking up my pace, I crossed my fingers that it led to somewhere with a working phone. As I drew closer, my hope rose.
A campsite. There were picnic benches, signs. Even little cabins.
I started to run. But when I turned the corner and saw the campground, I deflated. Every site sat empty. Not a single car, nor even a worker anywhere. I walked over to the large sign at the entrance.
Closed for the season.
“Well, isn’t that perfect,” I mumbled, slumping onto the nearest bench seat. Bringing my knees to my chest, I wrapped my oversized sweater around them.
I sat there, waiting for the tears to come, but my eyes felt all dried up. I’d probably used up every tear I had on the first mile of the walk. I’d been a blubbery mess.
As I sat there and stewed, I found I still couldn’t accept what I’d heard.
How could it be true? How could this be my life right now? I had finally found the courage to open up after losing Michael, and this was the result .
I had been utterly and completely swindled. Eli had managed to squirm his way into my most vulnerable places and make himself at home there. I had trusted him. I’d given myself to him. Ugh, I’d slept with him. Here I was, thinking I was falling in love, and he was just taking advantage.
Tears pricked my eyes again. Apparently, they hadn’t completely dried up after all. The pain in my chest wouldn’t be subsiding any time soon, either. Because even though I had just found out everything had been fake for Eli, that didn’t change the fact that it had always been real for me.
I sat there for a while, sitting with the loss of all the little things I had been looking forward to—mourning the life I’d thought I was about to have with the person I thought I knew.
The sky had turned a rosy pink, awaiting the sunset.
Wiping my cheeks, I turned to take in my surroundings. Would I be better off sleeping here, exposed to the elements, or walking back up the road in the dark? If I ran, I might make it back to the lodge before it was completely pitch-black. But if there was one thing this show had proven very clearly, it was that I had zero athletic ability.
I was still weighing my options when a white van pulled off the main road and into the campground. I melted with relief when I saw the familiar production logo on the side, and I waved. But as the van pulled into park and the headlights cut off, I dropped my hands.
Could Eli be in there? I was not ready to face him. I would rather have slept right there on the picnic table than get into a car with him right now. But it wasn’t Eli who stepped out of the van, it was Robert—trailed closely by Brady.
“Oh, thank God!” Brady exclaimed, before bringing a walkie-talkie the size of his head to his mouth. “We found her.”
“What the hell were you thinking?” Robert scolded, eyeing me up and down as I scrambled off the bench. “Are you alright?”
“I-I’m fine. I’m sorry,” I stuttered, feeling guilty that my impulsive move seemed to have resulted in a search party.
“I won’t begin to lecture you on how dangerous it is to run off alone like that. You don’t even know the area,” Robert reprimanded.
“I’m so sorry,” I repeated.
Robert ran a hand over his face and sighed as he took in my swollen, bloodshot eyes. “Well, at least you’re alright. We would have found you sooner, but we all figured you had wandered somewhere on the grounds.”
“I shouldn’t have run off. I’m sorry.”
Robert waved his hand. “Stop apologizing. It all worked out. I’ll be waiting in the van.”
As he retreated, Brady stopped muttering into the walkie-talkie and cautiously approached me. “What happened?” he demanded. His fake sweet voice was entirely gone.
“I know everything,” I said, studying his reaction. If Shay knew, then he surely must know too.
The way his mouth fell open slightly before he snapped it shut gave him away. “Know what?”
I folded my arms across my chest. “About Eli and me. The big plan. I overheard him talking to his dad.”
“Shit,” Brady finally said. “I thought you might have when I saw them come out of the room right after you bolted.” He sat down on the bench I had just vacated. “I’m so dead.”
“So, you did know,” I confirmed.
“I mean, yeah,” he said, looking guilty. “It really isn’t a big deal, you know. Reality shows have heavily produced storylines all the time.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better?” I asked, keeping my voice as icy as possible .
He blew out a breath. “I guess not.”
We sat there in a heavy silence for a few minutes before Brady clapped his hands and plastered on a bright smile that almost glowed now that dusk was upon us.
“At least it’s all over tomorrow. You just have to get through the finale.”
“No way,” I snapped. “I’m not going back there and smiling for the cameras.”
“You have to,” Brady insisted. “There will be fines?—”
“Fine me, then,” I said stubbornly. I’d rather take out a loan than be exploited any more.
Brady let out a frustrated sigh. “Calla, be reasonable. It’s one more day.”
My jaw dropped. “ Me be reasonable? Me ? The person who’s been lied to throughout this entire ordeal? The person whose life story has been exploited for your show over and over again? Nope. I’m done. You’ve taken advantage of poor, innocent Calla for the last time. Sorry, you won’t get your big finale out of me.”
Brady assessed me as I held my chin high, staring ahead.
“If it makes you feel any better, I don’t think it’s all been a lie for Eli.”
I snorted and shook my head, not even willing to entertain the possibility.
“I’m serious. When you ran off, Shay and I tried to keep it hush-hush. We only told production you were missing. But Eli sussed out the situation. He was like a bloodhound. He could sense something was off and kept demanding to see you. I thought he might try to break down the door to your room or something.”
“I’m sure he just doesn’t want his perfectly-orchestrated finale ruined.”
Brady sighed. “We finally told him you had a headache from dealing with his father. I think the guilt of that finally sent him to his room.”
“Can you just drive me to the airport? I’ll figure out my own flight.”
Brady pinched the bridge of his nose. We sat in silence for another moment before he removed his hand and looked at me with an eager expression—as if a light bulb had just turned on in his head.
“You’re right, Calla. You have suffered enough. This whole thing has been bullshit. I’m furious on your behalf.”
I fought the urge to roll my eyes at his sudden solidarity. Where was he going with this?
“But that’s exactly why you shouldn’t have to suffer anymore. Why should you go broke buying your own flight home, or paying fines? Plus, if you leave, we’ll have to explain it on the show. I’m sure Shay will even insist on filming your ride to the airport. It’d be a total spectacle.”
My heart sank with dread as he described the likely outcome.
“Or, if you don’t want to put yourself through all that, there’s another option.”
I flinched, knowing he was about to hook me. Whatever plan he had just cooked up was probably going to sound a lot more appealing than the current scenario.
“Fine. Just tell me,” I huffed.
“We move the finale filming to first thing in the morning. Shay will go along with it if it means cooperation from you. We’ll tell everyone it’s for scheduling purposes. All you’ll have to do is pretend like everything is fine for a few hours?—”
“I can’t do that,” I insisted, shaking my head. “I can’t interact with Eli like everything is fine.”
“You won’t have to,” Brady continued quickly. “You only have to see him to film the ending where we announce you two as the winners. You’ll fake being surprised, of course. All you’ll have to do is just get up there and deliver a short, heartfelt speech. Surely you can read off a piece of paper. Then we’ll call cut, and that will be the end of your obligation. I’ll personally make sure you’re driven straight to the airport after that. You don’t even have to have a real conversation with Eli.”
Chewing on the inside of my lip, I slowly processed my options. Although at this point, I didn’t have many.
“Plus, if you do the finale, you’ll get the prize money. That couldn’t hurt, right?”
In the end, I found myself sitting in the back of the production van, driving back up the road I had sprinted down, sobbing, just hours ago. I was fully ready for this to be finally over, but also nowhere near prepared to face reality.