Chapter 30 #2
“Your studio referred that guy to him. He swears he trusted the guy to keep you safe.” Callum twists to face me. “Honestly, Lily. I don’t think it’s him. He didn’t even know we were up in the mountains.”
“Then who did?” I sit back and cross my arms over my chest.
I could’ve sworn it was his uncle. And I hate that Callum is giving him an out for what he did to me because of drugs, but that’s the least of my worries at this point.
My parents are going to die when they hear the news. I’d be surprised if they continue to let Callum around me. I spin in that thought with a lump solidly lodged in my throat.
Dammit! I’m so fucking screwed.
“Livianna Grace, where are you?” my mom yells as the door from the garage to the mudroom slams.
“Lorna, you said you’d be calm,” my dad says.
It’s near dinnertime, and I’m sitting in the living room with Ms. Mayze, Callum, and Bren reviewing the internet gossip sites. The stories are everywhere.
“This is me being calm.” My mom marches into the room. “Oh, look. Isn’t this convenient? We have them all in one place.”
Ms. Mayze stands. “Lorna, I’m sure this is shocking, but you know how the media loves a scandal.”
“And recently, more than I care to be a part of.” My mom glares at me. “Is it true?”
“No. I swear I’m not pregnant.” My heart pounds.
“Then why are there pictures of Cash buying a pregnancy test?” She flits her angry gaze at Callum.
He shakes his head but keeps his mouth shut.
“You two are up in the mountains, making out in a booth like you haven’t a care in the world. Were you celebrating?” My mom’s entire body shakes.
My dad gets behind her and runs his hands up and down her shoulders. “You two know this doesn’t look good. The photos are damning.”
“They even have images of Cash throwing away the box. A string of photos follows, showing the container sitting in the trash and a hand pulling out a positive test. It’s right there in color for everyone to see.”
I’ve never seen my mom so upset. She’s trembling and almost purple in the face. We all remain quiet like Ms. Mayze instructed us to do.
She motions to Callum and me. “They’re becoming big stars and this is a setup to make headlines. The pictures must have been altered.”
“For Christ’s sake, Victoria. How do they alter Cash paying for it? Or some kid handing it to him after Cash dropped it? This isn’t a made-up scandal.” My mom plants her hands on her hips. “It happened.”
“Victoria, maybe you and Cash should go home. We need to speak with Livianna in private.” My dad steps in front of my mom.
“I’ve got to go write a press release, trying to combat this insanity before it gets worse.” She spins away and storms up the stairs. A door slams a moment later.
My dad faces Bren. “Brendan, unless you have something to add, go to your room.”
“Sure thing.” He leaves.
I coil into myself. If Ms. Mayze and Callum leave me alone, I’m not sure I’ll be able to keep to the story we came up with.
“Daddy, please don’t make them leave.” I plead with my eyes to get him to agree. “We can explain everything.”
He scans over all of us and then releases a heavy sigh. “If you can be honest, they can stay.”
Ms. Mayze sits on the couch next to me. “Greg, they had a scare, but everything is fine.”
“What kind of…” My dad kind of stumbles and braces himself against the fireplace. “Jesus Christ, Livianna. What in the hell were you thinking?”
“Mr. Hemings.” Callum stands as he runs his hands up and down his thighs. “It wasn’t her fault. We did use protection, but things got out of control once or twice and it just happened. I should’ve been more careful.”
“Cash, you promised me.” My dad glowers at him.
“I promised to take it slow.” He glances at me and then back at my dad. “We waited for a while.”
As scared as I am, I join Callum at his side. “Daddy, he didn’t pressure me. It was me who pushed the idea.”
My dad lowers his head. His shoulders fall while we let the truth settle in. Well, not the whole truth, but this is enough for now.
He finds his way to the couch and sits, rubbing his face in his palms. “This is going to be a problem.”
“You better believe it is.” My mom enters the room, tears running down her cheeks. With devastation in her eyes, she asks me, “Did you get a prescription filled before we got home?”
How the hell are people getting this information?
My heart drops into my stomach. “Yes. Why?”
“For painkillers?” She wipes her face with her hand.
My limbs go numb. “Yes. What’s going on?”
“I sent a media release to all my contacts stating you were not pregnant and it was all a misunderstanding.” She fakes a laugh. “That backfired fast.”
“How?” my dad asks.
“They’re going to run a TV special report on one of the entertainment channels. They have footage of the four of you leaving a women’s clinic this morning.” She sucks in a cry. “They’re saying you were pregnant and had an abortion, and that’s why you need the medication.”
My dad’s shoulders slump. “When are they airing it?”
“As soon as they get it edited.” She ambles to the window and peers out. “I wouldn’t be surprised if some version of it is up on the internet by dinner.”
“You have to stop them.” I rush to my dad and drop to my knees before him. “They can’t do that. It’s not true.”
My mom turns around. “They can and will. They want to brand you as a villain and a killer.”
Her words ricochet through me like a bladed boomerang and tear my insides apart. The room distorts as spots cover my vision.
My biggest secret is about to be broadcast all over America. My life as I know it is over.