Chapter 17 #3
Tears were falling freely from Lily’s eyes now, steady and silent as she listened. Beth wanted to be able to tell her exactly how to fix this, exactly how to make all of this better, but she knew better than anyone the heartbreak of loving someone so much that it physically hurt.
“Love is such an amazing thing, sweetie, but sometimes it’s the people we love the hardest who hurt us the most, and there comes a time when you need to decide to choose yourself so you can start moving forward.
Love yourself enough to choose you and know that one day there may be a version of you and Wren where things work, where you’re both standing on your own two feet.
Not the version of the two of you where you’re carrying her until it breaks you. ”
Beth kissed Lily’s forehead as a car pulled up to the curb, waiting to take her back downtown. Lily wiped her eyes with her sleeve, looking away as she spoke. “Do you promise that choosing me won’t ruin what Wren and I have?
“There aren’t any guarantees, love, but what I can promise you is that you will never regret choosing yourself. I know that better than anyone.”
Lily nodded, taking a deep, shaky breath. “Thanks for the advice, and for…everything. I’ll be home tomorrow evening, okay?”
They hugged one more time before Beth got into the backseat of the car, watching through the rain-streaked window as Lily slipped inside the lobby of Dylan’s building as the car pulled away.
Later that night, after Beth had met back up with Sarah and the others, after Wren had been released into Nell and Nate’s custody, and after a quiet drive home, Beth slid under the fluffy covers of Sarah’s king-sized bed.
The subtle sound of water lapping at the rocky shore in the distance rhythmically kept time as she shifted against the cool sheets to roll onto her side and face Sarah.
In the dim light filtering through sheer curtains, Sarah’s silhouette was taut, filled with the evening’s tension.
Eyes open, fixed on a point on the ceiling… but she wasn’t saying anything.
A moment later, she rolled over, mirroring Beth as she scooted closer until they were inches apart, breath mingling in the quiet.
“I know that look,” Beth whispered, voice low and gravely from the long night as she draped a hand over Sarah’s waist, gently tracing her fingers up her side. “You’re thinking ten steps ahead right now, aren’t you? What’s the plan for Wren?”
A sigh escaped Sarah’s lips, stretched-out and weary and filled with a sadness that seemed to deflate her. In the nearly thirty years they had known each other, Beth had never seen Sarah deflated.
“How did you know I had a plan?”
“You’re Sarah Gallagher.” Beth leaned in, capturing Sarah’s lips with hers, kissing her softly. “You always have a plan.”
Sarah smiled weakly. “Nell was able to secure Wren a spot in a private rehab facility in the Hamptons that is discreet and used to dealing with professional athletes.”
Beth blinked, stunned. “The Hamptons? Sar, that’s…that’s on the other side of the country. You can’t—she can’t—”
“It has to be,” Sarah said, that matter-of-fact tone slipping back into her words.
“There is an extremely small window here to change the narrative in Wren’s favor, which Nell will explain to her tomorrow when she’s sobered up.
Proactivity is key. It will be hard to keep the news of her arrest under wraps and by getting her into rehab, we can shape the language around what happened so she has a chance to return to play and build a career once all of this is behind her.
That is, of course, if Wren agrees. She’s an adult.
We can’t force her to do anything. But if she says yes, we can take care of this before it gets too big.
” She took a deep breath in, eyes full of sadness.
“What about Lily?” Beth asked.
Her question hung in the quiet space between them. Sarah’s hazel eyes flitted back and forth, searching hers.
“That’s going to be a separate conversation I’ll have with her tomorrow.”
Beth lay there, momentarily stunned, running through everything Sarah had revealed. The plan was masterful—end-to-end damage control orchestrated in the span of a few hours by three people and a few well-placed phone calls. It was almost terrifying how genius it was.
“You, Nell, and Nate,” Beth said, cupping Sarah’s cheek in her hand. “You three really are a well-oiled machine, aren’t you?”
Sarah reached for her, threading their fingers together.
“I know you’re mad I didn’t call you first. But we had to move quickly.
We had to get ahead of things to help Wren.
We needed a plan, a solution ready to take control of the narrative before it swallowed her.
” Her voice stuttered as tears welled at the corners of her eyes. “She has no one in her corner, Beth.”
“She has you.” Beth’s voice was quiet as she said it.
Sarah nodded, tears now freely falling. Beth scooted closer, her body pressing up against Sarah’s, wrapping her arms around her, holding her shaking frame as Sarah cried into her shoulder. She whispered reassurances in her ear as Sarah broke.
“I feel dirty for what I did, for swooping in like that, but I can’t help it. I’m the family fixer.” She sniffed into Beth’s shoulder.
“Why? Wren’s going to have a future because of you. That’s not a bad thing.”
“I gave her privilege, Beth. If she were any other player—with any other skin color—her outcome would have been so much worse. She likely wouldn’t have a career to go back to.
But she does, because I swooped in and used my money and connections to solve a problem, and that’s what I’m having a hard time sitting with right now. ”
Beth held her, the two of them breathing in unison.
“I hope she makes the right choice and takes the road Nell and I can offer her.” Sarah hiccuped after the tears had subsided.
Sarah’s head rested on Beth’s chest, moving slightly with the rise and fall of Beth’s breath as she gently ran her fingers through Sarah’s hair.
“Wren’s smart. She’ll understand what you did for her,” Beth said into the darkness.