Chapter 63
Sixty-Three
S ybil
I keep my phone on silent. I’ll call Mom later and tell her everything that happened, but for now, I’m too embarrassed that I didn’t see this coming.
I go straight home, change into pajamas, then fall into bed. How could I have been so stupid? I still can’t believe this is happening, that Cooper betrayed me, but then again, everything Lance and Conrad revealed makes sense.
I let my stupid heart fall in love instead of allowing my logical brain figure out I was clearly being set up. Of course I was. My gut knew something was off the minute Cooper wanted me to work on Top of the World .
I turn on some music, trying to drown out my thoughts. Eventually, someone knocks on my front door.
Gathering myself together, I splash cold water onto my face in a pathetic attempt to de-puff and de-redden, then head to the door.
“I didn’t know they were going to sell the show to another network,” Perry blurts the second I open it, holding his hands in surrender.
I sigh and widen the door, letting him inside.
He steps through and tries to give me a hug, but I dodge him.
“I don’t want anyone to touch me right now.”
“That’s fair.”
I follow him to the couch, and we sit on opposite ends.
“What do you know?” I ask, studying him carefully, trying to gauge if I can actually trust him.
“I know King and Laurence sold the show, but I only found out today. They did it behind my back as much as they did it behind yours.”
My stomach hardens. They were willing to hand over Top of the World to a competitor because it would mean my family would be screwed? Wow, that’s great.
“No amount of money is worth what they did,” I say, deadpanned.
“Especially since both companies stood to make more money over time as Top of the World grows into a franchise.”
All the excitement I’ve had about the show deflates at once. “I’m so sad I won’t be working on it anymore.”
While nonprofit fundraising is my passion, I loved my time on set.
Perry goes quiet. He’ll stay on as the show’s creator, but everyone from King and Laurence will be gone.
“Did you get a payout?” I ask carefully.
His lips thin, and he nods.
“How much?” I’m sure it was a fair offer, but since he’s staying on with the show, I have no idea what that number would even be.
“A lot.” Which tells me it’s got to be in the multiple millions.
“Enough that you’re not that sorry, right?” I joke, but it comes out harsh.
“Don’t do that. You and Cooper are my best friends. I wanted to do this with you guys by my side. Of course I’m happy about the success of the show, but it’s bittersweet now.”
“Cooper knew about this all along, just so you know. He made a deal with his dad well before he brought me in. He played us both, or maybe he played me, because you didn’t really lose anything.”
Perry looks away, shaking his head at the floor.
“You say you had no idea this was going to happen, but you don’t look that surprised.”
He takes a deep breath and peers at me through strained eyes. “Unfortunately, I’m not surprised he did this.”
My stomach clenches as if I’ve been punched in the gut.
“Explain?”
“Not to make excuses, but he’s been through a lot.”
Enough to pull this shit? No, there’s got to be more.
“Please tell me the truth, Perry. I can take it.”
“He loves you, but he also… hates you.”
I swallow hard, my throat dry as sandpaper. “How does that work?”
How can you claim to love someone while hating them at the same time? My heart beats for Cooper, and I never would’ve done this to him had the roles been reversed.
“Cooper’s wanted you for years, since you were children. He tore himself apart loving you.” He pauses, running his hands over his knees. “But you hurt him. You have to own that.”
“Because I dated his brother first? That was years ago, and everyone moved on. So tell me, what did I do to deserve a betrayal this fucked up?”
“You know.” His tone is sharp.
I bark out a laugh. “You’re kidding me with this, right? I know he’s your boy, but I thought I was your friend, too.”
Perry throws his head back in exasperation, raking his hands through his short black curls. “I’m not talking about years ago. I’m talking about the accident last summer.”
I blink rapidly, my brain trying to catch up. “What does the accident have to do with me?”
He gives me a pointed look, like I should be able to read his mind.
“Are you saying Cooper blames me for what happened? Sorry, but I don’t blame Cooper for the horrible crap his parents have done, and also, have we forgotten that my dad was the one driving, and he was the one who died that night?”
“I’m not talking about Gregory’s mistake. I’m talking about you , Sybil. You never took accountability for what you did to contribute to the accident.”
I’m completely at a loss. “What did I do?”
He shakes his head. “Wow, really?”
My mouth falls open. Is this what being gaslit feels like?
“Look, you need to talk to Cooper about this.”
I stand up, my arms folded over my chest and blood whooshing in my eardrums. I don’t think I’ve ever felt more frustrated. “I’m sick of all this cryptic shit. It would be really nice if someone would be straight with me.”
Perry tilts his head up. “Fine. You really want to do this?”
“Obviously.”
“ You told your dad about Arden and Ethan. You set off his temper. Maybe it doesn’t make sense, but Cooper didn’t have anyone left alive to be mad at for losing his leg, so he blamed you.”
The weight of his words crashes down on me. I never even considered the idea that Cooper would blame me for his leg. Not once did he say a word about it.
“I’m sorry,” Perry continues. “It’s not fair or logical to blame you for your father’s actions, but I was with him during recovery, and he wasn’t in a good headspace. It messed with his psyche, but you wouldn’t know that, because you never came to check on him.”
A decision I still regret.
Tears blur my vision, and Perry pushes to his feet. I don’t know what to say or think or even feel. I never imagined my mistakes would cost me so much—my legacy with Laurence International, but more importantly… my heart.
“I’m going to leave now.” Perry steps back. “You and Cooper should talk about everything. If it’s any consolation, I think he loves you.”
Even though he also hates me? No, that’s not any consolation.
Perry leaves me with a storm of emotions.
I’m angry, devastated, ashamed, frustrated, but most of all, I’m completely heartbroken.
I can’t simply turn my feelings off, and I’m still hopelessly, desperately in love with Cooper.
But there’s a part of him who hates me enough to hurt me like this, so there’s no way he’s hopelessly, desperately, in love with me, too. That’s not love.
I crawl into bed, letting the minutes turn into hours, feeling my emotions so I can begin to process them.
I should call my mom, and I will call my therapist, and eventually, Cooper and I will have to talk, but right now, all I can do is pick apart every tiny detail about the accident. Even though the pain of losing Dad is fresh, the memories are hazy.
I force myself to replay those moments again and again, trying to resurface anything I might have missed, hoping to see things from Cooper’s point of view.
The whole family was out on Dad’s boat. There was a gorgeous pink sunset, and the Nantucket sound was lapping gently at the boat. Dad asked Arden if she’s been talking to the Kings.
“She’s been doing a lot more than talking,” I said.
I didn’t understand why Dad had lost his temper so badly. I realize now he was trying to hide his deep, dark, shameful secret—he was Arden’s birth father.
Did Dad drive into them on purpose?
When I play it back, I remember the way Dad swerved at the last second, but he lost control. I really think he was trying to scare Ethan away from Arden. He never would’ve wanted to hurt anyone.
The moments after the boat crash are still murky, and I’ve let them stay that way.
I force myself to clear the details, let them hit me as hard as they did that day. Tears stream down my face and leak into my ears.
Dad hit Cooper.
Arden flew overboard.
Ethan went after her.
Cooper was in the water, and nobody could find him.
Dad and Ethan went in to look for him, and Ethan got him out.
I made a tourniquet for his leg.
But Dad…
Dad never resurfaced.
The sobs come harder. I could never blame Cooper for my father going into the water. He died trying to save him, and he wouldn’t have gone in if he didn’t care about Cooper in the first place.
And now Cooper hates me. How is that fair?
The accident was an accident—but what Cooper did to me was on purpose.
Wiping away the tears, I roll over and retrieve my phone, not letting myself read his texts or listen to his voicemails. I delete them all. If he really wanted to talk, he could’ve come here.
Right before I block his number, I send him a final text, my fingers shaking with every letter I type.
Sybil: You got your revenge, Cooper. I hope it was worth it. I’m truly sorry about what happened to your leg. I wish I would have known you blamed me for it. We should have talked about this a long time ago, and I regret not coming to the hospital when it happened.
Regarding Top of the World, I know you were involved in screwing me over.
It makes me sad for both of us, but it happened.
I’ve decided it’s best to cut off contact.
You and I are toxic, and there’s too much bad blood.
Please respect my decision, and let me move on.
I’m blocking your number and banning you from my building.
I hope you have a happy life and find the healing you deserve.
I realize it’s a long text—a big blue chunk he might not even read, but it doesn’t matter. I didn’t write it for him. I wrote it for me.