Chapter 65
Sixty-Five
S ybil
I’m tempted to spend the entire weekend rotting away in my bed and feeling sorry for myself, but that’s not my style.
I already cried myself to sleep, and I’m sick of it.
It’s a beautiful Saturday morning, and there’s so much I could be doing, but first I need to brush myself off and make a plan for my future.
A future that might not include working at Laurence International is hard to swallow.
If I only have one gala fundraiser left, I’m going to make sure it’s the best one I’ve ever hosted.
After that, I’ll figure it out. As devastating as it is to be pushed out of my own legacy, I’m not going to let it ruin my life.
Nonprofit fundraising is my passion, and I’ll keep doing it no matter what.
First, I need to talk to Mom. She came to the city first thing when she got the news about the show. It’s nice that she has my back, but I doubt she knows the full extent of this betrayal. As tempted as I am to call her and vent, I think this is a conversation we should have in person.
I shower, give my hair a blowout, and apply a full face of makeup, then I put on my favorite black high-heeled boots and a brand-new cashmere white sweater-dress, pairing the look with my black Birkin bag. Even though I feel like shit, I’m going to look good.
Stepping onto the busy SoHo sidewalk, my heels click against the pavement, and I tug my bag close under my arm, searching for a cab. A gust of early-autumn air blows my hair off my shoulders, but I barely feel it.
Cooper leans against a sleek black town car that’s parked on the curb, his hands shoved into the pockets of a fitted wool coat. His jaw is tight, his expression is unreadable, but the second his midnight eyes lock on mine, I know exactly what he’s feeling.
Exhaling sharply, I attempt to walk past him. If I pretend he isn’t there, then he can’t stop me. I don’t want to deal with whatever lies he came here to spew. I already know he was involved with my career ruin.
Right as I pass him, he pushes away from the car and steps directly into my path.
“We’re not breaking up,” he says sharply.
I falter. “Excuse me?”
“You don’t get to end it with a text and then block me.”
I jut my chin up. “It’s already over, Cooper. What does it matter if it’s through text or in person? You lied and screwed me over. What did you think was going to happen?” I shake my head. “Actually, I don’t want to know.”
His eyes narrow. “You’re a bad liar.”
“Well, you’re a good one,” I snap, and he winces. I can already feel my eyes burning, and I fucking hate it. I will not cry in front of him.
“You didn’t give me a chance to explain. You know me, Sybil. Does this bullshit sound like something I would want for you?”
Hope can be the cruelest of the emotions; it’s there one second and gone the next. “I thought I knew you… but I need you to answer one question. Did you know this might happen?”
His lips thin, and a moment of hesitation passes over his gaze. He doesn’t even need to say it, but he does. “Yes.”
“That’s all I need to know.”
I brush past him, intent on leaving him in my past, but he’s not giving up so easily. He walks alongside me.
“I fucked up and set us on a path I never should’ve even considered, but I wasn’t thinking clearly.”
I scoff. “Yeah, Perry told me all about how you blame me for your leg. It breaks my heart, Cooper. It really does. I’m so sorry for my part in that day, but that was an accident, and what you did to me was purposely malicious.”
He reaches for my arm, but I shove him off.
“Don’t touch me.”
My eyes scan the street for an open cab, but so far, no luck. I need to get out of here. I should’ve called a car. I’d take the nearest subway, but Cooper would just follow me down there.
“I can fix this,” he says. “I will fix this.”
My voice wobbles. “Cooper, you cost me The Laurence Foundation.”
He knows how much it means to me.
Sometimes broken things can’t be fixed.
“This is you and me, Sybil. This is us. We’re Sybil and Cooper. We’ll be okay. We have to be.”
He tries to touch me again, and I stop, turning on him, my hands balled into fists at my sides. “You were my best friend .”
“You were my best friend when you hurt me,” he says, “but I forgave you.”
“Don’t—”
“We’re together , you and me. I never thought I would be so lucky to have you, but it happened. I went to my dad to stop all this as soon as we returned to the city. He said he would. I didn’t know he had already involved Vale or the full extent of their plans.”
That gives me pause.
Cooper sees that as an in. “You love me. I know you love me.”
I can’t deny it, but I won’t confirm it, either.
“And I love you,” he presses. “There’s a lot I need to explain, but right now, we’re short on time, and you’re going to have to trust me.”
I laugh. “Trust you?”
“Yes. I swore to myself long ago that if I was ever lucky enough to win you over, I would never lose you.” His voice is raw with emotion, and I desperately want to believe him.
“You think I’d let you leave me without a fight?
No, Sybil. We’re not breaking up. I’m not my brother. I can’t let this be over.”
I turn away, lost for words.
“I have a plan to fix this, but we need to go. We’re already running late.”
I close my eyes for a second, just long enough to breathe through the mix of pain and love pulsing in my chest. “Cooper, I don’t know if I can do this.”
“Come with me.” His voice is softer this time, and there’s a desperate edge I’ve never heard from him before.
“Please. If you want to be done with me when this is over, then we can have a conversation about that, but right now, you’ve got to let me fix this.
I need you by my side. I need you, Sybil, in every way. Always. But especially today.”
He’s earnest, his eyes open and begging. A little seed of hope grows in my heart. He watches me—waiting—not touching me. Against my better judgment, I nod.