26. Brooklyn
brOOKLYN
It’s been a week. Seven whole days without my husband or my dog, and I’m a wreck. My eyes are practically swollen shut from all the crying.
I lean my head back and squeeze a few drops of Visine into my eyes, but at this point all it does is sting and make them look even worse.
“Why isn’t this working?” I croak.
“You’re not supposed to use three bottles of that in a week, Brookie.” Mateo’s standing just behind me, meeting my gaze in the bathroom mirror. He wets a washcloth with cool water and squeezes it out before folding it and handing it to me. “Here, put this on your eyes.”
He leads me back out to the couch of his friend’s place, where we’ve been crashing for a few days, binging on Netflix and takeout while I go through this crisis.
Mat’s been battling me left and right every day to make sure I get out of bed, shower, eat actual meals, step outside for some fresh air…
I don’t know what I’d be doing right now if it wasn’t for my best friend.
“If I was brave enough, I’d answer his calls,” I murmur, head leaned back and washcloth still over my eyes. “But I can’t even stand the thought of listening to his voicemails.”
“Do you want to listen to them now?” Mateo asks. “You could play them all in a row, all at once. Like ripping off a Band-Aid.”
“No.”
“Do you want me to listen and tell you what they say?” he asks.
I think about it for a minute and then sit up and set the washcloth on my knee.
“No. Anything he could possibly say will be pointless and heartbreaking. He probably just wants to figure out the details of our divorce. Which, yeah, I know I’ll have to talk to him about eventually.
It’s unavoidable. But I’m not ready yet.
I don’t know. Maybe if I keep avoiding him, I’ll just end up getting the papers served to me by his lawyer. ”
“What makes you so sure a divorce is in your future?” Mateo prods, topping off my glass with the last of the rosé.
I let out a sigh. “We can’t stay married after I went on TMZ and told the world the whole thing was a sham.
And even if Luka did still want me, he wouldn’t want to risk the agency’s image by staying together.
DRM’s future is the most important thing.
He made that crystal clear to the Maxilene rep I heard him talking to. ”
“Mmm,” Mateo says, watching me glug down the booze in my hand.
He gets up and heads to the kitchen, and I hear him banging around in the fridge for a minute before the telltale sound of a cork popping hits my ears.
“Part of me is glad the truth is finally out, but at the same time, fuck Monica for doing this,” I say, as he comes back in with a fresh bottle of wine. “I don’t even know what she hoped to accomplish, other than ruining my career, my marriage, and my reputation. Why does she hate me so much?”
“Forget her,” Mateo says. “You’ve admitted everything. She has no more ammunition against you now—you’re free. If anything, she’s made herself look bad for blabbing, and if this does any long-term damage to Danica Rose, she’s put her own career on the line too.”
“I guess you’re right. I know I did the right thing, Mat. So why does it feel so bad?” I flip open the box of thin-crust white pizza we ordered an hour ago and grab a cold slice, taking a small bite. My appetite has basically been at level zero since all of this went down.
“Because you lost it all,” he says. “At least, you think you did. But it only seems that way right now. I promise everything’s gonna look different in time. Not too much time, either.”
I scowl at him and drop the rest of the slice. It tastes like ash in my mouth.
“You’re saying someday I’ll look back on this and realize it was all for the best?”
My best friend shrugs, offering a gentle smile. “Something like that.”
“I wish I believed you. Maybe we can both fly back to LA together next week.”
“I’d love to have you come with me, but you can’t hide from your husband forever,” Mateo tells me gently. “Why don’t we plan a trip for you once this is all figured out?”
“Fine,” I grumble. I know he’s right. It’s just not what I wanted to hear.
Leaning my head on his shoulder, I reach for the remote, but he tugs it from my hand.
“I need a break from all the marathoning,” he says. “My brain is mush. Let’s watch something different tonight.”
“Sure. Just not The Bachelor or Love Island. No romance.”
“Deal.”
Mateo flicks through the channels, not seeming to find what he wants. I’m about to grab the remote back when he finally settles on one of those gossip-fueled entertainment channels.
“You seriously want to watch this?” I ask. “Haven’t we had enough of—”
And then the words die in my throat, as Luka’s face fills the screen.
My chest aches, my fingers itching to touch his handsome face.
“What is this?”
Mateo shrugs. “I don’t know. Looks like he’s giving an interview.”
Behind him and the show host, I see the all-too-familiar sight of Luka’s living room, along with the name of the show, which appears for a moment above them in graphic neon letters: Celebrity Chat.
It’s the same show where Luka and I gave our very first interview together as a couple, when we publicly announced our engagement so many months ago.
“We’re thrilled to have Danica Rose Management’s VP of Talent Luka Zoric here today to address the agency’s latest public relations scandal,” the host is saying on the screen, all sympathetic smiles and fake concern. “We’ll hear from him after this commercial break.”
My stomach clenches. I’m sure Luka is gearing up to defend Danica Rose Management, to say how shocked he was to learn of my betrayal. How the agency had nothing to do with my scheme and how they’re planning to cancel my contract and cut all ties.
“Of course he’s on TV,” I say to Mateo. “He’s got to protect his image. Do damage control. Put out the fires, as Stefan would say.”
Mateo puts his arm around me and squeezes, and I steel myself for what I’m about to hear. I know exactly how this is going to go, and I expect Luka will double down on everything I said in my interview. It’s the only way to save DRM. Stefan probably set the whole thing up.
My mind strays to Tori and the baby, to Emzee. All the family I’ll lose because of this.
“I don’t want to see this. Change the channel.”
My eyes are filling with tears again as I reach for the remote, but Mateo won’t give it up.
“Just listen,” he says. “Please. It’ll be for your own good.”
A tiny sob escapes me. “I can’t do it, Mat.”
I start to move away so I can run into the guest room and throw myself on the bed, but Mateo pulls me back against him.
“Calm your tits,” he says. “Just…watch.”
On TV, the show’s jingle plays, and then the host says, “Welcome back! We’ve got an exclusive interview with Luka Zoric this half hour.
He’s ready to speak out after recent allegations surfaced suggesting his wife, Brooklyn Moss, was involved in a plot with rival agency Elite Image to steal insider secrets and orchestrate a coup. Luka, thanks for coming on.”
“Thanks for having me.”
The sound of his voice is magnetic, and suddenly I can’t tear my eyes away—even though I know this is about to be a total disaster.
The host continues with, “The last time we spoke, you and Brooklyn were, by all appearances, a happy, young couple very much in love. Was that the real Brooklyn and Luka, or was it all for show?”
Luka clasps his hands together and pauses, seeming to think it over. He’s sitting in a leather chair wearing a gray dress shirt, the top buttons undone. No tie. His go-to slim black pants. His hair is perfect, as always, but I notice the shadows under his eyes.
“It wasn’t for show,” he says. “That was real.”
“Mm-hmm. Having been on set with you two myself, I’d say the chemistry certainly wasn’t fake. Did you know that your wife was up to something at that point?”
“You know,” Luka says, leaning forward, “I think the best thing might actually be for me to tell the truth about all of this in my own words, without all the questions. May I?”
There’s a slight pause as the host seems to confer with someone off-camera. My heart leaps into my throat.
“Of course, please do,” she says with a nod.
A fresh glass of wine appears beside me. I grab it from Mateo’s hand and take a huge gulp as Luka takes a breath.
“I think it’s important to address the rumors that are out there right now, so I’ll start off by saying that everything Brooklyn admitted to is true.
Except for one thing. I did know about her contract with Elite.
Not from the start, but she showed it to me on our honeymoon.
I also know, without a doubt, that she never intended to go through with the deal.
Those papers sat around, forgotten and untouched, for weeks.
She never signed the contract, and she never carried out any of these alleged spying activities.
“Look, I’ll admit that our marriage was a sham.
We absolutely entered into a marriage of convenience.
She was going to help me clean up my image and turn DRM’s reputation around, and in return, she’d get a career boost. But it wasn’t Brooklyn on her own in the sham, and it was never about her being a gold digger or trying to trick me. ”
My throat goes tight. Oh, Luka.
“If what you’re saying is true,” the host prods, “then why would she say the things she did? Her side of the story is that she lied to you and everyone at the agency all along.”
Luka spreads his hands and looks at the camera. His gaze catches mine and I swear I can feel him trying to reach me through the television.
“To protect me, I think. She wanted to take the entire fall to spare me any backlash. Because that’s how she is. Always ready to take a bullet for someone else.”
The interviewer nods. She smiles. “You’re making her sound very selfless.”
“She is,” Luka says firmly. “It’s one thing I learned very early on. She’ll admit when she’s wrong, and she’s not afraid to suffer consequences if it’ll protect the people she loves.”
“So…what I’m hearing from you is that you two had sparks initially, and then you both agreed to this marriage for your mutual benefit.
And that you were aware, relatively early on, that Brooklyn had involvement with Elite Image.
But ultimately, when it came to the portrayal of the relationship in the media, it was all acting? None of it was, in fact, real?”
Luka slowly shakes his head. “No, that’s not right.”
“Which part?” the host asks.
“I mean yes, our marriage started out as a mutually beneficial relationship, but that’s not where it ended up.”
“How so?”
My heart hammers in my chest as I hang on Luka’s every word, knowing that what he says next could make or break our entire marriage.
“Well…” Luka starts, his gaze searching as he looks off into the distance for a moment, “I have to say, I knew almost immediately that I was going to lose my heart to my wife. I fought it, naturally. Especially given the circumstances under which we got together. But it didn’t take long before I gave up trying to hide my feelings, and it was obvious that she was feeling it, too. ”
Tears are rolling down my face, and Mateo takes my half-empty glass and hands me a wad of tissues as Luka goes on.
“When I said ‘I do,’ I meant it—and I’m still fully committed to our relationship, regardless of what the media thinks.
I love Brooklyn more than anything. More than the agency, more than my image, more than any pressure the world might try to put on us.
” He looks at the camera again as if he’s searching for me.
“It’s the realest thing I’ve ever felt.”