Wardrobe Malfunction(78)
I sigh. “Tell Brandon I’m sorry. And that I’ll call him soon.”
“You’re sorry? What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
“It means I won’t be there tomorrow, Jack.”
“You can’t just run out on a film, Vaughn. You’re committed to this. You signed a contract.”
“I know. I just need a few days.”
“The delay will cost millions, Vaughn. Brandon could sue.”
“So, let him sue me. Or ask him to just give me two days, and then I’ll be back.”
“He won’t like it.”
“I know. But he doesn’t have a choice.”
There’s a pause.
Then, Jacks says, “Stupid question, but how are you doing?”
I laugh humorlessly. “I’ve had better days.”
“She’s gone,” he tells me in a lowered voice. “Left not long after you did.”
I want to ask if he knows where she was going. But part of me already knows. She’s going back to him. Her husband.
“You should’ve told me—about you and her. I could’ve done a background—”
“Not now, Jack, okay?”
“Okay.” He sighs. “So, I’ll see you in a few days?”
“You will.” I disconnect the call and turn my phone off.
I take the turn onto my parents’ farm. Driving up the track, I see the lights are still on at their house. Then, I look at my house off in the distance.
The last time I was there, I was with her.
I turn off to my parents’ house and park out front there. I can’t stay in my house tonight.
My mom comes out the front door just as I climb out of the car.
“Hey, baby,” she says, a sad smile on her face.
“Hi, Mom.”
I walk over to her, and she wraps her arms around me, hugging me.
“It’s going to be okay,” she tells me.
“I know,” I say, but I don’t believe it.
Because nothing about this feels like it’s ever going to be okay.
I thought what I felt after Cain betrayed me was bad. But this, with Charly…it’s a million times more painful.
Charly
“I’m so, so sorry,” I tell Nick on the phone.
“Charly, it’s not your fault.”
It is. It’s all my fault. But I don’t bother arguing with him. I know Nick will never see the bad in me. Just like I never would in him.
After Vaughn walked out on me, I was left there in his hotel suite with Jack and Alex. Uncomfortable didn’t even cut it. So, I walked out without a word to either of them and came to my hotel.
The room was too silent, so I made the stupid mistake of putting the TV on. The first thing that came on was E! News, and the presenters were discussing Vaughn and me. The moment I heard the word cheater, I switched it off and rang Nick.
“Are they still out there?” I ask.
“The press? Yeah, there’s a bunch of them hanging around the front of our building.”
I cover my face with my hand. “I can’t believe this is happening.”
“It’s gonna be fine, gorgeous.”
“No, it’s not!” I cry. “The whole world thinks I’m a cheating whore. The press is camped outside our building, hounding you. And Vaughn hates me.”
“He doesn’t hate you.”
“You didn’t see the way he looked at me right before he left.”
“You’re impossible to hate.”
“Stop trying to make me feel better.”
“You want me to make you feel worse? Homewrecker. Is that better?”
“A little.” I sigh. “What are we going to do, Nick?”
“Right now, we are going to do nothing.”
“But what about immigration? They’ll know what’s happened with Vaughn. Everyone knows.”
“I’m a US resident now, Charly. As far as immigration is concerned, you had an affair. Even if we get divorced, it won’t change anything to do with my residency. We only stayed married to make it seem real. You having an affair seems real enough.” He chuckles.
“Not funny.”
“Sorry.”
I let out a sad sigh, picking at the hem of my top. “He’s never going to forgive me.”
“Vaughn? He will when you tell him the truth.”
“I was going to. I just didn’t get the chance.”
“You should have talked to me, Charly. Told me how serious it was getting between the two of you. I would have encouraged you to tell him about you and me. We could have started the divorce proceedings.”
“I know. I fucked up. Big time. I’m sorry.” I feel like that’s all I’ve been saying. “I should have discussed it with you first before considering telling Vaughn. But the decision was taken out of my hands.”
“Do you trust Vaughn?”
“Yes,” I say without hesitation.
“Then, I trust him, too. Go see him, and tell him everything. He’s gotta be hurting a hell of a lot right now. The very least he deserves is to know that what the press is saying isn’t exactly the truth.”
“But I don’t know where he is, Nick. He left hours ago, and he hasn’t been back since. Alex says he doesn’t know where he is, that he can’t get ahold of him. Not that he would tell me even if he did know where he was.”