Cruel Fortune (Cruel #2)(90)

“I don’t know,” I whispered honestly. “I don’t know anything right now.”

“Let me rephrase that,” he said. He brought his hands up to my jaw and stared deep into my blue eyes. “This is what I want, Natalie. You. Just you. All of you. You exactly as you are.”

“Penn,” I whispered, “I don’t know if I’m ready.”

He pressed a kiss to my lips and then stepped back. “That’s okay. I’m not going anywhere. I’ll be here when you are.”

Then, I watched him walk away with all the promise of a better tomorrow for us. And I stepped inside to face the bitter reality of today.





Epilogue





Natalie — Six Days Later





Amy held her hand out for the tub of icing. “I want the chocolate.”

I handed it to her and scooped up the half-finished container of rainbow chip. “This is the best therapy.”

“My mom sure does know best in this regard.”

“She sure does.”

Another tub of icing. Another broken dream. Another shattered reality.

I’d flown home on the first flight out of New York City. Amy had met me at the airport, and I’d confessed everything that had happened in minute detail on the car ride home. We were still eating icing over it six days later.

“I still can’t believe that bitch had someone write that article on you.”

Amy had read them all. All the outlets that were reporting on it. And then the comments of people who had read it. She hadn’t let me do it, but she’d recapped it. And it hadn’t been pretty.

I’d heard back from Caroline after I emailed her. She’d said to keep my head down for now. That it would probably only help book sales with the added drama. Which was morbidly comforting.

“I know,” I agreed. “Katherine Van Pelt, the insecure bitch.”

“Just imagine how many other people she’s hurt like this, Nat.”

I nodded. Oh, I’d thought about it. All the people who she’d ruined before me. Who weren’t strong enough to endure her. It had to be a long-ass list.

“I wonder how many there are,” I said. “And how they live now. Do they all have to stay on their knees, cut off because she said so? Why exactly does Katherine Van Pelt get to decide?”

“Because she’s made everyone else afraid of her. She’s ruthless. And she’s a fucking cat with nine lives. She always lands on her feet.”

“Yep. That’s exactly it. It’s because she’s never had consequences to her actions. She’s never had anyone make her pay for what she’s done. The worst thing she’s ever gone through is losing part of her trust fund. Boohoo.”

Amy scooped out another huge bite of chocolate icing. “So, are you going to go back into the city after this?”

I flopped back on the couch and stared at the ceiling. “I don’t know. I guess so. I have to clear out my apartment at least. I can’t stay there with fucking Lewis having surveillance footage of the building.”

“Yeah, creepy as fuck. Which is just so weird. I normally pick up on the creep vibe. And he really didn’t have it.”

I closed my eyes against that pain. “No, no, he didn’t.”

“I’m sorry. Let’s go back to cutting up Katherine. She’s easier to deal with than Lewis.”

“Maybe we should move to something stronger,” I suggested, setting my container of icing down.

“I’m down,” Amy said. “Let me see what I have.”

I reached for my phone, which I’d been mostly avoiding since everything had blown up. I’d only been checking to see if there was news from Caroline or Gillian. I’d had to suspend my Crew account because of the surge in activity. And the number of comments calling me a liar, fake, whore, bitch and every other imaginable dirty name.

I had a few texts from Melanie checking in, which I ignored. I’d invite her for a drink if she wasn’t attached at the hip to Michael. I scrolled to the next one from Jane.

Thinking about you! Please, please, please come back. New Year’s won’t be the same without you.





I sighed. Another thing to decide.

I’d clicked off the message, deciding not to answer, when my phone rang. I saw that it was Caroline and sat up straight before answering.

“Hey, Caroline,” I said. I hadn’t expected this.

“Natalie, I’m glad that you answered.”

“I’m surprised to hear from you. I thought you were in San Francisco with your son.”

“I am. But I just heard from Gillian.”

“You did?” I asked with dread at the way she’d said that. “I thought Warren was out until after the New Year.”

“Normally, yes, but she came back early. And I’m sorry, Natalie, it looks like she’s going to pass on the literary novel.”

My stomach sank. “She is?”

“Yeah, I didn’t want you to find out in an email. I know what you’ve been going through and thought it’d be better to hear it from me.”

“That’s…wow. She made it seem like she’d take anything I gave her.”