Page 21 of Doc Hollywood

Clara waited as the giant of a man sitting in her lounge relived something that had obviously caused him a huge amount of pain. She saw the upset flickering through his eyes, and she guessed he was doing what she did, watching his past like a movie in his head.

She didn’t push him to talk, just sat in silence as she recalled her own relationship with Jack, the arsehole. It always amazed her that one man could do so much damage and then move on without a care in the world.

She was sick of seeing his face smiling out from the articles her mum insisted on sending her from Hello magazine and OK magazine, showing him with the woman he had cheated on her with, his wife, twenty-five-year-old Natalia Petrovich, now Jones, heiress to a billion-dollar fortune.

Every time she saw his smarmy face, it felt like another punch to the stomach, a blow that he had given her a few times in the past. Then, after the hits, he would be so remorseful, so sorry, so contrite, so apologetic—until she did something else he didn’t like, and he hit her again, restarting the cycle.

Now Jack had what he always wanted, what he thought he deserved, and she hoped that, for Natalia’s sake, he treated her better than he had Clara.

He had a picture-perfect, wonderful life in a mansion that she had the pleasure of looking through in Hello magazine when Jack and Natalia did an interview and walk-through. And while he lived in luxury and flew by private jet, she struggled as she paid off all the debt he left her.

Clara snapped out of her revere when Taylor finally began talking again.

“I know now; she spent the whole time we were together desperately trying to get pregnant. To trap me, no, not me. To trap my money to her side for life.” His eyes refocused on Clara. “Luckily, I was careful and avoided that trap. Even when I thought I might be in love with her. I knew I wasn’t ready to start a family with someone I had known for such a short period of time.

“When I finally got my head out of my ass and realised that she wasn’t the person I thought she was and broke up with her, she tried to goad me into doing something I’d regret.

“She pushed me and shoved me. She slapped me and punched me. She screamed in my face. And when I wouldn’t give her what she wanted, she scratched her own face and grabbed herself so hard around her own throat that she bruised it…” He trailed off again.

“The pictures in the magazines?” Clara whispered. She had seen the pictures that showed blood streaks down his ex’s cheeks and bruises around her throat.

“Yeah. She hurt herself, then dashed out of my house. She posted all the pictures and accusations on her social media as soon as she got out of my gate. It was only minutes before my phone rang, and it didn’t stop for days. My agent, my family, myfriends. All wanting to know what the hell had happened and if I had done it.

“She had weaselled herself so far into my life that people who should have known I was not capable of doing that all questioned me on it. And a few didn’t believe me when I denied it in person.

“I was so shell shocked it took me far too long to phone the person who I needed to, my lawyer. He was there when the police came to speak to me. He was the one who showed the police the video from the security camera in my front hall—a system that mum insisted I install after a stalker broke into my house. It showed everything, her screaming at me, pushing me, and then her injuring herself.”

Clara’s hands flew to her mouth as he spoke, but she didn’t say anything; just let him talk.

“And then it all faded into the background. My ex never made another statement after those social media posts. Even so, it still follows me; I still get asked about it in interviews, and some people still think I’m abusive.” Taylor’s gaze dropped to the hands he had clasped in his lap.

“Why not release the video? Show that you’re innocent,” Clara asked gently.

“I could have. Maybe I should have; I didn’t because it felt vindictive. I cared for her once. Well, I cared for the girl I thought she was. I contacted her family, as when we were dating, I now realise she was careful to keep me away from them. I found out she had multiple mental health diagnoses; she had even spent time as a teenager in a facility. Her bedroom at home was a shrine to me. She had meticulously planned her life around meeting me. She had researched every interview I had ever done, any mention I had made to the sort of partner I liked, and she turned herself into that woman. I still can’t believe how easily she duped me.” Taylor shook his head.

“And when the press ask you about it?” Clara prompted.

“I have a standard response. Everything that happened that night is public record. Everyone knows the police came to my house. So I say each time, ‘The police attended my property that night and viewed security footage that exonerated me from any wrongdoing. I have no further comment’.”

“And that works?” Clara leaned forward further, unable to believe that their pasts were so similar with such manipulative people.

“Mostly. Some people try and pry more. Now I’m big enough the interviewers who do will never get another interview with me or my manager’s clients, so they all tend to back off pretty quickly.”

“That’s all… that’s…” Clara stumbled over her words, trying to find the right thing to say.

Taylor interrupted her, “All a bit pathetic?”

“No.” Clara shook her head emphatically, “I wasn’t going to say anything like that. I was going to say that’s all total shit. What a total bitch to try and ruin your life.”

“I don’t think she was a bitch,” he said sadly.

Clara looked sceptical. She thought Jack was a total bastard.

“Well, I don’t think that anymore. I think she’s ill.” He sighed deeply and slumped into the old, lumpy sofa. “I just wish she hadn’t made me her target. I wish we’d never met.”

“Yeah. I can see why. That’s hectic. Do you think it affected your career much?”

He contemplated her question for a minute before nodding his head. “It did. I was protected a bit as we were already partway through shooting the second Superman film, and there was no way the studio could replace me. There were campaigns though. People crying out for me to be fired and to never work again.

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