Page 80 of Faking Ties

“Why did you lie, then?”

“Because I was desperate for you to accept. You don’t know what it’s like to be responsible for so many people. To get to a place where I had to lie in the first place. And it’s not only the people working for me, but also my fans.I’mresponsible for them.I’mtheir entertainment. Without them, I’m nothing. Everyone wantssomething from me, and for the first time in my career, I can’t deliver because my heart crapped out on me.”

“Oh, cry me a fucking river. You have the perfect life and have everything at your fingertips. You should’ve fixed your medical issues earlier. It didn’t have to come to this.”

“You’re right, I should’ve.” Tears run down her cheeks, and I pretend to not notice. “But if I take time off, I’m scared everyone will forget about me. That everything I’ve worked so hard to achieve will disappear. It’s what I’ve been told would happen if I take a break, so excuse me if I don’t want my career to end now. I’ve sacrificed too much to accept that.”

“Yeah?” I scoff. “And what could you have possibly sacrificed?”

“Everything,” she says through gritted teeth. “Absolutely everything. My personal life? A dumpster fire. No one wants me, not really. Everyone from Rachel to my parents to my label to anyone I’m in a relationship with only cares about what I can do for them. Nothing is real, no relationship is real, and it’s the loneliest fucking life in the world. Only Aria is different. She’s rich enough, well connected enough, to not care about my fame. That’s it. Out of eight billion people in the world, only one person doesn’t need me for anything.” She laughs without humor. “So yeah, excuse me if all I have is my career and I’ll do anything to keep it.”

She spins around, giving me her back as she sobs into her hands.

Fucking hell. Every second she cries, my anger lessens until I’m able to actually empathize with her. I’m nowhere near ready to forgive her, but I do understand where she’s coming from. Even with all her fame and fortune, it doesn’t sound like Stella’s had an easy life.

I touch her back and she turns and hugs me. I hold her while she cries into my shoulder. “I’m so sorry, I’m so fucking sorry,” she repeats over and over again.

I rub her back and don’t say it’s okay, because it’s not. But I do know Stella isn’t a bad person, she just made a bad decision. It also sounds like people take advantage of her kindness regularly, and she deserves better than that.

When her sobs subside, she pulls back and sniffles. “What now?”

“I’m exhausted,” I say. “I’m going to bed.”

“Are we okay?”

“Eventually, yeah. But right now? I just need some time to process everything.”

She nods and says, “I’ll give you some space. But when you’re ready, I’d really like to spend some more time with you and get to know you. Tonight was fun, before I ruined it all.”

“Okay…”

When I’m in my room, I can’t sleep. I can’t shut off my brain. I’m tempted to call Hunter, but I can’t face him right now. Not when I’m still processing the bombshell Stella dropped. His career is in jeopardybecause of me because he found out I’m not Stella. Because I signed those contracts cementing the deal that I’m pretending to be Stella.

What I need is my mom and Nina, but I can’t go home. Mom would worry too much if she found out what’s going on. Nina tells me Mom’s thriving with her nurse, and I don’t want to interfere with that. But maybe I can bring Nina to me?

Me: Can you come visit me soon?

Nina: What’s going on?

Me: I’ll tell you in person. When can you come? I’ll send the plane.

Nina: In two days? See you then.

“Let’s get wasted,”I shout in the VIP area of the bar we’re at. Both Nina and Aria cried and hugged me when I told them Stella and I are twins. It’s sweet, but I’m still reeling from the fact that what I’m doing is illegal to really enjoy the moment.

“You sure I can’t confront Rachel?” Nina asks when I finish telling them about what Stella revealed. “That’s shady as shit and she deserves to be taken down a notch. Or a hundred.”

“I’m sure.” I chug my shot and grab another one.

“S wouldn’t have gone along with it if she had another choice,” Aria says calmly. She’s the only one who’s remained calm after I clued them in, as if she suspected it or, more than likely, already knew. “I get that you feel betrayed, and you have every right to feel that way, but Stella’s not a bad person.”

“I get that and I get that you’re on team S,” I say, “but I just want to forget the past forty-eight hours.”

“Well, we can make that happen,” Aria says, passing me another shot. I down the next two and suck back a cocktail. Drinking my worries away isn’t the smartest idea I’ve ever had, but it sure is effective.

The next hours blur together until the room spins and I need to grip the couch I’m on for stability. It’s like being on a merry-go-round, but the fun kind that makes you laugh until your sides ache. I can’t stop giggling at everything. Like the way Aria makes up stories about the people around us. Or the way Nina tries to mimic the bartender’s serious expressions. They’ve taken their job seriously, to make me forget about my potential legal problems. I’ve never been more grateful to have them in my life than I am now.

“What’s Hunter up to now?” Nina asks.

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