Page 87 of Last Chorus

“I would have gotten around to confessing my love eventually,” I mutter.

He gives me a quick, smiling kiss. “You need to eat before this conversation. Veggie omelet and a smoothie okay?”

I almost protest, but his knowing look stops me. With a sigh, I concede that he’s right. My stomach is already grumbling at the mention of food, and it won’t be long before I’m officially hangry.

“That sounds good.”

Hearing the undertone of irritation, he smirks. “Proud of you, baby.”

I grab a throw pillow and chuck it at his head.

CHAPTER THIRTY-FOUR

wilder

With a scream of rage, Evangeline swings the axe at the giant tree stump I use to chop firewood. She misses the standing log by at least four inches. It topples over as she wrestles the heel of the blade from the stump.

As she heaves and pants, she mutters under her breath. I can’t hear every word, but catch “motherfucker” and “fucking kill him.”

I’m not sure what it says about me that I’m hard as fuck right now, but I blame it on the sweat glistening on her face, chest, and arms. Then again, I was hard on her first swing, long before she pulled off her sweatshirt to reveal a black sports bra.

I shift against the tree I’m leaning on, adjusting myself discreetly. Evangeline catches the movement,sending a searing glance my way before righting the log and lining up for another swing.

Arms shaking, she lifts the heavy axe. Her form is shit, but I learned my lesson twenty minutes ago and keep my mouth shut.

I can’t help a small smile as she bellows her rage into the forest and swings again. I’m not happy about her pain, obviously, but I’m ecstatic that she’s expressing it. It means she feels safe to show me the full, messy range of her emotions.

“Wipe that smile off your face,” she snaps, hefting the axe and stumbling a little. “There’s nothing funny about this.”

My smile instantly dies. She’s right. There’s nothing funny about any of this, especially since Shelley got her hands on a few of the headlines publishing in less than forty-eight hours. Her phone call is what woke me up so early, and I spent five minutes dry heaving over the toilet before I came downstairs.

I knew Clay was going to go for my jugular, but I thought—naively, I guess—that he’d leave Evangeline out of it.

He didn’t.

There are the expected, shock-value headlines like,Sex, Drugs, and Rock ’n’ Roll: Wilder Ashburn Exposed,and an assortment of others all implying I’mback on drugs and a literal monster. Clay apparently found a handful of random industry people to support the narrative, no doubt individuals I’ve either pissed off or were all too happy to sacrifice morals for money. Shelley even said there are a few publications touting so-called photo evidence. I can only assume they’re passing off pictures of me mid-yawn as proof I’m loaded. Either that, or they went straight AI and are hoping the public doesn’t notice.

But my literal worst nightmare is the main headline attached to Clay’s exclusive interview:Eva Marie: Mentally Unstable and Back with Abusive Ex-Lover. Estranged Fiancé Asks Public for Help.

Every word is bullshit, but it’s the kind of headline that plays to empathy and will trigger pitchforks. And Clay knows it. He’s preemptively pinning his sins on me, attempting to turn me into a straw man the world will light on fire while he stays safe in the smoke.

In his twisted head, I’m sure he believes Evangeline will eventually turn against me and come crawling back to him.

He really doesn’t know her at all.

“I’ll show him mentally unstable,” she snarls.

She swings the axe again and again, each progressively sloppier arc punctuated by insults.

“Saggy-balled—tiny-dicked—hair-plugged—fake-tanned—psychopath.”

She finally clips the edge of the standing log, sending it flying off the stump. The axe almost flies, too. I push off the tree, but she throws me a look that makes me freeze and lift my hands.

“Just here to make sure you don’t lose a hand.”

She bares her teeth. “Suck my dick, Wilder.”

Maybe I’m experiencing some weirdly euphoric version of shock, but I’ve never wanted her so badly in my life. “If you had one, baby, I’d drop to my knees right now.”

---