Page 49 of Rush
‘Savi…’ Sapphire muttered as she reached her. ‘Is there somewhere we can talk?’
She looked around the paddock, full to the brim with drivers, caterers and team personnel. Nowhere was private, nowhere was safe. ‘Um, I don’t–’
‘My trailer,’ Marco interrupted. ‘Come on, the guys have cleared out already.’
They let the security guard go, leading Sapphire up the steps of the motorhome. Savi felt like she was going to throw up, and barely a word had left the woman’s mouth.
Marco gestured for her to sit down and fetched her a glass of water, setting it down on the coffee table. He was being so polite, so civil, but Savi’s gut was telling her he was going to regret it any moment. Sapphire had guilt etched all over her face.
‘What’s going on, Sapph?’
‘I’m sorry, Savi. I’m so sorry…’ Sapphire burst into tears. Her face was blotchy, her breathing harsh and her forehead drenched with sweat. ‘The baby. It’s his.’
Savi felt like the world was closing in on her, and she could’ve sworn she could see stars. What did she mean, the baby was his? How could her baby be his? She was months away from giving birth, which would mean… No way. It couldn’t be. He couldn’t have.Shecouldn’t have.
‘Jesse is going to be a dad?’ she choked out; for some reason that hurt more than the fact he had cheated. He was going to have the future she had wanted with him, with someone else. No wonder he hadn’t wanted to build anything with her.
‘Jesse cheated on Savannah?’ Marco added, his tone dripping with sheer disgust.
‘With me, yes. But he lied to me too, he told me you were over. Then next thing I know, you’re showing up at his gig and he’s telling me that you’re back together. It’s only now that I’ve put the pieces together that I realise you were never on a break in the first place.’
‘No, we were together right up until I left Los Angeles a few weeks ago.’
‘Yeah, about that… Savi, it’s not just me that he cheated with. And with me it was just the once, but I have watched him with so many women since me. I dread to think how many he was with before then. And every time he would tell me you had left him, but then I would hear him on the phone with you, or you would come out to Tennessee, and I just knew every word out of his mouth was a lie. Ithad been since the start. I don’t know how far back this goes, Savi…’
‘But it could be four years…’ Savi choked out, Marco’s hand finding her knee.
‘It could be. I’ve scoured my text messages and emails, tried to work it out. But I don’t have all the details, so I can’t be sure. I just needed to tell you in person, so you could throw all the questions you have at me. Yell at me, scream at me.’
‘I’m not going to do any of that,’ Savi sighed, burying her head in her hands. This hurt more than the break-up itself. ‘Is he taking care of you?’
She didn’t mean emotionally; she wanted to know if he had put things in place financially that meant Sapphire didn’t have to worry about how she was going to afford to raise her baby. He had all the money in the world, and this was his child. It was the least he could do.
‘No,’ she sobbed. ‘Savi, he doesn’t want anything to do with us. I understand not wanting to be with me, I mean, I don’t want to be with him either. No offence, but he’s a real asshole. I don’t know how you put up with him for so long. But for him to wipe his hands of his own child, refuse to be involved?’
Savi scoffed. ‘Can’t you demand a DNA test?’
‘What’s the point?’ Sapphire laughed. ‘It won’t change anything. My baby is going to grow up without a dad, and he won’t do a test anyway because it gives me too much power. I could go to the press and ruin his career.’
‘He’s pathetic. It’s no wonder he didn’t give a fuck if I was all over his girlfriend or not. He was too busy gettinginto bed with anyone who threw themselves at him,’ Marco said, finally making a worthwhile contribution to the conversation.
‘Does he know you planned on telling me?Didyou always plan on telling me?’ Savi asked her, reaching out to hold her hand. Maybe Sapphire’s morals had been a little off for sleeping with him in the first place, but at least she hadn’t knowingly betrayed someone. And now she was scared and alone and Savi couldn’t help but want to protect her.
She was beginning to realise just how manipulative Jesse really was, and everything he had over her. He could take her down just as easily as she could ruin him, too. The difference was, he deserved it and all the hell that would rain down on him.
‘I text him this morning. But he knows you won’t do anything.’ Now she knew why he hadn’t contacted her all day; the guilt was probably eating him alive. That was if he was even capable of holding remorse.
‘Well… what if I did? I could go to the press. I could tell the world what he’s done, my voice is credible. What reason would I have to lie?’
‘Savannah,’ Marco growled, ‘the photos.’
‘What if he’s done this before, Mars? What if your baby,’ she gestured to Sapphire, ‘isn’t the only innocent child he’s neglecting? How many other lives has he ruined, who else has he lied to? Who elsewillhe lie to? I can’t sit back and let him get away with it, thinking he can keep doing whatever he wants without facing some sort of consequence.’
‘Okay, but you can’t just expose Sapphire’s personal situation to the world.’
‘Oh, she can,’ Sapphire nodded enthusiastically. ‘You have my permission. It will be better coming from you and not me; if it comes directly from me, people will just assume I want his money. And I’ll be honest, I don’t want a cent from him. I just want a happy, healthy baby.’
‘I can’t believe who he’s turned out to be,’ Savi laughed in disbelief. ‘How can someone be so self-absorbed that they’re willing to lead a double life and hold no remorse? Was he ever going to tell me?’
