Page 119 of Forecheck
My heart stopped, and my legs gave out. I dropped my knees before her.
“Berkley, don’t do this. I love you, and we can figure this out. The picture…it’s all a big misunderstanding. Just, please, baby…show me and let me explain.”
She swiped at a tear on her cheek, and my heart cracked in my chest. Her crying was bad enough, but the fact that she was crying because ofme? That was fucking unacceptable.
“I love you, too. But I don’t think that’s enough. I just think we’re way too different, and we’ve been fooling ourselves since the beginning into thinking this could work. You need someone who is okay with being in the public eye, someone who is docile and content being nothing more than arm candy for you, using your name to up her Instagram status. That’s not me, Brent. It’ll never be me. I think it’s best we just cut ties now.”
“No,” I said forcefully, rising to my feet. “I don’t need anyone or anything but you.”
“Brent, I can’t.” Her voice broke, and she turned from me again. “Please, just go.”
“Berk…” I reached out, brushing my fingers over her shoulder, convinced I could change her mind if I could just wrap her in my arms. Instead, she recoiled from my touch, and my hand dropped to my side. My mind was running a thousand miles a minute, searching for something to tether me to her, somethingthat could keep me in her life long enough to make her see reason.
“Please. Just leave.”
When I reached the door, I turned to look at her. The picture she painted broke my heart in a million pieces.
“I love you,” I whispered, though it was quiet enough in her apartment that I knew my words carried to her. “I’m not giving up that easily.”
Then, against my every instinct, knowing there would be no reasoning with her right now, I walked away from the love of my life.
You're A Dumb Bitch
Less than a minuteafter Brent left, Lexie waltzed into my apartment in response to the SOS text I’d send her when he showed up.
“What the fuck happened?”
“I broke up with him,” I said flatly, numbly throwing myself onto my couch and curling up on my side.
“Youwhat?” Lexie shouted. “What the fuck, Berkley? Explain yourself right now.”
Wordlessly, I held out my phone, content to let the headline and paparazzi photo do the talking.
Lexie was silent for a moment while she read the article. She tapped around on the screen for another minute. Then she did the strangest thing.
She barked out a laugh—a loud, incredulous laugh that quickly devolved into hysterics.
“What is wrong with you?” I asked, sitting up and glaring daggers at her. “I’m in pain and you’relaughing?”
“I love you, Berk,” she said, swiping at her eyes once she’d managed to collect herself. “But you’re a dumb bitch sometimes.”
I stared at her, dumbstruck.
“Get the fuck out.”
“No,” she said, kneeling in front of me and clasping my face in her hands. “Listen to me.”
Through smushed cheeks, I squeaked out, “No,” and tried to pry myself free.
Lexie ignored me and held firm. “That picture is at least five years old,” she said, inclining her head to where she’d dropped my phone on the floor.
“He was just in New York, Lex,” I said. “That’s not possible.”
“That stupid gossip rag recycled an old photo.”
“How do you know?”
“Because unlike you, I used my brain and ran a Google search on Brent and Cosette. That’s definitely a real photo, but it was first published five years ago when she and Brent were working on a collaboration with a top-shelf vodka brand. According to the stories, they’d been out on the town in New York City together doing publicity for it.”
