Page 11 of Falling Into Forever
It shows how deep his addiction has gone. He knew it would filter down to affect his four-year-old, and he didn’t give a shit about the damage he was causing. Who does that?
How did I let this happen?
“We both knew there was some level of risk involved in this world,” Lena says gently. “You guys work with celebrities and lies. You run in those circles. Poppy couldn’t stay a mystery forever, and we’ll fight back. You’re not the monster they’re making you out to be. Poppy will be fine, so fix your narrative before he destroys everything you’ve worked for.”
“I want to protect her.”
“I do too, Dante. But the reality is, we live in Los Angeles. Her friends’ parents see you both on red carpets. They hear whispers and ask questions, so we should be realistic. You’re both a part of that world, and by proxy, so are we.”
She must read the tension in my face—for once, I can’t wear a mask—because she continues more gently. “We’ll get through the Poppy drama. The truth always comes to light eventually. And I get that Trent took choices away from you, but he’s painting you as some violent, abusive predator. Brother or not, you can’t fix everyone, but you can solve this. You can counter the lies he’s spewing.”
I don’t have a good track record of fixing anyone I love.
Pulling at the muscle bunched at the base of my neck, I say my biggest fear out loud. “I don’t want Poppy seeing this. I don’t want her to question the kind of man I am or the legacy I’m trying to create for our family.”
The weight of her sadness hits me hard through FaceTime. “You’re worrying about the wrong things. Poppy is four. It’ll be a nonissue by the time she’s old enough to understand what’s going on.”
Lena sits quietly while my mind spins possibilities. But there’s only one logical explanation. “He’s either being paid to do this by a competitor, or he’s more desperate for me to sell than I realized, and both scenarios boil down to money.”
“He’s not the Trent we grew to love,” she says gently, and it’s a reminder for both of us. “It’s important to remember that so we can undo this mess.”
She’s not saying anything I haven’t already thought of, but it doesn’t make it any easier.
“The world knows you as a curated form of Dante, a persona, not the Dante who runs out at four in the morning because his niece is sick and needs medicine. There’s a difference, and the world needs to know that. Make them see the truth.”
I rub my forehead as I think, and she presses on.
“Public Dante can be an asshole, but you aren’t. Both sides of you collided last week to protect your niece, your name, and all that you’ve built. I get that, and the world will too, if you make them see you for who you really are. And you do that by mending the piece of your heart that should have never been left broken. It starts with Saylor. You’ve loved that girl for half your life. You’ll be stronger with her by your side.”
My gaze drifts to the lake as the car slows to a stop in front of a house I never wanted to leave.
Like I had a choice.
Rubbing my forehead does nothing to rid me of the headache that’s taken root between my eyes. “I don’t know how to spin this, or even if I can.”
I shift in my seat as acid turns my stomach.
“The world doesn’t know that Trent is sleeping with that woman,” Lena says. She keeps her tone even, but a tendril of hurt snakes through her words. “And they don’t know that he’s using again.”
“And I’m the asshole who truly believed Trent was on my side—that we were a team. Now I have no idea what their endgame is, and it’s my word against theirs.”
For the first time since I opened Ascendancy Inc., I can’t see the ending of this story.
“Dante.” She sighs. “Their speech was staged—the entire thing was choreographed, so how long have they been working on that plan? What other attacks will he launch against you and your company?”
When I started Ascendancy, Trent had connections but no motivation. I had the motivation but no connections. I wanted it to be ours, even if I did all the work.
Trent has never spent a full day in the office, but how the hell do I prove this company is successful solely because of me when I’ve done everything I can to present us as a team for years?
“Poppy and I will be there for you every step of the way. But if this is just another storyline to them, one they’re creating to keep Olivia’s name trending and get him out of whatever mess he’s in, where will you land when the lies finally come to the surface? What will be left of your company? That’s what you need to be worrying about and planning for.”
Dread drops like a brick into the pit of my stomach.
What if I allowed myself to go with the motions, with what was easy in favor of reaching my goals, and didn’t recognize the chess pieces being laid at my feet?
The driver stares at me expectantly, and I slowly open the car door, then drag my small suitcase across the seat. Nostalgia niggles dangerously in my heart when the familiar scent of home slaps me in the face. It’s summers spent at the lake and camping in the woods. It’s dirt roads and fresh-cut grass. It’s as familiar as Saylor and as sad as our heartbreak. It’s a happy memory before my world burned to the ground. The last time I was here was a lifetime ago, and now I’m back, about to shake up her life.
I swivel my head from left to right. The old home in front of me, with a sign that reads Pleasure Bound Bookshop, knocks the wind out of me.
