Page 37 of Enemies Off Camera
But his mouth tightens at the corners, his expression growing heavy again.
That’s when I know.
He rubs the inside corners of his eyes. “Roger’s done with the arrangement,” he says. “And… we’re going with Ashley. Just thought I should give you a heads-up.”
I go still.
And yet, I feel nothing.
Not shock. Not hurt. Just… a strange, hollow numbness.
It’s the same feeling I had when I showed up at Blaine’s house—groceries in hand, planning to surprise him with a birthday dinner—only to find him in bed with not one, but two women. I didn’t cry. Didn’t scream. Just dropped the groceries and walked away.
I’d seen the signs with Blaine. Chose to ignore them. And there it was, in my face.
Just like now.
I nod, calmly. “It’s fair,” I say.
After a moment, he echoes it. “Yeah.”
I take a deep breath—steady, resigned. I still feel nothing. Not yet. But deep down, I know I’m to blame. I fumbled something important, and now the cost is coming due.
“Well,” I say, “see you tomorrow.”
“See you tomorrow,” he replies.
I walk him to the front, point him down the path that curves around to the driveway. I listen for the soft start of the SUV engine, the quiet crunch of tires on cobblestone. The gate closes automatically behind him.
And that’s when I feel it.
Not devastation. Not betrayal.
Just the sharp, cold certainty of square one.
Back at the beginning.
Still in trouble.
My shot at redemption?
Blown to hell.
And I have no one to blame but myself.
TWENTY-EIGHT
The Next Day
The funny thing is, I slept well last night.
Despite the weight of everything Jaxon said—despite knowing my world had likely blown apart—I went to bed, closed my eyes, and drifted into the kind of sleep that only comes after total resignation.
I don’t even know if I’ll still haveNext In Lineafter today, but strangely… I’m okay with that. It feels almost inevitable, like this is how things were always going to turn out.
I arrive early to Anne’s office. She asked for a pre-meeting before our official meeting with the network. I never told her what Jaxon said last night—about Roger pulling the plug. I half expected her to call and chew me out already, but she didn’t. That silence makes me think things are worse than I imagined.
Maybe she’s going to drop me as a client today too.
