Love/Fail

Chapter 25

"I'm not seeing Rupert," I said, letting go of the pretence.

"Really?"

"I was," I clarified for my own ego's sake, "but now we're just here as friends. And he really needs a friend right now, because you hurt him about as bad as one person can hurt another."

"I know. I know. I just... Oh god, I'm so messed up..." She burst into real sobs then, her slight shoulders hitching up and down within the waterfall of her mahogany hair. "I'm so sorry I hurt him. He's the most wonderful man I've ever known, and I just wanted to make sure he was okay."

"He's not."

"And that's because of me."

"Yup." I sighed, knowing that this wasn't going away on its own. Clearly, they were both equally messed up, and it was time to start verbalising their issues like freaking adults. I pushed the door open. "Come in."

In great surprise, she peered at me through her tears. "What? You're letting me in? Why?"

"Because I'm not heartless either. Tell me your side of the story, and why you're here, and I'll decide if Rupert should see you." I smiled thinly. "Think of me as the gate keeper."

"Okay, sure."

Cautiously, she followed me into the house. "Wow. It looks just the same." She perched on the corner of a chaise lounge, looking like a shoot for Vogue without even trying. "We were so happy here."

"Not happy enough, it seems." I plonked opposite her, not attempting to replicate her poise.

"No amount of happiness in the world could have been enough."

Her grief was evident, but it wasn't enough. "What the hell, Jade?" I asked straight out. "You seem like you care for Rupert, it was your idea to get married here, and then you just bailed on him. Make me understand why."

"You'll judge me."

"I'm judging you anyway," I said drily. "Talk."

She reached for her hair, twisting the thick coil in her hands. "I grew up poor, Mia. The kind of poor where I had to go through the trash cans at the end of the school day just to find food. And even then, I couldn't eat what I found – I had to take it home to feed my brothers. I grew up hungry, vulnerable. I loved my brothers and I would have done anything for them...

"I was sixteen and I was looking for options to earn money. I had a job but it didn't pay enough. I was trying to find the courage to ring up the local brothels and see if I could work there." Her voice was husky with humiliation. "There was an ad for a catalogue casting next to the brothel advertisements, and it was just around the corner from where I was working. I took a chance and went to the address, but before I could even get in the door, a lady came up and introduced herself; her name was Carmen and she was a talent manager. She said I could be beautiful if someone helped me to be, but I'd never land a catalogue shoot until I was cleaned up."

Looking at Jade, I imagined that she was always beautiful, and that anyone claiming to help wold have only been polishing a diamond. "So, she helped you?"

"Carmen was amazing. She bought me clothes, gave me makeup, paid for my head shots." Jade smiled wearily. "Do you know how wonderful it was to have someone on my side after years of being the strong one? All she asked from me was to do exactly as she said. 'You be a good girl, Jade, and I'll take care of the rest.'"

The woman sounded like a predator to me, but I remained silent.

"I landed a few catalogue shoots, then Victoria's Secret picked me up out of nowhere. Next thing I knew, I was being sent off to casting calls, and I landed the role in the Wilde Times movie. Carmen was the one who decided I should date Nate Norden, but we didn't have a spark, so we faked it." She shivered slightly. "When Nate asked me to come clean to the press so he could date his wife, Carmen lost her mind. She shoved me up against a wall, screaming that I was going to ruin both of us."