Breaking Hollywood(71)

His eyes fix on me, cold and hard. “Swipe the screen.”

“Why?”

“Swipe the fucking screen!”

I do as he said, and there’s a document.

“You probably recognize that. It’s the contract you signed with Digby, giving him exclusive rights.”

“I didn’t sign any contract! You have to believe me!”

He laughs hollowly. “And I suppose that isn’t your name and signature at the bottom either.”

I zoom in on the bottom of the document, and there, in black ink, is my name and signature. It’s mine. I recognize it as mine.

“No.” I’m shaking my head. “Gabe, I didn’t sign this. I would never betray you like that. I swear to you.”

He snatches his phone from my hand and turns his back on me.

“Gabe.” I step up to him and place my hand on his back.

He jerks away, like I burned him. In his mind, I have. He thinks I’ve betrayed him.

“Don’t fucking touch me.” His voice is so chilling that I shiver. “Don’t ever fucking touch me again.” He turns to look at me, and his eyes look right through me. “I just hope the money was worth it.”

“What money? Gabe, I swear on my entire family, I swear on Gucci’s life, I didn’t do this.”

He steadily stares back at me. “I don’t believe you.”

It’s like a blow to the stomach. I fold my arms over the ache his words just put there.

“How much did you get? How much was I worth, Ava? If you’d told me you needed the money, I would have given it to you. You wouldn’t even have had to fuck me. I’d have given it to you for free.”

“I didn’t get any money from anyone! Jesus, Gabe! Listen to me! I have a thousand bucks to my name. Here, I’ll show you.” I grab my cell from my clutch. I pull my online banking up and thrust my phone at him, showing him the screen.

He barely looks at it. “It means nothing. People can have more than one bank account.”

“But I don’t have another bank account! I have one! I didn’t do this, Gabe. You have to believe me.”

He stares at me. Black eyes devoid of anything but anger.

“I can’t believe this is happening.” I drop my phone to the sofa and press my hand to my shaking head.

Tears push at my eyes. My lips tremble. I bite down to stop from crying.

“Gabe, I didn’t do this. You know me,” I implore, my voice shaking with the force of the emotions running through me.

“I thought I did. Clearly, I was wrong.”

“Please…I didn’t do this. I know my name is quoted on that story and that my signature is at the bottom of that document, but I’m telling you”—I press my hand to my chest—“it wasn’t me. I didn’t tell any journalist anything. I haven’t told anyone about what you told me. And I never would. You have to believe me.”

I look at him, begging him to believe me.

It feels like forever before he speaks, “I don’t have to do a fucking thing.”

I suck in a sharp breath. “You really think I’m capable of this? That I could do this to you?”

“Yes.”

A word has never cut me more. I feel like I’ve been sliced open and left to bleed out.

A tear runs down my face. I brush it away with the back of my hand.

I want to beg him to listen, but my dignity won’t allow it. So, I take a fortifying breath before I speak again, “Then, I guess there’s nothing more left to say.”

“No, there isn’t. Only that I want you out of my home and out of my life.”

With my heart in tatters, shredded at my feet, I turn and run back to my room. As soon as I’m inside, a sob breaks from my mouth. I press my hand to my mouth to catch it. Tears run down my face as I grab my handbag and shove a few items of clothes into it. I’ll have to come back for the rest. I just need to get out of here now. I grab my car keys off the dresser, and I go back through to the living room.

Gabe’s still there, back to me, staring out the window again.

I pick my cell up from the sofa and scoop Gucci up in my arms. She presses her face into my neck, comforting me, like she understands what’s going on. Her comfort makes me hurt so much more.

“I just…I can’t believe this is happening.” My quiet words echo around the room.

Gabe slowly turns to me.

I watch him with pleading eyes. “I didn’t do what you think I did. You’re making a mistake.”

His mouth tightens. Eyes darken. “The only mistake I’ve ever made was trusting you.”

I thought he couldn’t cut me more. I was wrong.

I close my eyes against the pain. Tears run from the corners of them.