“Aren’t you worried that Nolan Kincaid might end up harming you like his father did to Nolan’s mother and sister?” a female voice asked. “Research shows that children of abusers often go on to become abusers themselves.”
“Research also shows that some children from abusive homes become victims themselves when in a romantic relationship,” Alyssa said. “And other children are perfectly well adjusted despite the abuse. There has been no indication, other than some misguided reports, that Tyler is anything but the kind and generous man I know he is.”
There were a few more questions, but nothing Alyssa couldn’t smoothly handle. But despite what she had told the reporters, and subsequently the world, I had a feeling no one would completely buy her story about Hailey’s involvement. If anything, it made Alyssa come off as naive when it came to our “relationship.” Some people might’ve scoffed at her naivety. Some would frown at my involvement in the affair (given that I was the one supposedly cheating on her). But ultimately, Hailey would be the one paying the price.
The press conference ended, and Hailey and I sat quietly for a minute, all kinds of thoughts rushing through my mind. The most important one was what this meant for Hailey and me.
“I guess that’s it, then,” Hailey finally said. The skin on my body tightened at the real meaning behind her last three words—that’s it, then.
Chapter 35
Hailey
When I was a little girl, I used to stay up late, waiting for my father to come home from the hospital, where he worked as a surgeon. To me, he was this godlike man who saved lives. He was invincible.
Years later I realized that wasn’t true. He couldn’t save everyone. And with each patient who died under his care, he had to gracefully accept defeat. He moved on and didn’t let the loss paralyze him.
I hit Kayla’s number on speed dial as I walked down the steps to retrieve the rest of the stuff from the car.
She answered the phone before it rang a second time. “Did you watch it?”
“I did.”
“And?”
“And what?” The stale air in the stairwell closed in on me, making it hard to breathe. Much like what seeing the video had done to me. I picked up my pace.
“Is it true they’re an item?”
I sighed. “The record label is pressuring them to do this.” Although I had a tough time believing they needed to apply much pressure when it came to convincing Alyssa. How could she not want to be with him?
“I’m sorry, Hailey. I really am. I thought for sure you guys would make this work between you.”
I laughed, but even though I’d meant for it to be full of humor, it came out flat. “It never would have worked,” I said, repeating what I’d already told myself a million times. Although deep down I wasn’t sure if I truly believed it. If I really had wanted things to work between Nolan and myself, I could’ve made the effort.
I guessed that in the end I was afraid. Afraid to give us a chance and risk getting hurt. Afraid of him leaving me again, like he’d done before, like my ex-boyfriend had done to me.
I didn’t tell Kayla that, though. She’d never understand. I told her I’d talk to her later and ended the call.
Mom had sent me a text, asking if I knew the latest news about Nolan trending on the Internet. It’s not what it sounds like, I texted back. We’re just friends. The reporter got it all wrong.
That’s too bad, she replied almost immediately. I always thought you and Nolan were good together. You brought out the best in each other.
During our senior year of high school, I had suspected Mom secretly wished I had been dating Nolan. I never would’ve expected her to still feel the same way given his career and his reputation. But then, she was one of the few people who knew the real Nolan and had never put much stock in the tabloids. She knew him as the same great guy I knew him to be.
Nolan was in his room, strumming a melody he’d been working on for the past day or two. Needing to get out of here and go for a run, I rushed to change into my workout gear and sneaked out the apartment door. Nolan didn’t have an issue with me going to the store on my own, but I had a feeling he’d want to come running with me to make sure I was safe. Awesome if I wanted company. But this time I needed to run on my own. I needed to think about what to do with this whole Nolan situation.
The road wasn’t busy as I ran down the street. The occasional vehicle drove past. I hadn’t been for a hard run since the attack. My body felt a little stiff but otherwise cheered me on.
Once I arrived at the lake, I ran along the snowy path. The route wasn’t busy, thanks to the colder temperatures. Only the die-hard runners would be outside. Everyone else would be pounding away mile after mile on a treadmill. But since I spent my days working in a sports center, I preferred running outside as much as possible, cold or no cold.
The only sounds greeting me were the ragged panting of my breath and the muffled thuds of my sneakers against the snow. I felt more at peace out here than I had in a while.