Breaking Stars - J. Sterling Page 0,76

and Colin’s face softened as he stepped through the screen door uninvited, clearly mistaking the meaning of my tone. Tatum must have misunderstood too because he dropped my hand and stepped away from me.

Surprised, I glanced at Tatum, wanting to tell him that he had it all wrong. I didn’t want Colin; my tone only reflected my surprise at seeing him here, nothing else.

“Don’t be like that, babe,” Colin said in a cajoling voice.

“Don’t call me babe, and don’t tell me what to do. Why are you even here?” I said harshly.

“Because I miss you. I wanted to see you. We belong together, Paige.”

When Colin took a step toward me, I edged back. I fumbled for Tatum’s hand and linked my fingers with his. “I don’t want you. And we don’t belong together. You’re delusional.”

“Don’t say that.” Colin practically growled at me, and Tatum sucked in a deep breath.

The air crackled in the emotionally charged room as Tatum stood a little taller and flexed his muscles as he boomed at Colin, “Your ears busted or something, man?”

Colin shifted his weight from foot to foot as Tatum leaned forward slightly and bit out, “Did you hear the lady or not?”

“I heard her,” Colin said, sounding more like a punk kid trying to talk back to his parents. “But we have history. And what—you think she’s going to stay here forever with you? What are you, a farmer?” He laughed, and Jayson followed suit.

From the corner of my eye, I could see Mrs. Montgomery’s hands ball into fists at her side, and I felt my own anger rise.

“You’re a good-looking guy, I’ll give you that.” Jayson smirked at Tatum, then said smugly, “But there’s no way that this thing you two have going on would ever last in California. I’m sure it was a nice little fling, but it’s over now. Do you need me to write you a check to make you feel better?”

“Jayson!” I shouted as Tatum once again tensed beside me. I knew Jayson’s words were embarrassing him, and it killed me. This was the type of game they played in Hollywood, but Tatum wasn’t from there. He’d never had to deal with this kind of thing before.

“Don’t listen to them,” I whispered at him. “They’re just trying to get inside your head. Please don’t let them. They don’t know me at all. You know me. Don’t forget that.”

Jayson wiped the smile off his face and softened his tone, obviously changing tactics. “I’m sure you’re a reasonable guy. You can certainly understand that Paige has been off the radar for weeks now and, well, that’s not good for business or her reputation.”

It was my turn to be shocked as I flinched at his words, wondering how much of what he was saying was true.

“She left town during a pretty chaotic time, as I’m sure you both know.” Jayson glanced between Tatum and his mom. “And the rumor mill won’t stop churning out the stories. Paige, did you know that you’re in rehab? That’s why no one’s seen you. You’ve been in rehab for depression over what happened with Colin.”

My stomach churned. That couldn’t possibly be true, or Quinn would have told me. Wouldn’t she?

“I don’t believe you,” I said, and crossed my arms over my chest as I narrowed my eyes at my agent and my ex.

Jayson pulled out his phone and swiped at the screen before turning it to me. A tabloid headline read:

Paige Lockwood Attempts Suicide Over Colin’s Mistresses. Details Inside!

“Oh my God! Why didn’t you put a stop to this?” I asked as the horror of it all came crashing down around me. I sucked in a quick breath, my head shaking as tears filled my eyes. “Because bad publicity is still publicity, right? And as long as people are talking about you, you’re still relevant. It doesn’t matter what they’re saying as long as they’re saying something. You taught me that.”

Jayson’s features settled into what looked like pity and disapproval. “Honestly, Paige, Corryn’s working on putting out that fire, releasing statements nonstop, but they’re very hard to corroborate when no one can find you or talk to you. Everyone believes these stories because no one’s seen you for weeks. This little stunt you pulled backfired. Big time.”

What had I done? What the hell had I just done to my career?

Tatum dropped my hand and turned to me. “Go talk to them. Figure this out.”

I nodded. “Okay. I’ll be right back.” I leaned up on my