Breaking Stars - J. Sterling Page 0,96

the first time in what felt like months. “Did you get the e-mail with the contracts?”

“I did. They should already be headed back to you right after my lawyer looks them over.”

“Perfect.”

“Any idea on a word change for fans?” I asked before I forgot, caught up in the excitement over posting that online.

“Oh! Yes. I was thinking friends.”

I released a short breath as I smiled to myself. “Oh jeez, of course! The answer was so simple, it was hard to find. I love it. Thank you.”

“One last thing. You can either hit publish on that now, or you can wait until I get all the websites updated with your new agent contact information. It’s up to you,” Madison said, all business, and I liked it.

“How long will that take?”

“About fifteen minutes.”

I laughed. “Oh! I thought you were going to say like two days or something. Text me when you’re done with the update. I’ll make sure my website contact information is updated as well before I post it.”

“I’m excited, Paige!”

“Me too,” I said before hanging up.

And I was. This would be the first time I was truly standing up for myself, speaking my piece in a way that no one could take away from me—not the press, not Colin, not Jayson, not anyone who wanted to bring me down with lies, accusations, or false words. There would be no reading it wrong or getting the wrong idea, no misinformation, because it would have come straight from me.

I sucked in a long breath before I exhaled it slowly, a smile on my face as I waited for the signal to press Post.

When my phone dinged, I glanced down and saw the message from Madison that simply said, “GO FOR IT.”

So I did.

Who Cheated First

Paige

My phone had been ringing off the hook since the letter went live on my website. Madison informed me that we crashed the server multiple times, and that screenshots of the letter were currently going viral on all media outlets and social media sites.

Feeling quite happy with myself, I silenced my phone for the night. For the first time since getting back to LA, I fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

Reaching my hands over my head in the morning as I stretched, I instinctively reached for my cell sitting on my nightstand and turned the volume up, noticing the insane amount of missed calls, text messages, and e-mails. My phone hadn’t blown up like that since the news of Colin cheating had broken.

I wrongly assumed that overload of messages were from the press wanting further comment about my open letter, but as I opened up the Internet browser on my cell, my breath caught in my throat as headlines with my name caught my eye.

Paige Cheated First! And We Have the Proof!

Colin Heartbroken Over a Cheating Paige!

Paige Gets Cozy with this Southern Hunk!

My heart dropped as I scanned the photos that accompanied the lies, all pulled from various social media accounts. One was of Tatum and me at the field party, sitting in the back of his truck, and the other was of us kissing inside the bar. And I’d just mentioned the field party and the trucks in my letter the night before.

Dropping my head into my hands, I wondered when this nightmare was going to end. When had I become a target for constant scandal? Refocusing, I clicked on one of the headlines and scanned the contents of the article, noticing the mentions of “reliable sources” that meant absolutely nothing when it came to sensational journalism these days.

How could I have forgotten that I told everyone from Hanford they could start posting the pictures once I left town? Rubbing my eyes with the palm of my hands, I was suddenly scared for the sweet town. The press, not to mention the world, would soon know everything about my time away and the people who were a part of it. The one thing I had longed to keep quiet would soon become an absolute circus. I could never stand to show my face there again if I ruined their peace and quiet. How would I forgive myself?

Glancing back at the pictures, I couldn’t ignore the way my stomach flipped when I looked at Tatum’s face next to mine. And the photo of us kissing in the bar almost made me come apart completely. Everything I felt for him seemed so transparent, so glaringly obvious in that picture. I missed him. But as quickly as that emotion entered