split.
As for Mr. Simon, the news that he’s in actuality the elusive Lee Holloway, whose best-selling books have been made into movies, is a surprise. Long heralded as the playboy of the Simon family, he’s been linked to several socialites, actresses, and a model or two. Some of whom were otherwise married. With this new insight into this fascinating member of the Simons, one has to wonder if his new relationship was born out of love or is it just research?”
A picture flashed across the screen, taken the night Morgan and Cooper had attended the hockey game in Boston. The caption below it: Cooper Simon’s New Mystery Lady Revealed. Another photo came up and stole Morgan’s breath.
It was a picture of Morgan after she’d run an Olympic qualifier. She stood there, a huge smile pasted on her face, her lithe body shiny from sweat as she accepted her award. She was young, vibrant, and beautiful. In that moment, she was whole. Undamaged.
“Cooper’s mystery woman is no longer a mystery. Her name is Morgan Campbell. At one time, she was touted as the next big thing in the sprinting world. Sadly, her career came to an end when a car she was driving hit a transport truck, killing her mother and horribly maiming the young woman. She spent several months in the hospital recovering from major burns sustained in the fire and, according to a source, was left horribly scarred.”
The reporter paused as a video rolled, showing the last ten seconds of the last race Morgan had ever run. It segued into video footage of the crash site. A close-up of the mangled car and the blackened road, burned from the fire. Along the side of the road, a body was covered. A body? It was her mother.
Throat tight, she felt her mask slipping. She’d never seen these. Not once.
She stared carefully at the image, aware that Sara was crying and in Hank’s arms. Aware that Cooper stood inches to her left.
The bright orange beanie she’d worn that night lay on the ground, inches from where her mother lay. Odd, but Morgan wondered whatever happened to that beanie. Did she still have it? Would she have kept it?
The reporter launched into more details, but Morgan didn’t want to see anymore. She clicked off the television, and then there was silence. She tossed the remote onto her father’s worn La-Z-Boy and slowly turned to face Cooper. It took a bit for her to manage to get some words out. When she finally did, she was grateful she sounded calm and composed.
“Is all this true?”
Grimly, he nodded.
“Were you ever going to tell me?”
Again, he nodded. “Yeah. I was.”
Already cars were pulling up outside, and there was a gathering of people at the curb. All of them from out of town. All of them with Morgan Campbell in their sights. It scared the crap out of her.
She was afraid her mask would slip again and took an extra heartbeat to get her shit together. She couldn’t do this. Didn’t want to do this. But it was the only way she knew she’d survive.
Retreat. The word screamed inside her head.
She moved past him, sidestepped when he would have grabbed her arm, and headed for the stairs. She heard Cooper swear, and Hank stepped up, blocking him from following Morgan.
She took the first step but paused before fleeing to the sanctuary of her room, searching for the right words to convey what was inside her. He’d lied to her from the beginning. About everything. And now her past, her pain, and her guilt, was there for everyone to see.
“Morgan, let me explain.” Cooper took another step toward her.
“Was I just a muse to you? Inspiration for that book you’ve been working on? Did you use my pain for your art? Is that all I was?”
“No.” The word tore out of him. She almost believed him.
“How can I believe that? You’ve shared nothing with me, and yet you know everything about my life.” She laughed bitterly. “And now the whole world knows. They know about us, my mother. My scars. I tried to hide for so long.” Anger washed over her, pressing hard. So hard she could barely get the words out. “You pulled me out into the open. You made me want to live again and be normal, and, God, you made me feel beautiful again.”
She would not cry. Not in front of him.
“Morgan, please let me explain. I need to explain.”
“I’m sure you do.” She