“The E! network? How could you do that?”
“Calm down, Gina,” Luke responded, his voice low, so as not to draw more attention to them. But Gina was having none of it.
“Calm down? I will not calm down! You screwed me! Now the whole world thinks I’m a liar!”
“Knows,” Luke corrected her. “The whole world knows you’re a liar.”
“Screw you, Luke.”
Elle watched in awe, not having any understanding of what they were talking about. But she’d be lying if she said she wasn’t curious. In fact, curious didn’t do her emotions justice. She was dying to know. Without even realizing it, her feet inched toward them until her toes reached the concrete around the pool. Across the glistening water, she watched as their argument continued.
“You need to sleep this off.” Luke touched Gina’s elbow, but she pulled away.
“I don’t need to do anything! My publicist just spent the better half of this party screaming at me, you asshole!”
Whitney approached Luke and Gina, looking embarrassed at Gina’s ridiculous display. “What the hell is going on?”
“Him. He told E! News I lied.”
Whitney crossed her arms in front of her chest. “You did, didn’t you?”
Gina looked exasperated, flailing her arms and throwing her head back and screaming into the air, “Of course I did! And if this idiot were smart, he would’ve just gone along with it! Now I’m the laughingstock of Hollywood!”
Luke shrugged, his words stern and unwavering. “I told you I wasn’t interested, Gina, but you did it anyway. What the hell did you expect? I’m not your puppet.”
“Oh, that’s right.” Gina threw her head wildly from side to side before locking eyes with Elle across the pool. “You’re her puppet! Isn’t that right, Elle?”
Luke grabbed Gina’s elbow. “Do not bring her into this.”
Elle’s heart raced as she watched everything transpire, doing her best to process what, in her heart, she already knew to be true. Luke had nothing to do with the Us Weekly article or a showmance of any kind. It was Gina. All Gina.
“Or what?” Gina pulled away from his grasp, crossing her arms in front of her chest.
Whitney took a few steps to stand beside the actress. “Oh for God’s sake, shut up!” With one swift nudge from Whitney, Gina’s heels wobbled over the edge of the pool until she plunged into the water. She screeched as her arms splashed about. Most of the attendees watched as Gina popped back to the surface. Once she did, Elle, Luke, and everyone else near the pool looked to Whitney with mouths agape.
“What?” Whitney raised one shoulder, her hand resting gently on her hip, like it was no big deal. “It’s the shallow end.”
Elle pressed her hand to her mouth, her chest heaving with laughter. She wanted nothing more than to run around the pool and tackle Whitney with a grateful hug. But she refrained. Instead, she watched as Nolan walked to the steps of the pool, offering Gina his hand. Surprised by his compassion, Elle smiled. The actress attempted to pull him into the pool with her, but Nolan anchored himself with the handrail, shaking his head at her as he guided her up the steps.
She was soaked, her chiffon dress like a second skin on her body. Elle curled her lips underneath her teeth, her hand still blocking her mouth as she watched the actress, who looked ridiculous. One of the waiters brought her a towel, wrapping it around her body and guiding her into the mansion.
Elle stood, watching Luke from across the pool. When his eyes found hers, he smiled—a smile Elle could only describe as relieved. She finally knew the truth—but that didn’t make their situation any less precarious. He polished off his drink, placed it on a server’s tray, and gave Elle a salute, bidding her good night. Her stomach tied itself in knots as she watched him hug Whitney and shake the hands of those around him, before turning and exiting the party.
“Well, that was interesting.” Troy’s arms were crossed in front of his broad chest. “Poor girl.”
“Poor girl? Do you know the hell that poor girl has put me through? The lies she’s told, the damage she’s done?”
Although true, her words were venomous and Elle regretted them the second she finished uttering them. She was backing herself in a corner with Troy, forcing him to learn more than she wanted him to know about her failed relationship with Luke.
“Still,” Troy said, shaking his head, “she didn’t deserve that.”
“She’ll dry off and be fine. But the damage she’s done . . . it’s so much more than a ruined gown. Trust me.”
“I guess I’ll have to,” Troy replied with a furrowed brow. “Because I know almost nothing about your life, Rigby. I’m on a need-to-know basis, I guess.”
Elle turned on her heel and crossed her arms in front of her chest. “Excuse me?”
“Listen.” He ran his hands through his hair before placing his hand behind her back and leading her to a quiet spot near the dance floor. “I realized tonight I know almost nothing about your life, and that sucks.”
“That’s what happens when you disappear for ten years.”
Troy flinched. She’d finally said it. Finally said what she had been dying to say for months. Conflicted relief flooded her body. The words, albeit satisfying, were weapons, aimed to inflict pain. She knew it, as did he.
“Let’s not do this here, Eleanor.”
Elle rolled her eyes. “Don’t say my name as if you’re scolding me.”
“I’m not calling you Elle.”
“And why not? What would be the harm?”
“Because that’s not who you are—it’s who you want all of them to think you are.”
Enraged, Elle’s eyes widened. “And what is that, exactly? A success? A Golden Globe–winning show runner? Is it so difficult for you to see me as anything but the bitch who broke your heart?”
“No.” Troy looked up at the darkened sky. “Look, I didn’t mean that, I just . . . why do I feel like we always veer off course? We’re fine one minute, bickering the next. I hate it.”
“I hate it, too.”
“All night long, I’ve watched you. I’ve watched you and Kingston—and don’t even get me started on your little disappearing act.”
“Nothing happened. I wouldn’t do that to you, Troy. Never.”
“But you wanted to, didn’t you?”
Elle had no response. The truth would be too painful. Troy was slipping through her fingers and their fight was heading in such a speed, she was powerless to stop it. She just had to hold on, take her lumps, and do her best to survive it.
“For God’s sake, Rigby, just tell the truth. What do you want?”
“I don’t know!”
“Let me rephrase. Who do you want, Rigby? Who?”
Elle closed her eyes tight. “Luke,” she whispered, unable to look Troy in the eye. “I want Luke.”
“I knew it.” Troy’s voice cracked.
“I was falling in love with him before you resurfaced in my life. And that love . . . it won’t go away, no matter how much I try. It consumes me.”
“I don’t know what to say.” Troy bared his teeth before pressing his lips together tightly. His eyes avoided hers as they stood in the moonlight.
“I’m so sorry, Troy. So very sorry I dragged you into this.”
“Was this some sort of revenge or something?”
Elle shook her head, quickly, back and forth, back and forth. Shocked by the question. For months, she’d wondered the same thing about Troy’s intentions—never, for even one minute, did she consider he might question her motives.
“Absolutely not. I promise you with all that I am.”
“Then what?” Troy’s face fell, his eyes soft and pleading. “What do you want from me?”