Chapter 38

CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT

Drake

"What are you doing here?" Miranda's brown eyes widen as she looks up from the counter. Those perfectly shaped eyebrows furrow the moment she takes me in. I stand in the middle of her spa's waiting room and wonder if coming here was a mistake. I should've waited to confront her until after I cooled down.

Thankfully, she doesn't have any clients at this moment to overhear. The last thing I need is more bad press. I'm barely over the previous shitshow and don't want to jeopardize my contract negotiations. But I do need answers, or at least to speak my mind.

"Cut the shit, Miranda. You know exactly why I'm here. Why did you run to the press?"

Her eyes dart away for a second before they meet mine again. "I don't know what you're talking about, Drake." Her voice is as smooth as silk. But the slight quiver in her perfect lips gives her away. I've often been on the receiving end of those lips and that voice.

"Don't play games with me." I glare at her, my anger simmering beneath the surface. "You leaked the story. The one about Lila and me."

A flicker of something crosses her face. Guilt? Satisfaction? It's hard to tell with her poker face. "It wasn't me," she maintains, but her voice tremors betray her otherwise confident facade.

I push away from the counter and pace in front of her, my frustration boiling. "You don't get it Miranda. This isn't just about me anymore." I pause, swallowing down the lump in my throat before I turn back on her again. "This affects Lila too."

She scoffs. "So what? You both humiliated me. You strung me along. Used me."

"Used you? For what?"

"You're going to stand here and pretend we had nothing between us?"

I run my hand down my scruff, and I look at her, really look at her—the poised, polished woman I'd once called my girlfriend. The woman I thought I knew. Now, she just seems as cold and calculated as this spa. But there is some truth to what she says. I did use her, in a way. Not for her money or status like she did with me, but for comfort, for companionship.

"I am truly sorry and never intended to hurt you. I wanted to try with you. It's just…" I toss my arms up and let them fall at my side. "When I saw Lila, something snapped. She's a part of me I can't ever shake off. But this isn't about us anymore. This is about what's right."

She folds her arms across her chest, her red lips pursing into a thin line. "And what is ‘right,' Drake? Protecting your little ex-girlfriend?"

"Lila didn't deserve to be dragged into this," I answer firmly. "She didn't ask for any of this."

Miranda tosses her hair back and laughs bitterly. "And neither did I."

"No," I admit, staring at her squarely. "No, you didn't. But did you ever think about the harm you caused a seven-year-old? I get I hurt you, but that wasn't intentional. What you did was malicious and cruel."

There's a moment of silence as we stare at each other. The tension in the room is thick enough to cut with a knife. But there's also something else—regret? Understanding? Maybe both.

"I didn't think about Jake." Tears well in her eyes. "I just wanted this to work out so badly."

"You'll find someone. And when you do, they'll be damn lucky to have you."

She blinks rapidly, the tears spilling over her cheeks. "You really think so?" she chokes out, her voice trembling.

"I do," I say, the words filled with nothing but sincerity. "But you need to do right by Lila and Jake."

She nods, and I take off feeling lighter than when I came, which is good because I have important things to do. I haven't seen my girlfriend in five days. I'm not sure what I'm walking into, but I think she's ready to accept me into her life, which is good because nothing will stop what I have planned.