36. Sloane

CHAPTER 36

SLOANE

G racelyn holds my hair back while I vomit into the toilet, every morsel I ingested over the last twenty-fours emptying from my stomach.

“Breathe, Sloane. It’s okay, it’s okay.” She repeats the mantra over and over again. Like if she keeps saying it, I’ll believe her and everything will miraculously turn out fine.

Like none of this ever happened.

But I know better.

Things are not okay. I’m not okay.

Images of those women—busty and beautiful—having sex with Cam’s teammates. With Cam. I can’t unsee them. The mile-high stilettos, all the curves, the things they were doing with each other.

The X-rated scene out in the universe, for everyone to see.

This is worse than what happened with Ratface. At least only the office and a few mutual friends knew about that .

Cam cheated on me—and there’s video evidence. Everyone in the whole wide world will know.

I’m humiliated once again and this time on a freaking global scale.

But that’s not even the worst part.

The worst part is he broke my heart. Smashed it into a million pieces, then ran over it with a tank.

The first chance he got to leave town, he cheated on me. With multiple women.

He treated me like I was nothing to him. Like we were nothing.

I’m not enough for Cam. I never was.

I’m boring old good girl Sloane.

Nothing will be the same for Cam and me again.

He’s not who I thought he was. We’re not what I thought we were. Not if he could do this to me.

Jamie’s trilling voice echoes in my head: “ Bless your heart.”

That smug expression, the smirk on her ruby red lips.

She sat in waiting, like a lioness stalking her prey. Waited for the chance to swoop in and ruin things.

Maybe she did you a favor.

I vomit one more time, a burning sensation from my gut all the way up through my throat.

“Sloane, you want me to stay the night?” Gracelyn rubs my back as I dry heave, the contents of my stomach now depleted.

Wiping my mouth with the back of my hand, I rise gingerly from the tile floor. My knees ache and I’m weak from puking my guts out. I clutch at the vanity and shake my head.

“You have clients in the morning. I’ll be okay.” My voice is raspy and unconvincing .

“I can cancel them. I feel like I shouldn’t leave you alone.”

She stares at me with such pity my eyes prick with tears.

“No. Go home. I’ll be fine.”

Throwing her arms around me, she wraps me in a tight hug. The tears well and sparkle in my lashes, threatening to fall. But I don’t want to cry, not right now in front of Gracelyn. I need to be alone.

“I love you. We’ll make it through this.” Gracelyn squishes me harder and my nose stings as I fight back tears. “Okay, let’s get you into bed before I go.”

She waits while I brush my teeth, scrubbing the acid from my cottony mouth. Then she leads me to my bedroom like a child, insisting I undress and put on pj’s. I protest, but she’s having none of it.

Finally, she pulls back the covers on my bed and tucks me in, moonlight streaming through the slats of my blinds.

“There. Snug as a bug in a rug. I’ll call you tomorrow first thing. And if you need anything—anything at all—call me. Doesn’t matter the time, just call.”

“Okay,” I mumble.

“Promise?”

“Yes, I promise.”

“Night.” She pats my arm and I’m relieved it’s dark because the tears finally win, spilling onto my cheeks.

Grace tiptoes out and I stare up at the popcorn ceiling, sniffling like a baby. Every inch of my body aches and I’m honestly not sure if I’m going to survive this.

Walking in on Ratface and his secretary was debasing. Calling off the wedding was mortifying.

But this?

One million times worse .

I loved Cam and he let me down so hard it’s like I dove out of a jet headfirst at 14,000 feet without a parachute. Crashing to the ground and shattering. All because of him and his cheating ways.

The nightstand rattles and my cell lights up, but I don’t have the strength to reach out and answer. One, two, three rings, then silence as the call goes to voicemail.

Then the ping of a text.

Still, I can’t bring myself to look, frozen beneath the sheets.

I have nothing to say right now.

I just want to be alone.

Quite possibly forever.