Chapter 20

MIRANDA

After Dylan stormed out earlier,I cried for about an hour. Then I cleaned up the burned spaghetti sauce. Then I kept cleaning. And cleaning. And cleaning.

I’m scrubbing the baseboards when I get Daniel’s call.

“Are you watching the news?”

“The news?” I frown. “Who watches the news anymore?”

I hear his huff of frustration over the line. “Turn on your TV. Channel 4. Right now.”

I drop the cloth I’m using and go over to the living room and grab my remote, flipping the TV on to Channel 4.

“Mark Morales, at Mercy hospital, has more on this breaking story,” says the perky news reporter, right before the screen flips to a reporter standing beside the hospital bed of a guy who looks like he got beat up really badly.

That’s when I read the ticker running at the bottom of the screen.

Tech billionaire Dylan Lennox, Lennox Brothers Corp, in jail tonight after bar brawl at a strip club leaves two hospitalized.

“Holy shit.”

“Right?” Daniel agrees.

We both watch in silence.

“This is Mark Morales of KQYN. So let me just ask a few questions to set the stage. You and your buddies were at the Big Bottoms Gentleman’s Club?”

The man in the hospital bed nods. “Just blowing off some steam on guy’s night, ya know how it is.”

It’s a little hard to understand him because his jaw is swollen and his lip is split. His nose is obviously broken and there’s a large white bandage circling his head, not to mention the black eye and what looks like a broken arm.

Holy shit, did Dylan really do all that?

“But then this guy just comes and jumps us. He must have been on something with as crazy as he was. He just starts wailing on my friend so I jumped in to try to protect him and the guy turns on me.”

“Did you recognize the man as Dylan Lennox, tech billionaire?”

“Naw, man. It was dark in there. I just knew there was this guy like on meth or whatever, just savage. He was attacking us and I had to do whatever it took to keep my friend from getting killed.”

My shoulders slump and I feel about ten inches tall.

“Miranda? You there?”

I startle at Daniel’s voice. I’d forgotten he was on the phone.

God, I don’t even want to answer because answering might lead to questions which would only lead to more questions, which would—

“Miran—”

“I’m here.”

“Are you okay? Is Dylan violent? Has he ever hurt you or threaten—”

“No! God. He’s not like that, okay? We got in a fight today and he was upset when he left, but he’s not violent.”

“Two guys in the hospital says different.”

“He’s not violent towards me. Towards women. There’s a difference.”

Daniel makes a noise like he’s not convinced and I swipe a hand down my face. I don’t have time to deal with Daniel right now.

“Look, thanks for calling me. This was really helpful and I really do appreciate it.”

“But fuck off? Look, okay, I get it. I just worry about you. And if he ever hurts you, I’ll cut his balls off and roast them for dinner.”

“Wow, thanks for that image.”

“You’re welcome.” There’s a pause and then, “But seriously, babe. You okay?”

I sigh, muting the TV as the reporter continues to talk to the oaf in the hospital bed. “I will be.”

I don’t know if that’s true but it’s what Daniel needs to hear.

Long after Daniel hangs up and the news segment is over, I’m still trying to think of what to do.

Because something has to be done.

This is my fault. Dylan already had such skewed misconceptions about himself because of how his father raised him and the things he liked in bed. Then with what I revealed to him about Darren, on top of learning about me and Bryce and that night…

He has no support system right now. He’s all alone in the world and I know better than anyone how desperate and terrifying a feeling that is.

Bryce made me feel helpless and worthless but over the last month with Dylan I’ve finally begun to believe it’s not true. Together we were strong.

He’s still the other half of me. Even if I’ve hurt him too much for him to ever be able to be with me—oh God even the thought chokes me and makes me want to fall to my knees and curl up in a ball, but I fight the impulse—even if he can never be with me, I’m still the only one who can help him right now.

He’s still my heart and I’m his. So I’ll help him in the only way I can think of. I’ll fight for him when he can’t fight for himself.