Love Left Behind (39 page)

"Let's just try to
forget this ever happened," I said, feeling sad and tired. "It'll go
away on its own eventually."

"Unfortunately, I
don't think that's going to happen." Jackson took a deep breath.
"Marcie, my publicist, told me that Candace is planning on playing the
jilted girlfriend. Her people contacted Marcie, trying to get me to play along,
thinking that I'd welcome any publicity since our movie just came out, but
Marcie knew to refuse. Candace is trying to cross over into the music industry
and she's debuting her single in a matter of days. They're going to milk this
publicity for all its worth. But I swear Emma, we were never together."

It took a moment for
Jackson's words to sink in, horror growing at the realization that this was far
from over. "But I thought she was your friend! How could she do that to
you? Hasn't she admitted before to the press that you two aren't dating?"

Jackson laughed
humorlessly. "The word friend can be a loose term in Hollywood. I'm only
her friend when it's convenient for her. She's going to claim we kept our
relationship a secret so that we didn't have to deal with the paparazzi. A
cheating boyfriend garners much more sympathy, which they're hoping translates
into record sales."

"What am I going
to do?" I said, panic making my voice sharp. "Everyone is going to
think I'm some slut that stole you away from Candace."

"Marcie has an
idea to diffuse the situation," Jackson said slowly. "It might sound
a little crazy but just hear me out. Candace and her people are banking on me
denying that we ever dated and that she's making the whole story up. They think
it'll make Candace look even more sympathetic when I won't acknowledge our
relationship. But Marcie thinks we can turn this story around. I told her about
us, that we had been in a relationship a long time ago. She thinks we should
play that up, that we should pretend we're reconnecting. She thinks people will
eat up the story that I've fallen in love again with the girl I lost before I
got famous and will excuse any indiscretions that may have happened along the
way."

"That is the most
ridiculous thing I've ever heard," I spat out, almost choking on my words.
"It'll just make it into a bigger story. The last thing I want is my
personal life splashed on the pages of some trashy tabloid."

"I wish the story
would just go away for your sake, but you don't know how ruthless people in
this industry can be. They'll do anything to promote themselves, even if it
means dragging innocent people into the mess. I don't think you understand how
out of control this can get. At least if we're proactive, we can try and keep
it confined."

"I don't know,
Jackson," I whispered. "I just don't know. I'd rather just ignore it
all."

"Just think about
it," Jackson said, his voice low and soothing. "We would just have to
pretend for a little bit, until Candace realizes I'm not going to give
in."

"I'll think about
it. I have to go now. This is starting to interfere with my work."

I tried to concentrate
on marketing reports after I hung up with Jackson, but my mind was in a state
of chaos. I called myself a coward when I saw Drew's number pop up on my cell
phone and ignored it. I managed to get some work done but finally surrendered
at seven o'clock, knowing that I was just torturing myself by staring blankly
at ad campaign results.

I had been camped out
in my office all day, ordering in lunch and thanking God that I didn't have any
meetings today. There were still plenty of people working when I stepped out of
my office and I was painfully aware of all the heads swiveling towards me.

"Marie, I'm
leaving for the day. I'll see you tomorrow."

Marie nodded
sympathetically, already having given me a stack of messages earlier, most of
which had nothing to do with work. The most nerve-wracking ones were the
messages from reporters, clamoring for an interview. It seemed that the details
of my life had been ripped open, including where I worked.

I escaped without
having to make pleasantries with any co-workers, relieved when I was able to
catch a cab as soon as I exited the building. The relief disappeared when the
cab arrived in front of my apartment building and I saw a cluster of paparazzi
waiting by the door. They immediately caught sight of me and ran towards the
cab, wielding their cameras in front of them like weapons.

"Emma, how long
have you been dating Jackson Reynard?"

"Do you know
Candace Stile? How do you feel about stealing Jackson from her?"

"Is it true
Jackson was planning on proposing to Candace and you put a stop to it?"

"Emma, how do you
feel about being called a home wrecker?"

"Are you dating
Jackson for his money?"

Their shouts were
clearly audible through the window of the cab. The driver rolled down his
window, yelling expletives and telling them what they could do with their
cameras. He turned around to look at me after he had rolled his window back up.

"Do you want me to
drop you off somewhere else?" I was grateful that at least my cab driver
didn't seem interested in the personal details of my life.

"No, I have to go
home eventually. But thanks."

After I paid the cab
driver, I opened the car door, trying to use it to push the photographers back.
I felt a hand grab my arm and I looked up, seeing Harry's grim face. He used
himself as a shield, taking his jacket off and wrapping it around my head, pushing
the paparazzi away with his body until we got into the building.

"Don't even think
about trespassing in here or I'll call the cops!" he yelled out, ushering
me deeper into the lobby. They heeded his warning but continued snapping
pictures as they pressed against the glass wall of the building like rabid
animals.

Harry pressed the
button for the elevator, standing between me and the front of the lobby,
shielding me from the cameras.

"Are you okay,
Emma?"

I was still in a state
of shock at how persistent they had been. They didn't seem to care about
anything except getting their shot, pushing into me painfully and shoving their
cameras into my face. I couldn't believe that people could behave in such a
disgusting manner.

"I am now. Thanks
so much for getting me through that, Harry." My voice was strained as I
tried to come to terms with being a hunted commodity.

Harry gently guided me
into the elevator when the doors opened. "Don't worry, I won't let anybody
get through. Give me a call if you need anything."

I thanked Harry again,
grateful when the elevators doors closed, whisking me away from prying eyes.
Now that it was public knowledge where I lived, I didn't know where I could go
to escape.

I felt numb as I went
through the motions of changing out of my work clothes and heating up a frozen
dinner. I tried to eat my chicken parmigiana that tasted like cardboard until I
couldn't take it anymore, pushing it aside and grabbing my laptop. I scrolled
through stories about Jackson and Candace, about me and Jackson, about how I
had seduced Jackson as a calculated move, wanting to break into the acting
industry. Some of the stories were outright crazy, claiming that I had
pretended to be a maid in a hotel that Jackson was staying at so I could sneak
into his room and offer my naked body to him.

The posts from random
people in response to the articles were just as painful. They were ugly and
judgmental. Post after post discussed how unbelievable it was that Jackson
could leave someone as gorgeous as Candace Stile for a plain little nobody like
me, how I was a gold-digger looking for my ticket to a life of luxury.

I slammed my laptop
closed, tears streaming down my face. I was being publicly flogged for
something I didn't do. Jackson told me he had never dated Candace and he hadn't
cheated on her with me. I didn't want to think about whether I would have still
slept with Jackson even if they had been in a relationship. I didn't want to
know the answer.

I turned my cell phone
off even though I had already turned off the ringer, sick of the light
constantly flashing indicating an incoming call. I turned on the television,
hoping to distract myself. I was flipping through the channels when I saw an
entertainment news show announcing an exclusive interview with Candace Stile
about her relationship with Jackson Reynard in the upcoming segment.

I stayed on the
channel, needing to hear what Candace herself would say. Maybe she would admit
to never having been involved with Jackson. It was naive but I was desperate
for a way out of this.

I was tense as I waited
for the commercials to end and then watched with bated breath as the show ran a
summary of the alleged accusations of infidelity, complete with pictures of
Jackson and me staring into each other's eyes. Finally, the host of the show
sat across from Candace, who managed to look breathtakingly gorgeous while
looking utterly despondent.

"Candace, thank
you so much for talking with me today. I know it's been a rough time for you
with the news about you and Jackson breaking today."

Candace put on a brave
smile, her voice trembling a little. "Thanks for having me, Robin. I can't
lie, it's been really hard. But I decided that hiding wasn't the right
decision. I didn't do anything wrong and I want to let women out there know
that they shouldn't be ashamed if they get cheated on. It isn't their
fault."

The host nodded
approvingly. "That's very admirable of you, Candace. Can you tell me what
happened between you and Jackson?"

"We've been dating
for a year, although I know news of our relationship just recently came out. We
were trying to keep it quiet so that we could have some privacy. Even though
we're in the public eye, we wanted to keep it to ourselves. I wanted to protect
my love for Jackson from prying eyes."

I felt like throwing up
as I watched the host nod understandingly. I had to give it to Candace, she was
an amazing actress. She looked vulnerable and utterly defenseless as she told
her story.

"When did you find
out that Jackson was unfaithful?"

Candace teared up,
biting her lip as she struggled to answer the question. "Same as everyone
else. I saw pictures of Jackson with another woman online."

"Have you spoken
to Jackson since then?"

"Yes, I called him
right after I saw the pictures. I was hoping it was all a misunderstanding, and
that the pictures were innocent. But Jackson told me that he no longer wanted
to be with me. That it was over."

The host handed Candace
a tissue, and she blotted at her eyes although I noticed that no tears actually
fell.

"So you and
Jackson were still together up until today? There had been some rumors that you
two had already broken up."

Candace shook her head,
looking crestfallen. "Those were just rumors. Up until today, I thought we
were still in love."

"What do you know
about the woman that Jackson cheated on you with? Our sources tell us that her
name is Emma Mills and she works for an ad agency in New York."

"That's about as
much as I know," Candace replied glumly. "I don't know her. I've
never met her. I don't ever want to meet her. I just want to move on with my
life."

I sat in stunned
silence as Candace used her last statement as a segue to talk about her single
coming out. I wanted to reach inside the television and scratch her eyes out. I
didn't understand how she could lie so easily and destroy someone's reputation
all for the sake of her own success. She was already rich and famous, but she
was greedy for more.

I turned on my phone,
ignoring all the voicemails, and called Jackson. He picked up on the first
ring.

"Did you see
it?" he asked grimly, not bothering to greet me.

"I saw it. I want
to find Candace Stile and rip her hair out."

Jackson chuckled
despite the circumstances. "I don't blame you. If it makes you feel any
better, most of it is hair extensions."

I couldn't suppress a
small smile at Jackson's revelation, finding humor in it, despite my world
crumbling around me.

"Do you really
think it's necessary to come up with an elaborate lie to diffuse the situation?
Can't we just see if it fades on its own?"

"This is just the
beginning, Emma. Marcie believes that they have a whirlwind of press planned.
This could get much uglier before it's over. Having the public turn on you can
get pretty nasty. Unfortunately, I've seen it happen way too many times. I'm
not worried about me. People tend to forgive celebrities way too easily and I
really don't give a shit what they say. But you're going to suffer the brunt of
their censure."

"Can't we just say
it's all a lie?" I cried. "How can she get away with this?"

"It's all about
the illusion," Jackson said bitterly. "People don't care about the
truth. They just want a good story and they'll run with it. It doesn't matter
if it's a lie, as long as people believe it."

I felt beaten down,
unsure how to fight this amorphous enemy that I didn't understand. I was
unequipped to deal with this type of situation, so I decided to leave it in the
hands of the professionals.

"Okay, let's do
whatever we have to do to make this die down."

"I knew you would
make the right decision," Jackson said approvingly. "You don't have
to do anything yet. Marcie is booking some interviews for me so that I can tell
my side of the story. I have my first one tomorrow. In the meantime, don't say
anything to anyone, especially the press."

"Don't worry, the
last thing I want to do is deal with the press. It's bad enough having them
hover around my apartment."

"I didn't think
they had discovered where you lived yet." Jackson's voice was hard and
flat. "Those bastards are like the plague. I wish I could come over, but
that has to wait until after my interview. I'll send someone over."