CHAPTER THREE
KATE
“And now release into Savasana. Feel the breath leaving your body, wave by wave.” Anna’s silky voice drifts across the room. Her words stick to my sweat-coated arms as I try to relax on the foam mat.
“I hate you.” Lily whispers from the corner of her mouth next to me. “I hate you so much right now.”
“The feeling is mutual.” I whisper back, eyes closed, feeling very much like the corpse this pose called for. “We are never doing this after a night out again.”
“I’m never drinking again.”
“Liar.”
“Your face is a liar.”
“Savasana requires silence, ladies.” Anna gently reprimands us from the front. I’m surprised she hasn’t booted us from the class already because we are forever being lectured. “This is a time of reflection and peace.”
I swallow the sharp laugh welling in my throat. There is no peace for me right now. Anna can’t even feign ignorance because my entire life is pasted across every news outlet and magazine on the planet. Who doesn’t love a good Look How They’ve Fallen story?
Everyone stares at me when I walk into yoga every week as is. They know. They know there is no peace while they gossip over their mat rolls and bare feet. In the way they sneak glances across the room, to see if I’m crying again during our breathing exercises.
I should probably stop coming here. Forever. The hangover doesn’t help.
Anna hits the gong to signal the end of class and everyone shuffles to their feet. I can feel their hot gazes as they leave. I become more corpse-like than ever. Lily chats with a few as they leave, gathering our things so I don’t have to talk to anyone.
“I think it’s time to reconsider a private instructor.” Lily sits next to me once the room is clear. “Fuck David. I’ll pay for it.”
“I would never ask that of you.” I roll to sitting and stretch my sore muscles. My stomach clenches because it’s still angry and everything is hellish. “Besides, neither one of us have a room to crank up the heat to expel the demons or whatever bullshit Anna is hocking this week.”
“I never said Anna.” Lily scoffs. “Someone sexy and bendy. Someone who will guide your body from pose to pose, with big hands and a bigger—”
“Got it.” I stop her. “Let’s not. I’ll die. If I don’t get laid soon, I’m probably going to combust.”
“What about…” Her voice trails off before I can shoot her a death glare. “Never mind. So, we find a hot private instructor who is also willing to be friends with benefits. Let’s be real, there are probably a million of them.”
“Terrible idea. He’ll go running to the press and then everyone will talk about how it’s been confirmed that David McArthur’s money-grubbing ex-wife is a total slut who is trying to bankrupt his empire so she can fuck yoga instructors all day on the beach.” I cut a glance to her. “I mean, I’m not saying I wouldn’t enjoy it. I’m just saying Vivian would literally murder me in my sleep.”
“Fuck David.” Lily helps me up and hugs me tight, our slick arms sliding against each other. It’s gross and I don’t like hugs, but I guess the distress was more evident than I thought. “He’s done enough whoring around for the two of you.”
“For half of Hollywood. But when you’re some big shot director with an Oscar or two under your belt, the world appears to give you a free pass.” I exhale heavily and rest my head on her shoulder. “They are so terrible, Lily. Mediation is going to kill me. It’s so pointless and I swear we’re only doing it because he wants to wear me down. He thinks I’ll bend to his will because he slides me a stupid check. He doesn’t understand it’s not about the money.”
“I know.”
“I was there, Lily. I supported him for years. I worked on sets when no one else would. I made contacts and set up events so he could crawl his way to something prominent. He’s clearly talented, but that fucker would still be stuck in Wisconsin if I hadn’t introduced him to the right people.”
“Maybe you should have left him in cow country.” Lily wrinkles her nose. “You could have shacked up with some hot-shot actor instead.”
“I’d be in the same spot. This whole town thrives on drama, sex and lies. Why do people even get married? It’s bullshit.” I zip my bag with extra fervor and narrowly miss catching my finger in it. “The only upside is his hot lawyer. I spend every session daydreaming about doing terribly dirty things to him while David watches.”
“The ultimate Fuck You.” Lily nods her approval. She’s the best friend. “I can dig that. Who is his new attorney? Didn’t you just meet him this week?”
“I did. David doesn’t like decent humans who don’t condone his shitty behavior.” We step out into the bright sun and my stomach clenches again. I need to remember reliving my college days is a terrible idea. Shots and Kate no longer mix. “Eric Stevens is the latest asshole lawyer.”
“No.” Lily stops and grabs my arm. “You did not just say who I think you said.”
“Are you still drunk?”
“That guy, oh God, Kate.”
“What?” Fear makes my stomach worse. Celebrating sending another guy running from us at the bar last night really was the worst idea ever. “What?”
“Remember when Maggie and Tim split?”
I nod. We didn’t see Maggie for months after their divorce. She left the country with her money and refused to show her face again in any of our usual haunts. It was more than the tabloids circulating their personal life, because it was just another slice of life around here, but something truly terrible had happened and she refused to ever speak of it. Not even after a bottle of Chardonnay to loosen her lips.
“Eric was Tim’s lawyer. Unless there are two of them running around Hollywood, he’s the same guy who ruined her. She lost everything.”
“I remember. Are you sure it’s him, though? I thought he worked with David’s old guy and that’s how they were paired up?”
“Definitely him.” Lily shook her head and took my hand. “You need to be careful, Kate. He’s ruthless. He’s a life-ruiner. He’s just as vile as David, except he uses the law, instead of his dick, to make things worse. Though maybe also his dick, word is he’s a serious man slut. Maybe we need to keep you hidden for a while. Just camp out at your place until this is over.”
“I’m not going to stop living my life, Lily.” I pull back, a swirling mess of confusion and defiance. “David isn’t going to control me anymore and if he thinks he can do it by using this guy, he can fuck right off. Vivian is amazing and he can’t touch me anymore.”
“He can’t.” She nods, trying to soothe me. I push her off. “But Eric can.”
I shake my head because I can’t think of anything else to say. If David thinks he can smoke me out or ruin me with his little attorney, that’s fine. I tried to play this as friendly and fair as possible, just like when he convinced me not to sign the prenup to protect the money I inherited from my grandfather years ago. But I’m wiser now. If he wants a game, he can have one.