"I'm literally going to kill him," Aria said, pouring them both another glass of wine.

Teagan sniffed, wiping her face of tears for the umpteenth time today. "It could just be a misunderstanding."

"Hard to misunderstand 'arrested for public intoxication and assault and battery,' babe." Aria squeezed Teagan's hand. "He stood you up to…what? Get drunk with his friends and beat up a photographer?" She shook her head, sighing. "You deserve better than him, Teag."

She swallowed, not wanting to hear that at all. She wanted to believe Reed had changed. She wanted to believe that the universe had brought them back together for a reason, and that he was every bit the man she'd remembered…and hoped he'd be again.

She didn't want to know that nothing had changed. That he was every bit the partier the tabloids accused him of being. That he still bailed on her when the going got tough.

"I told you yesterday—how he'd respond to this news would be how you'd know if he deserved you or not. Did he come and apologize, beg for your forgiveness, act like a damn man?" Aria took a few swallows from her glass of wine. "Nope. He just went off and got all hotheaded like some sort of caveman."

Teagan didn't say anything, because there really was no defense she could offer. She wanted more than anything to be able to explain away what he'd done, but the only explanation was dismal at best.

She hadn't even gotten the chance to talk to him herself, though there was no doubt in her mind at this point that he'd seen the article. Hell, his agent had already been trying to get her to sign a non-disclosure so she wouldn't speak to the press about their history.

Not that she ever would. Their story was theirs, and she had zero plans on letting anyone else into it.

Or maybe there was no story anymore. Honestly, she wasn't sure. It certainly felt like they were over…like he'd closed the chapter on them and walked away. He might not have said it in so many words, but his silence was deafening, and she'd heard it all before.

Benson jumped up into her lap, and she absentmindedly patted him. "I need to talk to Reed," she told her sister. "I need to understand what happened. Tabloids lie, and we don't really know the truth."

Aria shrugged. "I mean, I agree. You two should talk, but I think the story is pretty clear cut here."

A knock came on her apartment door, and she instinctively hoped it was Reed.

Aria glanced between her and the door. "Do you want me to get it? Do you think it's him?"

"I'll get it," she replied, putting the cat down and walking toward her front door. Taking a deep breath, she glanced through the peephole. "Ugh."

She swung the door open. "What do you want, Jason?"

"Lovely to see you, too, Ms. Reynolds." The agent waltzed through the doorway like he owned the place. "Nice studio you've got here. Fat cat."

Teagan picked up Benson defensively. "He's husky."

Jason didn't seem to care but pulled out a stack of papers from his briefcase and placed them on the counter. "We've got some paperwork to go over, Ms. Reynolds. Oh, hello, Mrs. Lawson." Jason finally seemed to notice Aria standing in the kitchen. "Good to see you, as always."

"Wish I could say the same," she replied, lifting one brow. Aria had never been a fan of agents in general, though Jason Allen rarely made friends if it wasn’t for his benefit.

Teagan couldn't help but snicker at her comment. "What kind of paperwork?"

"The contract for your role in the Broadway show has been finalized, and it's ready for you to sign." He held up a pen toward her. "And, then there's the non-disclosure agreement we discussed."

"I already told you that I'm not signing that."

"The contract or the NDA?"

She nibbled on the edge of her lip. "The NDA, certainly. I'm not going to talk to the press about Reed. You don't have to worry about that."

"Ms. Reynolds, indulge me. He's my client, and he deserves every bit of protection as you do. That protection has already been violated by you once, and I have zero plans on allowing it to happen again."

"Me?" Teagan balked at the accusation. "I've not said anything to anyone."

"You spoke pretty freely in front of that hairdresser, putting us in this predicament to begin with," Jason reminded her.

"Only because you were basically accusing me of ruining Reed's life." Teagan put her hands on her hips. "I'd not have been saying anything at all if you weren't there."

"Well, what's done is done," he replied. "But this contract? It's the best move for you here, Ms. Reynolds. This role is once in a lifetime, and to turn it down for a man currently behind bars certainly doesn't seem to be a desirable move."

"He's still in jail?" Her voice was smaller now. She’d been trying to figure out where Reed was, or why she hadn’t heard from him for the past four days. Her calls had all gone unanswered, and she’d even tried going by his home to no avail. She’d assumed he’d been bailed out immediately, but apparently not.

Aria stepped closer, placing her hands on the counter. "Teag, this role is huge. You can't turn it down. Talking to Reed…it can wait. He's made his choice already, and it wasn't you."

Teagan swallowed hard, trying to wrap her head around the fact that her sister was actually agreeing with one of the most cunning and sleazy agents she'd ever met. They both did have a point…she couldn't—and wouldn't—turn down this role.

Plus, she didn’t really owe him an explanation. He’d been the one who hadn’t wanted to talk and had ignored most of her calls before he’d been arrested. He’d stood up their date to go get drunk. She wasn’t going to wait around and hope he’d decide to talk to her when he got out of jail, when she really should just jump on this opportunity before it was too late.

If he wanted to talk when he got out of jail…he’d know where to find her.

"I'll sign the contract," Teagan agreed. "But only that. I'm not signing the non-disclosure agreement. I'm not going to talk to the press about us, but Reed…he doesn't deserve to control my silence."

Jason's jaw clenched, and he exhaled loudly. "Okay, fine. Let's do this." He handed her a pen. “Sign here.”

She looked over the contracts quickly, and everything seemed the same as when her lawyer had reviewed it.

Teagan signed and then handed the pen back to him. "Done."

"Great. Your flight is booked for tomorrow, and you've got a studio apartment waiting for you a block from the theatre. I'd suggest getting your affairs in Los Angeles in order as quickly as possible. Rehearsals start in two days."

Teagan's eyes widened. "That's barely enough time to prepare."

She didn't want to sound ungrateful—hell, she was ecstatic. This role was everything she'd ever wanted in her career, and she'd never had any intention of turning it down.

"That's show business, baby," Jason said, tossing his arms up. "It doesn't stop for anyone."

Teagan looked toward her sister, but Aria just looked sad. She was frustrated that Reed was ruining this moment for her. Teagan wanted to feel ecstatic. She wanted to be jumping up and down with her sister, screaming with excitement at a lifelong dream fulfilled. She wanted to be celebrating a victory that at one point in her life had seemed absolutely impossible.

Instead, all she was thinking about was Reed, and her heart ached at everything she was losing.