Eventually he nods. There's no more time to do or say anything as the judge enters the court room. I look at Mom on one side of me. She squeezes my hand reassuringly and winks at me, like it's the first time in months she actually believes everything is going to be okay.
“Good call, Julia,” she whispers, and I realize she thinks this was my doing.
I quickly look over to Anna on my other side to deny I had anything to do with it but her head is down, her eyes are closed and her fingers are folded together on her lap. Her lips move. I hear the quietest of prayers. Dear Lord, please tell me I did the right thing by bringing her back into our lives…
#
A couple of hours later the judge bangs the gavel and declares the case dismissed with a personal apology to my brother that his case ever got this far. I guess sometimes people will say anything to get themselves out of the shit and its taken Ashleigh's persistence to prove Sean really did not have a clue about any of the accusations being made against him. The only thing my brother is guilty of is letting his mind step out for long enough he didn't see when he was being set up. He's usually much smarter than that.
Ashleigh climbs out of her chair like blowing away her opposition and their dodgy evidence is an everyday occurrence. She gives Sean a curt nod and says, “Congratulations, Sean. I hope you, Anna and Stephi can move on from this travesty swiftly.” With that, she says goodbye and turns away.
“What? Wait.” Sean grabs her arm. “Ashleigh, is that it?” I'm relieved actually. I don't understand why she would go to all that effort to just walk away afterwards. But she looks at the hand wrapped around her wrist and then back up at Sean as he says, “You're not even going to ask how I am.”
There's this rumor in the industry that Krystal Valentina is as cold as the artic; some guy even accused her of being dead on the inside not so long ago. But it's the first time I've seen Ashleigh transform into the ice queen. She looks across at Anna and says, “No.” Her voice is so deep and dark, void of any attachment to my brother at all as she turns her attention back to him. “Because asking implies I want some level of involvement.” She turns to walk away again but Sean tugs at her arm still in his hand. “No!” She snatches her hand free. “You texted me, Sean.” She pokes a finger into his chest. “You asked me to come to your hotel room and you refused to let me explain why I didn't come, like my sister’s attempted suicide was insignificant.”
Wait—What? When did Mimi try to kill herself?
Suddenly, the newspaper from the day Ash announced her return to LA flashes through my mind. Mimi had overdosed. She went to New York and never came back. Part of me knew there was a reason Ashleigh’s return to LA had been so quick. But she never explained it. Had refused to even. I’d always assumed it had something to do with my brother, but I guess I was wrong.
“So you—” Ashleigh pokes her pointer finger into Sean's chest again. This time it’s so hard he steps back. “—are insignificant to me.” Ashleigh looks across at Anna. It's like a silent understanding passes between them before she turns back to Sean. “Now, you have a wife and a daughter, and they need you. So get your head out of your backside, Sean, sort your shit out and start giving a damn about your family. I made a once in a lifetime deal with your wife so if anything like this ever happens again I'll let you rot in your mess and misery.”
My entire family watch, slack jawed, as Ashleigh marches away until all that was left of her was the click of those low heeled pumps echoing in the distance.
Sean turns to Anna. The way she's glaring back at him is like she's just caught them in bed together or something equally worse as Sean accuses, “You called her?”
“You lied to me,” Anna hisses. “You told me it was you who ended the affair!”
“How many times do I
“Good call, Julia,” she whispers, and I realize she thinks this was my doing.
I quickly look over to Anna on my other side to deny I had anything to do with it but her head is down, her eyes are closed and her fingers are folded together on her lap. Her lips move. I hear the quietest of prayers. Dear Lord, please tell me I did the right thing by bringing her back into our lives…
#
A couple of hours later the judge bangs the gavel and declares the case dismissed with a personal apology to my brother that his case ever got this far. I guess sometimes people will say anything to get themselves out of the shit and its taken Ashleigh's persistence to prove Sean really did not have a clue about any of the accusations being made against him. The only thing my brother is guilty of is letting his mind step out for long enough he didn't see when he was being set up. He's usually much smarter than that.
Ashleigh climbs out of her chair like blowing away her opposition and their dodgy evidence is an everyday occurrence. She gives Sean a curt nod and says, “Congratulations, Sean. I hope you, Anna and Stephi can move on from this travesty swiftly.” With that, she says goodbye and turns away.
“What? Wait.” Sean grabs her arm. “Ashleigh, is that it?” I'm relieved actually. I don't understand why she would go to all that effort to just walk away afterwards. But she looks at the hand wrapped around her wrist and then back up at Sean as he says, “You're not even going to ask how I am.”
There's this rumor in the industry that Krystal Valentina is as cold as the artic; some guy even accused her of being dead on the inside not so long ago. But it's the first time I've seen Ashleigh transform into the ice queen. She looks across at Anna and says, “No.” Her voice is so deep and dark, void of any attachment to my brother at all as she turns her attention back to him. “Because asking implies I want some level of involvement.” She turns to walk away again but Sean tugs at her arm still in his hand. “No!” She snatches her hand free. “You texted me, Sean.” She pokes a finger into his chest. “You asked me to come to your hotel room and you refused to let me explain why I didn't come, like my sister’s attempted suicide was insignificant.”
Wait—What? When did Mimi try to kill herself?
Suddenly, the newspaper from the day Ash announced her return to LA flashes through my mind. Mimi had overdosed. She went to New York and never came back. Part of me knew there was a reason Ashleigh’s return to LA had been so quick. But she never explained it. Had refused to even. I’d always assumed it had something to do with my brother, but I guess I was wrong.
“So you—” Ashleigh pokes her pointer finger into Sean's chest again. This time it’s so hard he steps back. “—are insignificant to me.” Ashleigh looks across at Anna. It's like a silent understanding passes between them before she turns back to Sean. “Now, you have a wife and a daughter, and they need you. So get your head out of your backside, Sean, sort your shit out and start giving a damn about your family. I made a once in a lifetime deal with your wife so if anything like this ever happens again I'll let you rot in your mess and misery.”
My entire family watch, slack jawed, as Ashleigh marches away until all that was left of her was the click of those low heeled pumps echoing in the distance.
Sean turns to Anna. The way she's glaring back at him is like she's just caught them in bed together or something equally worse as Sean accuses, “You called her?”
“You lied to me,” Anna hisses. “You told me it was you who ended the affair!”
“How many times do I
Similar Books
