Page 123 of The Bitter Words

“Sure, but you need to know…” He glances off to the side, then brings his gaze back to me. “Cash just came in, so I need to let you go. Promise me you’ll try to watch us tonight.”

“Promise.” I show him a sincere smile. “Break a leg, Bren. And please stay in touch while you’re out on tour.”

“Thanks, Liv.” He places his hand on his heart. “I’ll stay in touch if you’ll stop cutting on yourself.”

My eyes sting with tears and I blink them away. “Yeah, I’ll do my best.”

“Happy New Year. Know I love you and wish you were out on the road with us.”

“I love you too and have a great year ahead.”

Callum appears in the background wearing his usual I hate the world scowl. I have to look away and say goodbye. Bren and I disconnect and a text slides across my screen.

Casey:I just wanted you to know I’m thinking about you tonight. You don’t want to hear this, but I do love you, Livianna. I wish you would see that a relationship with me wouldn’t make our work situation any different. Please reconsider.

Me:You know I can’t do that, Casey. We’ve had a lot of good times, but I’m not where you are. I’m sorry, but this is for the best. Have a great night and Happy New Year.

I stroll out to the common area of our luxurious suite Gia was given. Her career is booming. She just landed a great role and is going to be leaving soon because they’re shooting the movie out of the country.

We’re here for her to do some press for the film she was aco-star in that just wrapped. She’s in her room, talking to Sebastian on the phone. They haven’t hooked up yet, but the writing is on the wall.

To waste the time, I scroll through some of the entertainment sites online, hoping someone will be wearing one of my new creations. I’ve sent some pieces out to a few key influencers and to my surprise, they’re wearing them to major events.

I type in Livianna Grace Designs into the search bar and a bunch of links pop up. One in particular catches my attention.

It’s a frozen screen of a video of a clearly wasted Callum and two blonde women coming out of a bar. He’s twenty-one now and seems to be taking advantage of his age.

Mayhem hit it big over the past year and their careers are skyrocketing off the charts. Because of that, he’s constantly in the media.

Mayhem is one of the most sought-after groups and they get paid for appearances now. They’re making great money and I’m happy for their success. The downside is he’s always pictured leaving clubs with different ladies.

I shouldn’t watch the clip, but I can’t help myself. As much as I hate what he did to me, I still love him and know I always will.

I click the play button. The paparazzi aren’t pictured, but you can hear a guy ask Callum, “Did you hear about Livianna’s new fashion line?”

Callum ignores the question and pulls both girls closer to him. His arms are around each one of their shoulders. He whispers something to one of them and she giggles as she pats his abs.

The reporter tries again. “What do you think about Livianna’s new design label?”

Callum doesn’t say anything but turns to the other girl and kisses her on the cheek. She steps away from him and holds out her arms.

“I love Livianna’s style. This is one of her latest pieces. Isn’t it beautiful?” She spins and shows off an original red leather and lace form-fitting quality made body-con dress.

I smile for a second, then realize that the outfit she’s wearing is one I created while I was daydreaming about Callum and me getting back together. A heavy wave of fiery flames scorches my entire rib cage.

I sigh and pretend I don’t notice. “At least someone got to wear it for him.”

The reporter zooms in on Callum. His glazed but heated stare scrolls over her perfect curves, and he runs his tongue between his lips. His response to her is a brutal fucking gut punch.

She sways back to Callum and he slides his arm around her again. They all snuggle together.

The reporter says to him, “It looks like Livianna is a part of your threesome tonight, Cash. You can’t seem to get away from her.”

He stops walking, takes both women’s hands in each of his, moves to their middle fingers, lifts both of them up, and flips off the camera.

“That’s what I think of your comment and how I feel about anything else you asked me about. Now if you’ll let me get back to these two beauties, I would appreciate it.”

The frame zooms out and Bren comes into view behind Callum. He has two similar-looking women hanging off of him. Hawke and Cooper are behind them, chatting with more female fans.