Chapter 34 - The Green Grass

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Kayleigh looked at the incriminating evidence at her feet, her eyes wide and her heart silent.

"You said you two were over!" Rosemary hissed forgetting her own situation for a moment. 

She knelt to pick up and inspect one of the photos, but Kayleigh took it from her and quickly picked up the rest of them. "It is. This is not what you think. They were all taken on the same day. We were just talking..."

Rosemary raised a sceptical brow. "Are you sure you're okay?" 

Kayleigh had to think about that one. She didn't want to lie to her, but she couldn't figure out the truth either. "Marcus found out there were more photos. He bought them and their publishing rights-"

"Kayleigh, forget about the photos for one second," Rosemary interrupted, softly touching her elbow. Kayleigh looked up at the sky, unable to push Marcus's hazel eyes and the way they looked at her a few moments ago out of her mind. "There's something between you two," Rosemary went on. "It's clear as day. Now, I know you want to bury everything, and after what he did to you, I don't blame you. But are you okay?"

Kayleigh counted from one to ten, holding her breath until her lungs ached with the pressure. "I will be," she replied with a steady exhale. "I have to be. It's just an old crush, Rosemary. It's not worth..."

She stopped talking mid-sentence. What did she want to say? What was exploring her feelings for Marcus Burrows not worth losing? Her dream? Her career? Her heart? 

Her attention was diverted by an approaching vibration sound. She turned around and found Marcus behind her, hand outstretched, handing her her phone.

"It's Monroe," he mumbled not quite meeting her eyes.

She stared at the screen. It looked and felt surreal. Like he was calling her from a parallel universe. A universe she wasn't ready to go back to. The Secret Garden had given her a breather. A place to hide away from the fear, the rush, the lies. It was almost as if her life was put on hold while she was there. But the clarity it offered also made her see and feel things she wanted to keep hidden deep. 

Kay took the phone from Marcus and pushed the photos in its place. "Burn them," she gritted before taking the call. 

"Oh, thank God! Kayleigh, where are you? I've been calling all night and this morning. Are you okay?"

Jack's voice was rushed and full of panic, a trait Kayleigh didn't think he even possessed. She checked her screen and grimaced at the thirty-two missed calls, all from him. "Yes, I'm sorry. It was a long night and I guess I just forgot about my phone altogether."

She wasn't lying, but the pause on the other end of the line made her nervous nonetheless.

"Well... okay. So long as you're okay," Jack said eventually. "Tell me where you are and I'll come pick you up."

"It's fine, I'm with... Wait a second. How do you know I'm not home?"

This time, the pause was heavier.

"I... Um..."

"It was you!" Kayleigh exclaimed as the pieces fell into place. "You sent those men to follow us!"

A deep sigh of confession sounded over the phone. "I just wanted to make sure you got home safe." As genuine as Jack sounded, it was the last thing Kayleigh wanted to hear. 

"Why wouldn't I get home safe?" she snapped.

"I don't know. I guess I got all paranoid after what Burrows said about the paparazzi following us."

"Gosh, Jack! Do you know how scared I was? They chased us all over London!"

"They weren't chasing you. They were just tailing you so that if something happened, you'd have backup. I'm sorry, I only wanted to protect you. I really freaked out when they told me they lost you-"

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