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“Focus on the problem, boy, for God’s sake! Do you have any idea what this et about your can for a minute Did April try to hurt herself? What hospital is she in?”
“We’re lucky the Hudsons have no interest in blackhter alone The wedding is off, obviously They’re going to make the announcement tomorrow”
Simon pulled out his cell phone and hit a button He held the phone to his ear, but within seconds, he received a recorded er in service
“Dad, I can explain Let me talk to April It isn’t what she thinks”
“Don’t,” his father barked “Robert recognized the girl in the pictures She was a high school student who interned in e you’ve done? How could you be so stupid!”
“It happened over a year ago The date is wrong I swear I wasn’t fking around on April I love her”
“You love her,” his father scoffed “You had that red-headed whore on the side all the tis off with her I’ you, April is different”
The senator waved his hand as if he were swatting a fly
“It’s too late She doesn’t want anything to do with you And who could bla for ed her to drink and use drugs And it’s all in God damned black and white!” The senator swiped across his desk, sending the photos, pens, and papers flying into the air
“Dad, I swear I can fix this Just let laring at his son “The Hudsons want you to leave her alone, and that’s what you’re going to do”
“But Dad, I—”
“Do what you’re told for once!” he bellowed
Si up a bronze statue of a horseainst the wall
“You never listen!” he shouted “My whole life, you give orders, you talk, but you never fking listen So fk you Fuck your ca I’ve ever cared about is her And I’ to lose her”
And with that, he strode out of the office, slaht, the bitterest irony, as he sat in a police station in Durha of the term irony)
He’d tried repeatedly to see April, but with no success He sent flowers and letters, but they were refused He tried e her, but she’d blocked his email address
He’d attempted to wait for her outside her apart in a police station awaiting news of whether he would be charged He didn’t have a lawyer, and he knew his father wouldn’t help him
He’d deserved his last arrest—when he’d assaulted Julia He’d been angry and looking to even the score between them But with April, he’d acted out of love He could only hope that if he accepted his arrest and pleaded guilty, perhaps he’d have the opportunity to make amends Perhaps she, or her ive him five minutes to explain
He didn’t knoho took the pictures Natalie had not been a party to that particular encounter, although she was familiar with the hotel room in which it occurred It was possible she’d hired someone to film him