Jack led her to his room, hoping for some privacy to talk. But as they stood in the room, he could feel his impatience rising. He demanded, "Why are you here?"

Demi refused to answer and instead glanced around the room with an annoyed look, further frustrating Jack.

He repeated his question, this time with a louder voice, "Why are you here?!"

"I should be the one asking you," she retorted, standing a few steps away. "What are you doing in this hole in the wall? This is what you ran away to? You left everything to come here!? What could possibly draw you to this noisy little place that made you give up all your luxuries and successes?"

Jack's anger began to boil, but he forced himself to remain composed. "How did you find me? How did you know I was here?" he demanded, his frustration mounting.

She chuckled, standing with her hands on her hips and catching Jack's attention with the bright red skirt suit she wore. Her block heels added a touch of elegance to her look.

Seeing her again brought back memories of all the times they had been so close to giving in to their desires, but ultimately held back. Now, as she stood before him looking as stunning as ever, Jack couldn't help but feel annoyed. He felt like his space was being invaded, overwhelmed by her presence.

"Look," Jack said firmly, standing up straighter, "I don't know why you followed me here, but I don't have time for this back and forth. I work at that lounge over there, and as you saw, there are customers waiting."

"Jack Harper, best-selling author, serving tables at a restaurant in a podunk town?" She laughed loudly again. "What the fuck, Jack! What’s going on with you?"

"Nothing." Jack folded his arms across his chest and smiled at her. "In fact, I’m living my best life here. Taking walks at night and everything. You badgered me incessantly about keeping fit, didn’t you? I’ve been eating well too and drinking less. I haven’t done drugs since I left. Can’t you see how toned and healthy I look?"

She looked him over. "The overgrown hair makes you look too much like these people." Her tone reeked of disgust.

Unconsciously, he slicked back his hair and touched his beard. "I think I look great. Sarah agrees. And there’s nothing wrong with looking like these good and loving people."

"'Sarah'? Is that the whore’s name? The one you came in with?"

Jack jumped at her before she even closed her mouth, and she staggered back in shock. "Watch your mouth, Demi!" he said through clenched teeth. "You have no right to talk about her!"

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She eyed him viciously. "You slept with much hotter girls, Jack. What’s wrong with you? You came here and gave your heart to a woman who wears no makeup? Who entertains laughing jackals as a job? You want to be her husband or something?"

"That woman is more of a life than I ever had in the city. Sarah isn’t some sex machine to feed my depression and anxiety. She’s the warmest, truest companion I’ve ever had, and that goes for the people in this town too. They’ve changed my life, Demi. I don’t expect you to understand, but I’ve changed."

Demi let out a mocking snort. "Changed you into a fool who fights another man over a woman, I see."

Jack blinked, reeling back. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Without breaking her glare, Demi pulled her phone from her pocket, tapping and swiping before shoving it in front of him. "This was posted last night, Jack."

On the screen was a photo of him, unmistakably mid-fight—sitting astride a man, fist raised in the air. Sarah was in the background, her face shocked, a hand on Jack’s arm as if trying to pull him back. The caption beneath was crude: What love drives men to do: lose control.

Jack’s stomach tightened as he stared at the image.

"This is how I found you," Demi spat, her voice laced with disdain. "Some small-town idiot posted it, calling you ‘some lowlife’—they didn’t even know who you were. But people who do? People who know you, in more refined places, with working brains and Internet access? They know exactly who you are. And this picture—this made you go viral. My phone has been going off for hours, and I've been sitting here waiting for you while you’ve been... God knows where, with some woman whose grand ambition is to grow vegetables and milk goats until she dies!"

Jack stood there, frozen between anger and guilt. His chest burned, but his mind couldn’t settle on what to do next. Apologize? Defend himself? Neither felt right. Instead, he shifted awkwardly, searching for the words that wouldn’t come.

"Cat got your tongue now, Cowboy?" she asked, looking enraged. Jack thought of the ordeal he must have dragged her through as his manager, having to take calls about a person whose whereabouts she didn't know. There must have been all sorts of questions asked and things said. He relished his new life but felt bad about the position he must have put her in.

"I’m sorry, Demi," he forced out. "I didn’t mean for you to suffer because of me."

"Liar!" She came up to him strongly. "You knew what you would be costing me when you came out here and turned off all your devices. You knew what you were doing when you came on this maniac ride. What the hell, Jack! Do you know what you’ve done? Do you have any idea how much damage you’ve caused yourself and me too? David Johnson wants to back out. First, you don’t come for the scheduled meetings and then he sees this crazy version of you. Who would blame him?”

"You want to hear more? Our publishers have called to express their concern. They say they don’t want to drop you - but you know that means they are seriously considering it. They’re asking serious, suspicious questions. Everyone will drop you, Jack. Everything will fall down on you if you don’t snap out of this. There is still time if you fix it now."

Jack took a step back, fear gripping his heart. Her words filled him with anxiety and feeling overwhelmed. It was like being back in the city, with all the bright lights and constant pressure to put on a happy face even when he was struggling. He felt trapped, as if he had been forced back into the same cage he fought so hard to escape from. "No!"

"Yes," Demi countered, taking a step towards him. "Your entire life will crumble, Jack. Everything you've worked for will be destroyed. You won’t succeed any other way."