Should he tell her the truth? Should he tell her that he’d known before the party? No. There was nothing to be gained by telling her. The only thing that mattered was that he knew. The rest was just mechanics.
And his view of “Aggie” had undergone a huge transformation in the past few hours. He’d had no idea that his Molly was the woman behind the popular advice column. That changed everything. For a start, Molly knew what she was talking about.
He handed her the mug of coffee. “Drink and tell me everything. From the beginning.”
She curled her hands around the mug. “My postgraduate research was in an aspect of human behavior and relationships and because of that I was asked to act as a consultant for a new reality TV show called The Right One. There had been dating shows before, but the producers wanted to increase the credibility and interest by adding in sections of the show where a psychologist talked about a different aspect of finding a partner. I was Dr. Kathy. Don’t ask me why, but the moment it aired my section became the most popular segment of the show.”
“That doesn’t surprise me.”
“They had two presenters, but the show was really all about Rupert. He trained as a doctor, but he left soon after qualifying. He presented a medical show first before he was poached to front The Right One. He was great in front of the camera. Good-looking, charismatic, funny—and he played up the doctor side even though he’d never laid hands on a patient once he’d qualified. He had a massive female fan following.” She took a sip of coffee and eyed him over the rim of the mug. “They called him Dr. Sexy.”
Daniel wanted to punch him. “I get it. The guy had an adoring audience.”
She lowered the cup. “People tuned in to watch the show partly because of Rupert. There was a female co-presenter, Tabitha, but she didn’t get anywhere near as much attention. I was supposed to represent the serious side. I interviewed the participants and then recorded a piece to camera. I was never live. It was a very comfortable role for me. Then one day Tabitha was sick half an hour before they were about to go on air and they asked me to step in.”
“And you were a natural.”
She shook her head. “Far from it. I was out of my comfort zone and it was Rupert who saved the day, and the audience loved it because they saw it as another example of what a great person he was. He was a big star, but he took time to make sure I was comfortable. Tabitha was off for a month. By the end of the month viewing figures had tripled. Tabitha decided she didn’t want to come back—she was tired of always being in Rupert’s shadow. I replaced her. We had an on-screen chemistry, and soon the public was tuning in
to watch our relationship develop. The producers milked it. They suggested Rupert ask me to dinner on air, so he did. The story made some of the tabloid newspapers.”
“Did you go?”
“Yes. I liked him. He was good company, and he wasn’t called Dr. Sexy for nothing. The entire viewing public was in love with him.”
“But you weren’t.”
“No, but I didn’t think it mattered. We were having fun, that’s all.”
It was like watching a car crash in slow motion. “He thought differently?”
She put the mug down on the table, her hand shaking. “We’d finished recording the show and were backstage one night when he told me he loved me. He asked me to marry him. Right there and then he went down on one knee and produced a ring. I thought it was a joke. I was worried he was going to electrocute himself because there were wires everywhere. I told him to get up. That was when I realized he was deadly serious. He told me he’d never felt this way about anyone before. He was crazy about me and wanted to spend the rest of his life with me. Everyone loved him. He assumed I loved him, too. How could I not? And I couldn’t answer that, obviously. I don’t know why I can’t fall in love.” Her voice rose slightly. “All I know is that I can’t. And maybe it’s because of my mum. It would make sense that I’m worried about being rejected, but deep down I think it’s something more. That it’s not what I’ve witnessed or experienced, it’s part—” she swallowed hard, struggling to speak “—it’s part of who I am. There’s something missing in me.” She covered her face with her hands. “I’ve never actually said that aloud to anyone before. It must be the champagne.”
He hoped it was because she trusted him, but he didn’t say anything. Instead he drew her hands away from her face. “I presume he didn’t take it well?”
“No.” There was a long pause, as if she was deciding whether she’d already said too much. “And it turned out the production team had somehow found out what he was planning and filmed it live. I had no way of knowing, but what I thought was a private moment between us was in fact beamed live into millions of homes. It was seen by an entire population of women who thought Rupert was the catch of the century. Dr. Sexy being jilted. Did you watch it? It’s right there on YouTube. It had thirty-five million views last time I looked, but that was a few years ago.” Her voice shook so badly he decided this wasn’t the moment to tell her there had been a few million more since then. Watching that video had been one of the most uncomfortable experiences of his life.
“You looked different.” He’d barely recognized her. “Your hair was shorter. But you were still beautiful.”
“Not beautiful enough according to Rupert’s legions of fans. No one short of Helen of Troy would have pleased them. I was supposed to count myself lucky that someone as gorgeous as him wanted me, and yet I’d turned him down in a horribly public way. Afterward the press tried to get a comment from Rupert but all he would say was that he was too upset to talk about it.”
“Did he know what they were going to do?”
“No! And I felt terrible for him and totally mad with the production team. They’d said before that they wanted to film a proposal live on air, but I’d always stopped them. I’d told them it was a private moment and not something that should be shared, and I’d also pointed out that the outcome was never sure. So they decided to film mine. It backfired on them, too.”
He could imagine her horror when she’d discovered that it had all been streamed live, her insecurities about herself witnessed by millions. “You made a choice, Molly. I don’t see why that led to the witch hunt.”
There was another long pause.
“Rupert went home, humiliated. He didn’t emerge from his house for a week. There were rumors that he’d harmed himself—” Her voice broke a little. “It was truly awful. Everyone’s attention and anger turned on me. The media dug up details of my old relationships. Collectively they decided I was a heartless bitch who needed punishing. And perhaps they were right. I’d hurt another good, decent man. I never should have agreed to date him.”
“Molly—”
“Rupert stayed in hiding, fueling the rumors. One tabloid newspaper took my picture and captioned it The face of guilt. I stopped switching on my laptop. To try and protect my dad, I moved in with a friend, but after a day they surrounded her house, too, and she told me I had to move.”
Daniel ground his teeth. “Not a great friend, then.”
“She did what she could. Finally Rupert appeared looking gaunt and told people he was fine.”