Anna listened to him take a sip of whatever he was drinking. Something pretentious, she was sure. “Glad to know nothing’s changed.”

“You should have taken the romantic comedy. I tied it up in a nice bow for you.”

“You said they were deleted.”

“You believed me.”

Anna pictured the smirk on his face.

“This was only ever business, Annalise.”

How had she ever married a guy that called her Annalise? How had she ever married a guy who thought of marriage as just business? “Is that what you told yourself when you dated every aspiring actress in town after the divorce?”

“You didn’t want to sign the postnup, you didn’t want to stay in London, and you didn’t want the job I handed to you on a silver platter.”

“It’s obvious why you didn’t release the sex tape. Your performance wasn’t the best.”

“Don’t test me.”

“The grunting was the worst part. Let’s be real.”

“I’m warning you.”

“Or what, I’ll never work again? The one good thing about having a failing career was that I didn’t have to deal with you controlling it. Tell me, why is it that you still feel the need to control everything that I do?”

“You’re the one who started this war.” Tom sighed. “You wouldn’t even let me help you.” He believed it. He believed what he was offering was help and not control.

“You need to let it go, Tom. I’m sorry I hurt you.”

She heard his sharp intake of breath and a glass slamming on the counter.

“I told you not to test me,” Tom said, voice full of venom.

“Tom, there’s nothing else you can do to me. It’s over.”

“You’ll know when it’s over.”

The call ended. Tom didn’t make idle threats, but Anna had no career left for him to destroy. She sat in stunned silence. Whatever was going on between her and Tom was finally, completely over. There was no further ammunition for him to use. She’d started her career with an over-the-limit credit card, her own instincts, and her best friend, and that was what she had fifteen years later. She thought of John with a pang of guilt. She had him too, didn’t she?

That was the other reason she was angry about the set leaks and the release of the photos. It would affect John, as much as he wanted to pretend otherwise. She didn’t want to be responsible for tarnishing his career. She almost mourned his lost opportunity more than she mourned losing her own career, or what was left of it. They hadn’t spoken since the argument at the location shoot. She didn’t want to reach out to him until she’d done something to acknowledge that he was right. Too much defense and not enough offense.