Read Chasing Happiness for Free Online

beginning,” Katie said.
    She leaned back in the chair and closed her eyes, forcing her mind to go back in time. “Everything happened so fast. I was only in the city for a couple of days when I met Phil. You have no idea how many times I’ve wished that I’d never walked into that coffee shop. Anyway, I’d just ordered my latte when I noticed this guy staring at me from a table a few feet away. He had the most gorgeous blue eyes I’d ever seen. And the rest of him was pretty hot too. Before I knew it, he was at my side, handing me his business card and asking if I’d ever done any modeling. Not that it mattered to him. Actually, I think he was kind of glad I was a novice. It gave him the opportunity to mold me into exactly what he wanted. The more naïve, the better. And boy was I green. As soon as I saw the name on the card, I recognized it. I’d seen it many times in magazines. Phil Cantor had photographed some of the most beautiful women in the world, and he wanted to take my picture? To say I was flattered would be an understatement.”
    “There’s nothing wrong with that. Anyone would have been,” Katie added.
    Ari sighed. “I know that. I just wish I’d been smarter.”
    Zoe leaned back against the couch cushions and crossed her arms. “But you had no way of knowing things would turn out badly. Like you said, he was the real deal. You can’t blame yourself.”
    “I know that. I guess what I blame myself for the most is not getting out sooner. I should have left right after I realized things weren’t as pretty as the eight-by-ten glossies he took.”
    “I don’t know, Ari. Lots of women stay in relationships they shouldn’t.” The look on Zoe’s face made her wonder if she might be referring to her own.
    “I know, but I just can’t help wishing that I’d done things differently.”
    “When did it start to go bad?” Katie asked.
    “Not right away. And I don’t want you to think it was all Phil’s fault. I’m partly to blame.”
    Zoe’s and Katie’s frowns didn’t go unnoticed. “No, I mean it. I could have said no. I should have, but I was already so far down the road that I didn’t know how to. Phil had put my portfolio together, helped me get signed by the Marty Jacobs Agency, and he’d even set up go-sees with some of his biggest clients. There was no way out. And if I’m being honest, at that point I didn’t want out. I wanted my picture up in Times Square.” She lowered her voice as her eyes filled with tears. “And I got what I wanted, along with a whole lot more.”
    “I don’t think most people would’ve been able to resist that kind of temptation. Fortune and fame are pretty powerful,” Zoe said.
    “I guess you’re right,” Ariana replied softly. “And I had no idea that diet pills could be addictive and the damage they could do to my body. I never questioned what was happening. When Phil gave me a pill, I’d take it. He had me believing a model could never be too thin.”
    “Well, he was wrong,” Zoe said angrily.
    “I know that now. I know a lot of things now that I didn’t know then, like don’t always believe it when a guy says he’s in love with you.” A cold shiver spread over Ari as her thoughts filtered back to the day she left.
    She’d come home early from a big shoot and wanted nothing more than to collapse on the couch in her sweats and watch a little TV. She’d been living with Phil for about six months, and during that time had threatened to leave on many occasions. His controlling behavior and drinking had gotten out of hand, but he always had a way of making her believe things would change.
    Ari took a deep breath, and even though her feelings were still raw, she pushed herself to open up to her friends. “That last day when I walked into our apartment, Phil was in the middle of shooting two models. They were in their underwear, and the coffee table was littered with beer bottles. By the looks on their faces, I was pretty sure I’d