Nick Lachey, 46, has broken his silence on ex-wife Jessica Simpson‘s upcoming memoir, Open Book. The 39-year-old’s hotly anticipated tell-all, which details why her marriage with Nick ended in 2005, will hit shelves on Feb. 4. The book features a slew of new information about the singer, including the fact she apparently had sex with Nick one more time after they finalized their divorce in 2006 — and the former 98 Degrees member has finally broken his silence on the candid tell-all. “Well, no, I have not read a single word,” he told Us Weekly at Michael Rubin’s Fanatics Super Bowl Party at Lowes Miami Beach Hotel Feb. 1. He then referred to his wife of eight years, Vanessa Lachey, saying, “Both of us have not read the book, and no, she did not reach out before it was published.”
The former Newlyweds star said she watched Nick “portray himself as a victim” in a 2006 documentary about the making of an album he had released at the time. “He then mentioned that the door was still open for us to get back together. I kept pulling the blanket up over my face to hide because I felt so exposed. It was so disrespectful and [he] dragged me back into his orbit when I was just starting to leave [the relationship],” Jessica wrote. The singer said she felt “responsible” that Nick was “breaking down in front of the world,” even though she knows that’s not the case now. “But back then, it felt like I needed to fix him,” Jessica wrote, and so she later invited her ex-husband to talk at her house. “He rang the bell, and out of reflex I hugged him. I meant it, too. Despite my anger, I missed him,” Jessica wrote, and that’s when the surprise moment allegedly happened: “I didn’t know any other way to make it better, so I slept with him.”
For Jessica, the alleged sex was “emotional” but established “no connection,” giving her “confirmation that this man was not my husband anymore.” Jessica could register one feeling, though: “his hate.” She explained, “The whole situation was very dark. I didn’t want the energy in my home. When he walked out the door, I knew I would never see him again.” Jessica was right, and she went on to marry NFL star Eric Johnson, 40, in 2014, and they welcomed three children: daughter Maxwell, 7, son Ace, 6, and daughter Birdie, 10 mos.
Despite the drama over the years, Jessica said she now has nothing but respect for her ex. “We meant a lot to each other and we always will. I want to be very respectful because I married him for a reason and we were together for seven years for a reason. He has a family now and I would never say anything to disrespect that.”