SARAH The call ends. I sit down at my desk and try to breathe. In, out. In, out. My phone buzzes again. A text from an unknown number: “You should be ashamed. Those babies deserve better than a mother like you.” Another buzz: “Kill yourself. Do the world a favor.” And another: “We know where you live. Better watch your back.” I turn my phone off. There’s another knock. Nel pokes his head in. “Ms. Wellspring? There’s something on TV you should see.” “I really don’t—” “It’s the HawkThorne brothers. They just went live with a statement.” My head snaps up. “What?” He turns on the TV mounted in my office. And there they are. All three of them, standing in front of microphones, looking powerful and united and absolutely furious. Ronan is speaking. “…allegations about Ms. Wellspring’s character are completely false and deeply offensive. Our relationship is based on genuine love and mutual respect. Anyone suggesting otherwise is engaging in baseless speculation and misogyny.” The camera flashes are going crazy. Malachi steps forward. “Sarah Wellspring is one of the most brilliant, capable people we’ve ever met. She built her company from nothing. She earned every success through hard work and intelligence. The suggestion that she’s achieved anything through sexual manipulation is not only insulting to her—it’s insulting to every woman who’s ever had to work twice as hard to be taken half as seriously.” Jaxon’s turn. And he looks pissed. “We’re also aware of the threats being made against her online. Let me be very clear: anyone who threatens her will be found and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. We have the resources. We will use them.” Oh God.They’re defending me. Publicly and fiercely. And I’m sitting here falling apart. “We ask for privacy as we navigate this together as a family,” Ronan continues. “But make no mistake—we’re proud of our relationship. We’re proud of Sarah. And we won’t tolerate attacks on her character or her safety. Thank you.” They walk away from the microphones, ignoring the shouted questions. The screen cuts back to the news anchors, who look stunned. “Well,” one of them says. “That was… quite a statement.” Nel turns off the TV, and turns to look at me. I’m crying, a complete sobbing mess. “That was really something,” he says quietly. “They shouldn’t have done that,” I mutter underneath my breath. “They’re just going to get more backlash now. People are going to—” My office door flies open. I look up with tears in my eyes, only to see them. My very own super heroes, ever ready to come to my rescue. All three of them rush in, and I don’t even care that Nel is still here or that anyone could see. I just stand up and let them wrap around me. I pull back, look at them. “I expected judgment. I did. But this is… it’s too much. They’re calling me things I can’t even repeat. And the threats—” “We’re handling the threats,” Jaxon says firmly. “I need to go home,” I say suddenly. “I just need to be home.” “Okay,” Ronan agrees immediately. “Let’s go.” We make it to the parking garage without incident. But when we pull up to my house thirty minutes later, I want to disappear into thin air, melt into the ground, become one with the earth. Paparazzi. At least thirty of them are out on my lawn, on the sidewalk, in the street. My stomach drops. “I can’t—” I’m hyperventilating. “I can’t go through them. I can’t—” “Stop the car,” Ronan commands. We’re still half a block away. But I can see the cameras. “Ms. Wellspring!” one of them shouts, even though I’m still in the car. They’re already swarming. “Sarah, which brother is the real father?”“Are you ashamed of your relationship?” “Is this arrangement about sex or money?” “Do you think you’re setting a good example for young women?” I freeze. Just completely freeze. Can’t move. Can’t breathe. Can’t think. Ronan is calling someone. Malachi has his hand on my face, trying to get me to look at him. Jaxon is swearing viciously. But I can’t focus on any of it. All I can hear are the questions. The accusations. The cameras clicking. “Security is two minutes out,” Ronan says. “Just hold on.” “I can’t do this.” The words come out broken. “I can’t. Maybe we shouldn’t have—maybe this was a mistake—” “Stop,” Malachi says firmly. “Look at me. Sarah, look at me.” I force my eyes to his. “This is not a mistake. They’re just scared people with cameras. They can’t actually hurt you.” “They already are hurting me.” “Then we make it stop.” A black SUV pulls up, security, no doubt. Then another. They start pushing the paparazzi back, creating a path. “We’re going to get you inside,” Ronan says. “Stay between us. Don’t answer any questions. Just walk.” “I can’t—” “Yes, you can.” We get out of the car. Immediately, the crowd surges forward. “Ms. Wellspring! Just one question!” “Sarah! Over here!” “Is it true you’re also seeing Julian Cross?” That one makes Jaxon spin around, but Malachi grabs him. Security forms a wall. We make it to my front door. Inside. Door slams shut behind us. Silence. Relative silence, anyway. I can still hear them outside.I slide down the door, landing on the floor. My whole body is shaking. “Where’s Kevin?” Malachi asks. “Conference,” I manage. “Won’t be back until tomorrow.” “Okay. That’s okay. We’re here.” They’re all on the floor with me now. Holding me. And I just break. Full ugly crying. Sobbing. The kind that makes it hard to breathe. “They hate me,” I gasp out. “Everyone hates me.” “Not everyone,” Jaxon says. “The board hates me. The internet hates me. Those people outside hate me. And maybe they’re right. Maybe I am—” “Don’t.” Ronan’s voice is hard. “Don’t you dare finish that sentence.” “You saw what they’re saying—” “I saw cowards hiding behind screens saying vile things because they can. That’s not truth. That’s fear.” “They’re saying I’m a bad mother. And the babies aren’t even born yet.” “You’re going to be an incredible mother,” Malachi says firmly. “Don’t let strangers tell you otherwise.” “But what if they’re right? What if this is too much for the kids? What if we’re being selfish—” “Sarah.” Jaxon takes my face in his hands. “Listen to me. Our kids are going to grow up knowing they’re loved. By all of us. That’s not confusing. That’s not damaging. That’s beautiful.” “The world doesn’t think so.” “Fuck the world,” Ronan says bluntly. “We’re not living for them. We’re living for us. For our family.” I want to believe him. God, I want to. But the paparazzi are still outside. The tweets are still happening. The board still thinks I’m a liability. “You said this would happen one way or another,” I whisper, remembering what Ronan told me. “That we’re public figures, so this was inevitable.” “It was. And it is. But Sarah—” He tips my chin up. “We’re going to get through it. Together.” “How?” “One day at a time. One moment at a time. And when it gets too heavy, we carry it for you.” Malachi kisses my temple. “You’re not alone in this.” “You never were,” Jaxon adds.I close my eyes, lean into them. And I realize something. I can let this break me. Let the board and the trolls and the paparazzi win. Or I can stand up. Fight back. Show them exactly who Sarah Wellspring is. “I need my phone,” I say suddenly. “Sarah—” “My phone. Please.” Ronan hands it to me reluctantly. I turn it on. Ignore the thousands of notifications. Open gram instead. “What are you doing?” Malachi asks. “What I should have done from the beginning.” I open the camera. Switch to video. Hit the live button. “Sarah—” Jaxon starts. “Trust me.” The viewer count starts climbing immediately. 100. 500. 1000. 5000. I take a breath. Look directly into the camera. “Good evening, everyone. As you must all know by now, my name is Sarah Wellspring…“