“Let them.” He walked toward her. “I don’t care what they think of me.”
“But I care,” she whispered. “Because it’s not true.”
He cupped her face. “Then help me show them.”
Her eyes met his. “How?”
“By standing beside me. Not hiding. Not apologizing. Owning what we are.”
Lexi hesitated. “People already think I betrayed Ethan. Now they think you’re dangerous. If I don’t step back—”
“Don’t.” Julian’s voice cracked. “Don’t leave me. Not again.”
She pressed her forehead to his chest. “I’m not going anywhere.”
They held each other in silence, while the world outside tried to tear them apart.
The city skyline gleamed with an almost mocking calm as Lexi sat beside Julian in his private media room. The world outside still buzzed with chaos, hashtags flying, media headlines multiplying like
