The Christmas Breakup

Episode #2(The tabloids)

I nearly screamed at the top of my lungs when I heard my name, sharp and clipped, like a warning shot aimed right at my chest. I turned so fast I nearly gave myself whiplash. My heart was pounding, expecting to see some deranged fan or, worse, a mob of paparazzi.

Instead, it was Barbara. She was sitting stiffly in the corner of the SUV, and her arms crossed tightly over her tailored blazer, her sharp glare cutting right through me. I hadn’t even noticed her when I got in, because I was too rattled by the chaos outside.

"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be on holiday?” I managed to ask her.

“Yeah, you are right! I was supposed to be on holiday with my husband and children, but I didn't go because you are the reason.” She replied, and I don't understand why I am the reason for her not going on holiday? Before I could ask her. She cuts me… “What are you doing here?” Barbara demanded. And I pointed at my shopping bags and said,“ Shopping and trying to breathe for five seconds without the camera being shoved in my face.”

"Shopping? Seriously? You thought going out in public was a good idea? After what do you do?*"

I frowned, utterly confused. "What are you even talking about? I haven’t ‘done’ anything."

She reached into her oversize bag." You really don’t know, do you?"

I watched as she pulled out a stack of magazines and newspapers, and without a word, she tossed them onto the seat between us. The weight of the pile landed with a heavy thud.

"Explain this," she snapped, her voice cold as ice.

I hesitated, then picked up the top magazine. My heart sank as my own face stared back at me, distorted by the bold, blaring headline:

“ALARA HAYES ASSAULTS SERENA COLEMAN AT ALBUM RELEASE PARTY!”

"What the hell?" I whispered, flipping through the pages. The captions inside only made it worse:

- “Unhinged Singer Loses Control!”

- “Victor Perez’s New Flame Victimized by Jealous Ex!”

- “Witnesses Detail Shocking Incident!”

The accompanying photos showed Serena Coleman, looking teary-eyed and disheveled, her arm red as if bruised. Another picture showed Victor, stone-faced and brooding. My chest tightened as I stared at the damning images, all clearly staged to tell a story that wasn’t true.

"This is insane," I blurted, shaking my head. "I didn’t assault anyone!"

Barbara raised a skeptical brow. "Didn’t you? Because according to these, you grabbed Serena Coleman by the arm, shoved her into a wall, and screamed at her in front of half the party."

"That’s ridiculous!" I snapped,"I barely talked to Serena that night. She congratulated me on the album, and I walked away. That’s it!"

Barbara crossed her arms, "Well, that’s not what the press says. And Serena? She’s not exactly denying it. She’s playing the victim on every social media platform, going on about ‘standing up to bullies’ and ‘not letting others dim her light.’ And you’re here, frolicking through a mall like nothing’s wrong."

I stared at her, stunned. My mind scrambled to piece together the events of that night. "This has to be Victor," I muttered. "He’s behind this. He wants to ruin me."

Barbara sighed, "It doesn’t matter who started it. What matters is that your name is being dragged through the mud, and you’re not doing anything to stop it."

My hands trembled as I picked up another tabloid in disbelief.

"Why would I attack her? At my own album release party, of all places? It doesn’t even make sense!"

"Sense doesn’t matter to the public," Barbara said. "They believe what they’re told, and right now, they’re being told that you’re a jealous, unhinged ex who couldn’t handle seeing Victor with someone else. And do you want to know the worst part?"

I didn’t respond, my throat was too tight to speak.

"Victor hasn’t said a word. Not one. He’s letting this narrative fester, and it’s making him look like a dignified, wounded party while you’re being painted as the villain."

The truth of her words made me feel sick. My fingers tightened around the edge of the magazine, crumpling the pages. "He cheated on me," I whispered, more to myself than anyone else. "He lied to me, brought Serena to my party, and now he’s letting this happen."

Emma, who had been quietly sitting beside me, finally spoke up,"That’s unbelievable. How can the press write these things without confirming the truth?"

My mind raced with ways to fix this, to clear my name. I wasn’t about to let Victor or Serena destroy everything I’d worked so hard for.

"I didn’t do that," I said, addressing both Emma and Barbara. "I don’t care what those headlines say. I’m innocent, and I’m going to prove it."

Barbara, who had been tapping her long, manicured nails on the armrest, let out a sharp breath. "Don’t you dare," she said, "Don’t even think about trying to ‘fix’ this yourself. You’ll only make things worse."

I frowned, frustration bubbling in my chest. "You expect me to just sit here while they drag my name through the mud? While he..." My voice cracked slightly, and I swallowed hard. "He gets away with this?"

"Yes, that’s exactly what I expected. Do you know why? Because right now, the public doesn’t care about the truth. They care about the story. And the more you fight it, the bigger the story gets."

"But I...?"

She held up a hand to silence me and reached back into her bag. This time, she pulled out a slim envelope and handed it to me. I stared at it, confused, before finally opening it. Inside were plane tickets to Aspen.

"What’s this?" I asked.

Barbara leaned back, "Your way out of this mess. You’re leaving this city Tomorrow."

I blinked, staring down at the tickets. "You’re joking."

"I don’t joke about PR disasters of this magnitude," Barbara replied coolly. "I’ve booked you a ski lodge. It’s private, it’s quiet, spend Christmas there, and it’s far away from the cameras. You’re going to go there, keep your head down, and stay out of the public eye until this dies down."

"Run away, you mean," I said bitterly, tossing the tickets onto the seat. "You want me to just disappear and hope everyone forgets?"

"Exactly," Barbara said without hesitation. "The public has the attention span of a goldfish. A week or two out of sight, and they’ll move on to the next scandal. But if you stay here and keep fighting, you’ll feed the flames. Do you really want to give Serena and Victor more ammunition?"

My jaw clenched, my anger simmering just beneath the surface. Every instinct I had screamed against this plan. I wanted to fight, to confront Victor, to tell the world the truth. But Barbara’s words gnawed at me.

Emma looked between us, "Maybe… maybe she has a point," she said. "Getting away could give you space to think. To come up with a plan."

I turned to her, feeling betrayed. "You think I should run?"

"I think you should protect yourself," Emma said softly. "That’s all."

Barbara sighed, clearly losing patience. "Look, Alara. You can play the hero all you want, but the reality is this: you’ve already lost control of the narrative. The only way to win now is to stop playing their game. Take the tickets. Go to Aspen Let me handle the press."

I stared out the window, my emotions churning. The idea of leaving felt like admitting defeat, but staying and watching the headlines pile up felt unbearable.

"I know this isn’t what you want to hear. But trust me, Alara. You need to disappear, at least for now. Let me fix this before it gets worse." Barbara said.

After a long moment, I reached for the tickets, my fingers trembling. I didn’t like that. I hated it, actually. But Barbara was right.

"Okay, I'll leave but you need do something for me" I asked

"And what is it?"

I looked at the Christmas present that I bought for June and thought I wish, I could give her this present to her but...