~ Lily ~
The first camera flash catches me before I’ve even cleared the arrivals gate.
I don’t react. Years of public life have trained me not to. If I turned my head every time someone pointed a lens at me, I’d never make it to the parking garage. I keep walking with my carry-on in one hand while passengers stream around us, pretending not to notice the photographers who somehow always know exactly where to stand.
They’ve been waiting. That much is obvious.
One of them calls my name. Another calls Hector’s. A third asks whether the man beside me is the same mystery man from the gala. The questions come one after another, not because they expect answers, but because the mystery behind our silence would make a good headline.
Hector doesn’t look at them. He doesn’t square his shoulders
