Their Favorite Toy

ediately told me I should've left it on silent. I reached for it anyway, rubbing the s

ance writer and

ests, the other half an ocean of vitriol from Liam's fans. The first message that caught

ell in love along the way, but now I was the one falling-just not in the way I

dating the untouchable Liam Wilde. Now I was the predator, the fan-girl-turned-stalker, and

iny dagger: Clout-chaser. Stay in your lane. L

ng, probably because it

and before I could talk myself out of it, I p

ve you seen

sn't about to admit that.

denying everything. Said he 'barely knew you' and that whateve

surged in my chest, burning its wa

it's not great. His fans are already tearing you apart on

y were calling

g my voice steady. "Do I vanis

rtest move right now. Lay low. Wait for this t

ow' also means watching my sales tank and pretending li

eventually. Scandals

spent carefully constructing a reputation that

t down, to find some shred of calm in the middle of this mess. But the more I tried, th

led up the headlines, each one

s Secret Lo

yn Grey: Fa

rayed by Lon

now, into the headlines. They didn't know the truth. They didn't care to know it. It was easier to picture me

l something other than this empty fury. Regret, maybe. Shame. But those were luxurie

the mess

a single notification that somehow felt colder than the rest. I c

Liam. I know

for the first time since this started, I felt a prickle of fear-the kind that settled in your b