Chapter 20
SADIE
Four Weeks Later…
The lights are hot, the crowd louder than I expected, but I’m standing.
Not hiding.
I grip the edges of the lectern, fingers steady, pulse calmer than I thought possible. My name flashes on the purple screen behind me. Bold white letters. SADIE STONE . Not Anon . Not a ghost.
I wear a lavender dress, its simple design all me, its quiet elegance perfect for today. Gentle yet resolute – a beacon of hope, as the PR team likes to say. My make-up is soft and natural, my hair smooth and loose around my shoulders. No unnecessary embellishments.
Just me.
The auditorium is packed – publishers, journalists, survivors, allies. People who read the blog and whispered, ‘Me too,’ in the dark. But scattered among the strangers are the faces that matter most.
Theo and Taylor, front row, beaming up at me. Rachael and Charlene too, eyes shining with tears and admiration.
Axel, arms crossed and watchful, two of his security team posted discreetly at the back.
Lucile, seated beside a small panel of speakers, nodding at me with quiet encouragement.
And I know Lottie isn’t far away. Theo’s mum is taking her to the park for a special outing because though my daughter will one day learn of this, now is not the time or the place. She’s finally getting to be a child again, and I will cherish every day our freedom brings her.
I breathe it all in slowly, then…
‘My name is Mercedes Stone. Sadie Stone to those who know me well or knew of me before I went into hiding. For the past two years, I’ve been writing anonymously about surviving domestic abuse.
I shared my story in pieces because that’s how I lived it: in fragments.
Scattered between shame, silence, and the slow reclaiming of myself. ’
A hush falls over the room.
‘But today, I’m not hiding any more.’
The room explodes in applause, but I barely hear it.
I feel it. In my bones. In my spine.
‘I’m here because no one should have to feel powerless in their own life. I’m here because truth is louder than fear. Because healing doesn’t happen in the dark.’
When I finish, they stand. Every single person.
Cameras flash. People wipe tears. Lucile moves to the stage with a wide smile. The panel begins, questions are asked, and I answer them all. No shame. No stuttering. Just honesty.
I feel Theo’s gaze on me the whole time, a tether I don’t necessarily need, but most definitely want.
When the event starts to wind down, people begin to disperse. Handshakes, hugs, compliments. I’m basking in pride when I catch movement from the corner of my eye.
And my blood runs cold.
Danny.
He’s leaning against the far wall like he belongs here. Like this is his story. Dark eyes lock onto mine, then that slow, knowing smile curves at his lips, like he’s already two steps ahead.
I freeze. For a second.
Then I step towards him.
His smirk falters.
‘I guess all it took was a stage,’ he sneers, keeping his voice low. ‘You finally learned how to beg for attention like the rest of them.’
I stop two feet from him. I don’t shake. I don’t cry.
I burn.
‘I’m not begging,’ I say, voice razor-sharp. ‘I’m owning what you tried to destroy.’
He scoffs. ‘This little circus won’t last. You think these people will care when the buzz dies? You think he,’ his eyes flick past me – right at Theo, ‘will still want you when you’re not the poster girl for trauma?’
I don’t flinch.
‘You don’t get to talk about him,’ I say. ‘And you don’t get to talk to me. Not any more.’
‘I made you who you are,’ he hisses. ‘Everything you are is because of me.’
‘No.’ I step closer. ‘Everything I am is in spite of you.’
He starts to reach for me – some pathetic, knee-jerk grab for control – but then two large shadows step in. Axel’s men. Each grabs an arm, locking him down.
‘Danny Jones, you’re in violation of your restraining order. You’re coming with us.’
Danny jerks, tries to twist free, but it’s useless. His eyes find mine one last time, spitting fury. But I don’t return it.
I just watch.
Watch him be removed from my space, my moment, my life.
A second later, I feel a presence behind me. No words, just his soft breath.
Theo.
I turn.
He’s standing there like he was that day in the park when I first broke down in front of him. Not asking anything of me. Just there. Solid. Real.
‘I saw the whole thing,’ he says quietly.
‘Good,’ I reply. My voice is steady, but my heart is a riot. ‘Because I want you to see who I am now. Not just who I am when I’m with you, but who I am in here.’
I press my hand to my chest and his eyes don’t leave mine.
‘I do.’
* * *
Theo
I do.
Two words, but they don’t even scratch the surface.
Because what I see standing in front of me isn’t just the woman I love. It’s a force of nature. Sadie Stone – the woman who once broke down on me in a park, who flinched when the world got too loud, who tucked her light into corners just to survive – is standing in the sun now.
Unapologetic. Unshaken. Unstoppable.
And I’ve never loved anyone more in my life.
The crowd fades. The room fades. Everything fades, except her.
‘I wanted to run to you when he showed up,’ I say softly, stepping closer, ‘but you didn’t need me.’
‘No,’ she says just as soft. ‘But I wanted you here.’
That undoes me.
‘I’ve never been prouder,’ I say, and I don’t care that my voice cracks.
‘I’ve seen how you wrote your way out of the dark.
How you fought your way back into the light.
And now you’re standing in front of the whole damn world and showing them what healing looks like.
’ I laugh under my breath, brushing a stray blonde wisp from her cheek.
‘I think I fell in love with you all over again today.’
She blinks rapidly, eyes shimmering with both tears and pride, and wraps her arms around my waist like it’s the only place she wants to be.
‘I didn’t just do this for me,’ she whispers. ‘I did it for all those people like me. I did it for Lottie. And I did it for us.’
Us .
God, I never thought I’d hear that word again. Not with her.
But now it feels like it’s carved into stone. Unbreakable. Like her.
‘I love you, Theo.’
‘I love you too,’ I say, pulling her in and kissing her deep.
It’s not desperate. Not frantic or pained or laced with fear. It’s sure. Solid. Full.
The world keeps spinning, cameras flashing, people chattering… but in this moment, it’s only us.
‘ Ew !’
Or not. We both freeze, pulling apart just enough to see a familiar little face scrunched in theatrical horror at knee height.
‘Lottie,’ Sadie breathes, half-laughing, half-mortified.
‘Granny Anna, we need soap. Or a hose.’
‘We do?’ my mum says, looking puzzled. ‘Sorry, she was desperate to come and see what the fuss was about, and we figured you were pretty much done.’
‘What’s this about needing a hose?’ Taylor says, coming up behind them.
‘It’s a long story,’ Sadie says, laughing.
Taylor raises an eyebrow. ‘I think I’m going to need champagne for this. Bar, everyone?’
‘Don’t need to ask me twice,’ my mother says as we all pile out.
Sadie signals to her friends over the crowd to join us and I lean down to murmur in her ear, ‘I love you.’
She turns into me. ‘Always and forever.’
‘But we’re never buying a hose.’
‘Hell, no.’