Chapter 26 #2
“To Sam’s,” I said, my voice steadier than I felt. “I have to tell her what’s going on. I need to… I need to offer my resignation.”
Marlowe’s jaw dropped. “Resignation? Are you serious? Over this?”
“Just don’t answer the phone. Don’t talk to reporters. Direct all press inquiries to…” I trailed off, realizing we had no PR protocol in place. We were a three-person boutique design firm, for heaven’s sake. “Just don’t say anything to anyone.”
“Lila, wait.”
But I was already out the door, stumbling to my car on unsteady legs. The Miami sunshine was too bright, too exposing. I slid into the driver’s seat and locked the doors, as if that could keep the world and its cameras at bay.
Twenty minutes later, I pulled up to Sam’s house, my thoughts tripping over each other. The wind chimes on her porch stirred in the breeze, cheerful and wrong against the chaos in my head.
Eric answered the door with the hollow-eyed look of a man running on fumes. When he saw me, his shoulders eased. “Thank God it’s you. We’ve got news about the babies!”
He stepped aside to let me in. Sam was propped up on the couch, her laptop balanced on her very pregnant belly. Her eyes lit up. “Lila!”
I sank down beside her. “What’s going on, Sam? Eric said you have news.”
She was practically vibrating. “I had an appointment this morning to check on the babies. Everything looks perfect, and they scheduled my C-section for Tuesday. In a few days, I’ll be a mom!”
Her joy was so bright it cut through my panic for a second. “Sam, that’s incredible. Are you ready?”
She laughed, gesturing at the stacks of baby books and nested to-do lists on the coffee table.
“As ready as anyone can be for twins. We’ve got the nursery finished, the freezer stocked with meals, and Eric’s parents are flying in tomorrow.
” Her smile softened as she finally took in my face.
“But that’s not why you’re here. What’s wrong? ”
I inhaled, and the words spilled out. “There’s been a situation.
Reporters have been calling the office, asking about the design I did for Mason.
They’re calling it a sex dungeon, and now the company is getting trashed online.
I came to offer my resignation. I can’t let this ruin everything you’ve built. ”
Sam threw her head back and laughed. “Oh, Lila. You sweet, ridiculous girl. You’re not going anywhere.”
I stared at her, dumbfounded. “But the scandal. They’re saying we’re promoting deviant behavior. The company is being dragged through the mud because of me.”
Sam waved a hand. “I get why you’re scared.
And yes, we’re getting some negative press, but you know what?
I’ve been fielding calls all morning from new clients.
Two while I was in the waiting room at the doctor’s office.
” Her grin turned wicked. “They love that we think outside the box. These clients are wealthy, influential, and they want edgy designs. And they’re asking for you by name. ”
I blinked, trying to catch up. “Wait. You’re not mad?”
“Mad?” Sam snorted. “Lila, this is the best publicity we could have asked for. Yes, we’re getting some pearl-clutching one-star reviews, but we’re also getting calls from clients with budgets that make my eyes water.
” She leaned forward, eyes warm. “You’ve more than proven your worth.
You stepped in for me while I was on bed rest, and you’ve done an amazing job. Your job is secure.”
“Thanks, Sam. I don’t know what I’d do without you.” I managed a shaky smile, grateful for her support even if I couldn’t fully absorb it through the fog of anxiety. My job might be secure, but the spotlight on my personal life was more than I could bear.
“Well, you’re about to find out. Once these little ones arrive, I’m not going to be much help for a while.” She grinned, patting her belly. “Go home for now. Take the afternoon off. Let the news cycle move on to the next scandal. These things blow over quickly.”
“Okay,” I said, standing. There was no way I could face the office right now. “I’ll take the afternoon off. Just to clear my head.”
Sam’s expression softened. “Of course. Take whatever time you need.”
“Thanks, Sam. And congratulations again. I’m so happy for you.”
As I left Sam’s house, her words stayed with me, a thin thread of hope in the chaos. I considered calling Mason, my fingers hovering over his contact. I should let him know what was happening. But he was in Toronto, and if I didn’t say it out loud, it wasn’t real yet.
What would I even say? By the way, the media is calling your bedroom a sex dungeon, and I’m terrified they’ll figure out I’m the girl who once flash-mooned an entire pageant audience while a dog peed on me?
I set my phone down and pulled away, heading toward my apartment. Maybe if I disappeared for a few hours, the world would forget I existed.
Halfway home, my phone buzzed. I glanced at the screen. My mother. I let it go to voicemail. I couldn’t handle her right now.
At the next red light, curiosity, or maybe masochism, got the better of me. I played the message.
“Delilah Mae, what have you done now?” Her voice filled the car, sharp enough to make me flinch.
“Another scandal? That hockey player is dragging you down into the gutter with his filth. Is this what you’ve been doing in Miami?
Designing elaborate sex rooms? It reflects poorly on the family.
Haven’t you shamed us enough already? But no, here we go again, Delilah Mae. Call me back immediately.”
I stabbed delete and sat there, shaking. Even miles away, my mother could still find the soft spots and dig her nails in.
The light turned green, but my hands wouldn’t cooperate. Tears blurred my vision as her words sank in, familiar and suffocating. Not ‘Are you okay?’ Not ‘How can I help?’ Just judgment and shame, same as after the Epic Fail video went viral.
A horn blared behind me, jolting me back. I lurched through the intersection, numbness spreading through my chest.
It felt like the world was closing in from every direction.
Reporters circling. Strangers on the internet sharpening knives.
My own mother treating me like I was a stain she couldn’t scrub out.
Even Sam’s good news landed like another weight, another thing I was supposed to be strong enough to carry.
How had everything gone so wrong so fast?
I’d thought I’d escaped my past. I’d thought I’d built something solid. But one leaked photo, one connection to my name, and it was all crumbling around me.
I knew what came next. And I couldn’t go through that again.