“Lila, I don’t care about the house.”
“But I do.” She set down her wine. “This whole thing started because you needed help with a renovation. And now you’re stuck in limbo because of me.”
“Because of Kenzie and Beau,” I said. “Not you.”
“Still.” She rubbed her forehead. “I’ve been thinking about this all evening. And I need to ask you something.”
“Anything.”
“Do you want me to stay on the show?”
I blinked. “What?”
“If we can get me out of the contract—if Ethan finds a way—do you want me to keep doing it? Or would you rather I just walk away?”
“That’s not my decision to make.”
“I know. But I want to know what you think. Honestly.”
I took a breath. “Honestly? I think this show has been hell for you. For all of us. And if you walked away tomorrow, I’d be relieved.”
She nodded slowly. “Me too.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. I thought I wanted this—the exposure, the opportunity, the money. But it’s not worth it. Not if it means being manipulated and blackmailed and exploited.” She looked at me. “I want my life back. My studio. My quiet clients. Designing homes for people who actually appreciate the work.”
“Then let’s get you out.”
“But what about your house?”
“We’ll figure it out. Maybe you finish it privately—no cameras. Just you and me and good contractors. The way it should’ve been from the start.”
“That could work,” she said slowly. “If they haven’t already destroyed too much of it.”
“Even if they have, we’ll fix it. But Lila—your freedom is more important than my kitchen.”
“What if they sue me for breach of contract?”
“Then we fight that too. Ethan’s good. If we can prove blackmail and sabotage, they won’t have a leg to stand on.”
She leaned into me. “I don’t want to do this anymore. The show. The cameras. Any of it. I just want to be a designer again. And a mom. And … whatever we are.”
“Partners?” I suggested.
“Yeah. That.”
“Then that’s what we do. Tomorrow, we call Ethan. We tell him everything. And we ask him to get you out of the contract.”
“What if he can’t?”
“Then we find another way. But Lila—you’re not doing one more day of filming if you don’t want to. Contract or no contract.”
“They’ll sue.”
“Let them try. We’ll countersue for emotional distress, fraud, blackmail—whatever Ethan thinks will stick.”
She was quiet for a moment. “What about the money? They were going to pay me a lot.”
