“It will hold in court,” Darhg assures her. “If you want to sue once you figure out who created and published it.”
Mom’s eyes flick to me, and the faintest of smiles lifts the corner of her perfect red lips.
"I know it’s a fake, Rona."
The casual words hit me like a slap. I blink, certain I misheard. "You what?"
"I've known the video was fake since day one," she says, her tone matter-of-fact as she shakes her head. "I hired the best forensic AI experts as soon as you left with Darhg."
The hope I'd been nurturing crumbles to ash in my chest.
"You knew?" My voice cracks on the words. "You knew it was fake, and you still didn’t tell anyone the truth?"
"Truth and public perception are two different things, Rona." Her blue-green eyes meet mine with the ruthlessnessthat I’m used to seeing her use on her enemies. It’s the first time she ever looked at me like that and I don’t care for it. "Denial doesn't matter when public opinion is already poisoned. The damage was done the moment that video went viral."
The words land on me like a lead blanket. She knew I was innocent, but that knowledge was secondary to political damage control. Truth became irrelevant the moment it became inconvenient.
I shouldn’t be surprised. I shouldn’t be hurt. I still feel tears burn in my eyes and I blink to suppress them.
"But everyone will think I did these things," I say, my voice starting strong but wavering as I go on. "Shouldn't I defend myself? If I say nothing, then it’s like I admit it’s true. Doesn’t it matter?"
Ugh. I feel sick. It’s a good thing I didn’t eat this morning.
"Of course it matters." But her tone suggests it matters less than other considerations. "What matters more is containing the fallout and protecting what we can."
She meant what matters most to her career. Not to me. Not to my own life and my own dreams.
I feel myself shrinking, falling into the same old patterns of compliance that have shaped my entire life. The familiar weight of helplessness settles over me, making it hard to breathe.
Darhg shifts beside me, and I catch the way his jaw tightens at Mom's dismissal. There's something protective in his posture that makes me stand a little straighter.
"There’s more pressing issues than the deepfake," he says, his voice careful and controlled. "Someone leaked Rona's location to the press. Someone close to her. Someone she trusts."
“What?” Mom's expression sharpens with genuine concern. "How certain are you?"
"Certain enough. My contact is analyzing her phone now. If there's tracking software, he'll find it."
"You gave her phone to an outside party?" Caroline interjects, her voice pitched with indignation. "That's a serious overreach on your part."
"I don’t care how far I’m overreaching," Darhg cuts her off, his voice carrying an edge that makes Caroline's wings flutter and her eyes grow wider. No one talks to Senator Melissa Quinn like that. "Rona’s safety comes first. If someone she trusts sold her out, she deserves to know."
The words hang in the air like an accusation. I watch my mother's face go very still as the implications sink in. Someone close to us, someone with access to private information, betrayed me for money. Or influence. Or revenge. Possibly all of those.
"You're suggesting a mole in my team," Mom says quietly.
"I'm stating a fact." Darhg's amber eyes never waver from hers. "There’s no other explanation. How else would a scumbag like Gribble Nix track her down to a small town like Saltford Bay?"
Finally, Mom nods slowly. "Fine. Your contact can analyze the phone. But I want a full report on his findings and his credentials."
"Of course."
The concession seems to cost her something, acknowledging that her carefully managed world has been compromised from within. But before the conversation can continue, Caroline steps forward with her tablet, her expression shifting from indignation to something that looks like panic.
"Senator," she says, her voice high-pitched, her small body almost vibrating with nervous energy. "I'm sorry to interrupt, but there's something you need to see. Right now."
My stomach plummets as she turns the tablet toward us. The screen showsThe Sizzle's website, and even from across the room, I can see the large photograph that dominates the page. It's crystal clear, taken with a long lens through the cabin window.
Darhg and me. Darhg and me kissing, my arms around his neck, his hands gentle at my waist.
