His jaw locked.
“She’s been out of the paddock for months. Staying out of the spotlight. Keeping things private. Her choice. But you?” I huffed a humorless laugh. “You just put her at the center of a media storm.”
Callaghan blinked. Just once. A flash of doubt.
“Jesus.” Selene pinched the bridge of her nose. “I hate both of you.”
Julian ignored her, eyes still locked on me. “You need to issue a statement.”
I scoffed. “No.”
His gaze darkened. “Griffin.”
“I’m not saying shit. This isn’t their business. Let them hound me, and leave Izzy out of it.”
Julian’s jaw ticked. “You still think that’s an option?”
I crossed my arms. “It has to be.”
Selene let out a sharp breath, scrolling through her phone. “The press doesn’t. Her name is all over social media already.”
Julian swore under his breath. His hand pressed into his temples. “So much for keeping her out of it.”
I dragged a hand through my damp hair and tried extra hard not to take my own swing at Callaghan. Fucking idiot. This was exactly what I didn’t want.
Callaghan shifted, jaw tight, eyes flicking toward Selene’s phone like he wanted to see it for himself. But he didn’t need to. He knew. He fucking knew this was on him. His shoulders hunched and his fingers twitched at his sides. He wasn’t stupid.
“She never should’ve lied.” His voice was quieter, but no less sharp. “If she’d just?—”
“If she’d what?” I snapped. “Told you? Let you have a say? Let you control it?”
His nostrils flared.
I scoffed. “Right. Because you’re so good at keeping your emotions in check.” I gestured vaguely to the room we’d been forced into, the tension still crackling off every surface. “You just outed your own sister to the press, and for what? Some self-righteous tantrum?”
Callaghan’s fists curled at his sides, but he didn’t swing. He couldn’t. Not without proving my point.
“Enough!” Julian shouted, voice cold. He turned to me, fingers pressing into the bridge of his nose. “Like it or not, the damage is done. We need a statement. Now.”
“I told you?—”
“You don’t have a choice anymore,” Julian snapped. “If we don’t say something, they’ll write the story for you.”
He was right and I hated it.
I looked away. Every instinct screamed at me to shut this down, to lock it up tight and keep it where it belonged. Private.
I turned back to Julian, voice flat. “They get one thing from me. I’m raising my daughter, and I won’t discuss anything else.”
Selene’s eyes shone with approval. Julian considered me for a long, long moment, then gave a sharp nod. “Fine.”
But we all knew that wasn’t the end of it.
“The statement needs to go out now,” Julian said.
I let out a slow breath, jaw flexing. “Write whatever the hell you want.”
Selene’s brows lifted, like she hadn’t expected me to fold so fast. Neither had Julian.
