"That won't work. I'll have the team investigate the obvious suspects and dig until every single point of deviation is exposed. But you won't touch Richard yet. He’s your CFO and Vice President, and he’s protected by a fortress of a contract your father signed."
"Have you gone and fucked yourself today, Vanessa?" I growled, my patience hitting zero. "Don't you have two girlfriends to go take care of?"
"I do. But I also have a friend and CEO who is heartbroken and needs support so she doesn't set the entire world on fire just because she lost the woman she loves."
"I haven't…" Vanessa didn't let me finish. She raised a hand, silencing my denial before it could leave my lips.
"Call it whatever you want to delude yourself, but that's love, Kelsey. The kind that grabs you by the heels and drags you all the way to the registry office."
I let out a huff of disbelief, rubbing my forehead as I watched her storm out of the office. Her parting grumbles about "dealing with a spoiled brat" echoed in the hallway, leaving me alone with my silence and a stack of betrayals.
#50
"I've been doing a good job of making them think I'm quite alright but I hope I don't blink. You see it's easy when I'm stomping on a beat but no one sees me when I crawl back underneath" - Paramore
It has been a month since the argument that tore us apart. On this particular day, the weight of the charade was crushing; Donald had to escort me to lunch just to stifle the rumors that our "fairytale" was fracturing.
Following the strict orders of the image team, orchestrated by Vanessa and Sarki, we’ve been making strategic public appearances.
Our engagement is only a month away, and the walls are closing in. I can no longer outrun the commitments I’ve made. On the surface, the plan is working; I’ve garnered unlikely support for my nomination. If I can keep this mask from slipping, I will be the youngest person ever to ascend to the Supreme Court.
But the cost is astronomical.
The first hearing of the afternoon dragged on for eight grueling hours. I sat on the bench, lightheaded from hunger, as the prosecution laid out a tedious case of corrupt contractors and money laundering.
"Your Honor, it must be understood that the evidence here is purely circumstantial," the defense attorney droned. He had already earned my absolute loathing. Not just for his legal incompetence, but for having the audacity to walk into my chambers earlier that day wearing the same perfume Kelsey uses. It had sent me into a spiral, a forty-minute crying fit behind locked doors that left me hollow.
"We will take a two-hour recess before resuming the session," I announced, the sound of my gavel echoing like a final judgment.
"Your Honor," the attorney interrupted as I rose to leave. "Will we be extending into the late evening? My client usually spends his nights with his family."
I raised a single, icy eyebrow. "Your client is being prosecuted by the State, Counselor. His social calendar is currently the least of my concerns."
I turned my back on them and retreated to my chambers. I collapsed into my leather chair and ordered a chaotic meal, a salad, fries, and a burger, the food equivalent of my mental state.
Once I’d finished, I sent a message to Charlie, inquiring about the club she’d recently opened here in D.C. I requested a one-time session. Anonymous. Masked. I needed to be someone else. I needed to feel nothing.
My phone rang almost immediately. It was Charlie, and I could already hear the lecture in her silence.
"Are you sure about this, Megan?" she asked, her voice heavy with concern. "This would be your fifth session this week, and you haven't looked even remotely happy in a single one of them."
"Hello, Charlie. I need a session. Tonight."
"You’re trying to fill a void with empty things, Megan," Charlie countered, her voice heavy with the wisdom I was trying to ignore. "You know this is a mistake. What Kelsey…"
"She has no business knowing which clubs I frequent," I snapped, cutting her off. "Would you rather I go look for a place where you don't know the staff?"
A long silence stretched over the line. "Fine. But I want to know exactly who you’re meeting. Two hours after your hearing ends. Send me the confirmation."
I hung up, but before the screen could dim, a video call flashed. It was my throuple of chaos. Lisa, Sarki, and Vanessa, all huddled around a pizza with smiles that felt too bright for my current mood.
"We want to know if you're joining us for trivia night!" Sarki beamed.
I pinched the bridge of my nose, a tired smile tugging at my lips. "I can't. I'm still in court, and I have... plans afterward."
Vanessa raised her hand like a student in class. "Do those plans involve calling Kelsey and finally talking like two rational adults?"
Lisa swatted her arm, but I just shook my head. "For the millionth time, Kelsey chose this path for both of us. I'm not the one who has to go chasing after her."
