She welcomes me, her voice smooth and practiced. “We had so many people who wanted to be part of the audience today that we couldn’t take them all. That has never happened before. Needless to say, many people are interested in your story. So, for the sake of time, let’s get started.”
She doesn’t waste a second. “Tell us, Andi. Did you attempt to murder your foster father?”
The question wasn’t on the list I reviewed an hour ago. I feel the air shift, the audience holding its breath. Lindsey’s eyes glint with anticipation, certain she’s caught me off guard. For a heartbeat, I want to flinch, to look away, but I force myself to meet her gaze, steady and unblinking.
“Yes. I certainly did,” I reply matter-of-factly. Then I smile knowingly at Lindsay as her jaw drops open and she stammers for the next question.
“Care to elaborate?”
I was expecting something much harder hitting from this Barbara Walters wannabe, but this question actually puts me in a much better position to tell the entire story first and then let others ask me specific questions.
So I start from the very beginning of what I consider my story, my parents’ death, and walk them through every step of my life until today. I held nothing back. I told them all about my mom’s cousin giving me up to the state and how I was bounced to numerous foster homes.
I explained how and why I ended up in the psychiatric hospital, why I applied for legal emancipation, and how Mack took Shane and me under his wing. I even told them the reason for all my tattoos, the color in my hair, and the youth center.
I ended my story by telling him about Luke proposing to me in our restaurant. By the end of my life story recount,Lindsay had tears in her eyes, and several people in the audience were audibly crying and sniffling.
Lindsay grabbed my hand and squeezed it in a show of support and solidarity. When I realized she was still unable to speak, I continued filling in the silence.
“I’d like to share with you why Shane Fowler has recently become a target of a vicious campaign to ruin his career. Shane has been like a brother to me and has only ever protected me. What he has been accused of is false and has been orchestrated specifically to make me keep my secrets.
“The man I admittedly stabbed is a high-ranking political figure. He was when it happened and is even more so now. When I walked in that room and found him raping that little girl,” I stop and take a steadying breath before I can finish this sentence. “I decided right then that I would never back down from protecting the innocent.
“If I give in to his demands. If I let him get away with this without telling the truth—no matter what it costs me—I will be as much to blame as he is. I will have helped him hurt innocent people, and I can't live with that."
Lindsay finally finds her voice. “What do you hope to gain by telling your story today, Andi?”
“My hope is that others will see him for what he really is. I believe that as his victims come forward, they willfind strength in knowing they’re not alone. I want them to see that they can help put an end to the years of terror and pain he’s inflicted on them.”
The crowd erupts in applause, and many people jump to their feet. Lindsay wipes away a tear, then rises to take the microphone and invite questions from the audience. There are so many questions that Lindsay and her producers decide to post the complete, unedited version on their website as a marketing test. After more than two hours of questions and answers, Lindsay finally wraps up the show.
Many people come forward to share their stories of past abuse. They talk to me about how inspiring I am for standing up to someone who has used his power to do so much evil. I thank them for their kind words and inwardly wonder what kind of evil will now be unleashed on everyone I know.
LUKE
While Andi is away at the talk show interview, I find myself standing at a crossroads—again. She’s never made me feel less for changing my mind, but I can’t shake the discomfort of not having a clear direction, of not being the man I want to be for her, for us. I don’t want to rely on herinheritance or her success. I want to contribute, to build something of my own, to be someone she can be proud to call her partner.
There are parts of my past I still need to make peace with—failures I haven’t fully faced, doubts that creep in late at night. Sometimes I worry she’ll see through me, realize I’m not as steady as I pretend to be. The fear of losing her is sharper than I’d like to admit.
But Andi’s faith in me has started to shift something inside. Her quiet confidence, the way she believes in my potential, makes me want to step up—not just for her, but for myself. Today, I submitted my application and continuing education credits to reactivate my psychologist license. Working with the kids at the youth center, seeing how they light up when someone believes in them, reminded me of why I started down this path in the first place.
I want to use what I know—about psychology, about resilience, about starting over—to help these kids find their footing. Maybe I can offer them the kind of support I wish I’d had. Maybe, in building something with them, I’ll finally learn how to build something lasting for myself, too.
Now comes the real challenge: convincing the parents at the youth center that Andi isn’t the villain the headlines make her out to be. The irony isn’t lost on me—a psychologistengaged to a woman the world insists on labeling unstable. I can only imagine the whispers when the truth comes out, and I hate thinking about the fallout Andi might face.
What’s worse is knowing she’s facing the talk show interview alone. I offered to go with her, to be there in case the questions turned ugly, but she refused—said she needed to do this herself, that she didn’t want anyone thinking she needed backup. I respect her strength, but it doesn’t make waiting any easier. The promo ads have been everywhere, promising that Andi will finally tell her side of the story. I can’t help but worry about what they’ll ask, or how they’ll twist her words.
I can’t sit still any longer. The house feels too quiet, every minute stretching out until my nerves are raw. I grab my gear and head to the gym, hoping to work off some of this restless energy. The moment I walk in, I’m greeted by the glare of camera flashes and the low hum of reporters clustered near the entrance. For a second, I consider pushing past them, but then I spot Shane standing in front of the crowd, holding court. I hang back, watching, the tension in my shoulders refusing to ease.
“I will gladly submit to any type of drug test–urine, blood, hair–you name it. I have nothing to hide, and I've done nothing wrong. Each of you can take it to your own independent lab, as long as they conduct the tests live, oncamera, and no one interferes. I’ve been set up and falsely accused. I want it shown to the world now,” Shane declares with gritted teeth.
“I should have offered this the first day this ridiculous accusation was leveled against me, but I couldn’t think straight. I wanted to believe it was a simple lab mix-up and that it would be corrected immediately. It’s important that my fans realize that none of this is true,” Shane stops and looks directly into the closest camera. “I’m asking you to believe in me.”
With that, Mack announces that’s the only statement that Shane will make, and unless they’re taking samples to the lab, he will answer no further questions. Several reporters jump at the chance to be the ones to either clear his name or condemn him.
Shane willingly takes them to the locker room with him, and the ringside doctor performs the blood draws himself. Mack’s lawyer steps in with paperwork for the reporters to sign, and a boxing commission representative arranges for each specimen to have an official escort.
I move to the far corner to work on the speed bag alone and clear my head. Mack raised Shane and Andi–he taught them how to stand up for themselves. Watching Shane helped me get past this feeling that Andi needed to be protected during her interview. She’s strong, she’sindependent, and she’s opinionated—and I wouldn’t change a thing about her.
