Page 58 of Broken Blades

The headline beneath it twisted something sharp in my chest:

"New Couple Alert: Wyatt 'The Bounty Hunter' Garrison Goes Public with Thomas Harrington's Daughter"

Beneath that, another:

"Age Gap Romance: 36-Year-Old NHL Vet Spotted with 22-Year-Old College Grad"

And another:

"From Secret Rendezvous to Coffee Dates—Timeline of Wyatt Garrison's Mystery Relationship"

My stomach dropped. Kept dropping. Like I'd stepped off a cliff and hadn't hit bottom yet.

I scrolled. Comments poured in faster than I could read them.

She's gorgeous. Lucky girl.

He looks OBSESSED.

Daddy issues much?

Gold digger.

She must be special if he went public.

This won't last.

My vision blurred. Pressure built behind my eyes. I blinked hard. Refused to let tears fall. Not here. Not in front of him.

"This is insane."

Wyatt's expression didn't shift. Eyes on the road. Hands steady on the wheel. "It's standard."

I shot him a glare sharp enough to draw blood. "Not everyone expects to be publicly disemboweled at nine a.m."

"It's 10:14."

My fingers tightened around my phone. For half a second, I genuinely considered hurling it at his smug face. Watch it bounce off that perfectly controlled jaw. See if he'd flinch.

He wouldn't. We both knew it.

Instead, I locked the screen again. Pressed my palm against my thigh to stop the trembling. "You're enjoying this."

"I'm tolerating this." He signaled. Changed lanes with the precision of someone who never made careless movements. "There's a difference."

"Oh, forgive me. I forgot you're suffering too." Sarcasm dripped from every syllable. "Must be exhausting, watching your plan work exactly as you designed it."

That earned me a glance. Quick. Sharp. Assessing.

"You think I planned for you to look at me like that?"

Heat crawled up my neck. "Like what?"

"Like you forgot the cameras existed."

My breath caught. "I didn't⁠—"

"You did." He pulled into his driveway. Killed the engine. Turned to face me fully for the first time since we'd left the café. "That photo works because you sold it. Not me."