NOW EVERYONE KNOWS

Noah swallowed the lump in his throat, pushing his tension down with it. “You could go now. I'll be right there.” The door slowly closed behind them, and the weight of what awaited him settled over him.

“You have to face your fear, Noah.” He gave a slight nod, straightened his rumpled jacket, and headed for the door. Olivia followed him.

Cameras flashed the moment he stepped into the press room. Reporters surged toward him, and his name echoed through the room.

His security personnel followed closely, keeping the reporters from getting too close. They threw questions at him before he even reached the podium.

“Is Lena Carter your girlfriend?”

“Are you two in a secret relationship?”

“Were you the reason she broke up with the sports reporter?”

Noah looked out at the crowd. His eyes found Olivia standing beside the podium.

For a moment, he forgot how to speak.

He knew there was no turning back. The camera flashes lit up in front of him. He felt the weight of the decision pressing down on him, and he couldn't afford to hesitate now.

“Yes,” Noah said.

The room went silent.

Holy shit. Did he just say that?

“Lena Carter is my girlfriend.”

When Lena got home, all she wanted was a warm bath, a hot meal, and just silence. She flicked on the lights, bringing the room back to life, hung her keys on the hook beside the entrance, and flung her bag onto the couch.

“Everything is just messed up,” she muttered, pulling her shirt over her head, leaving her in a bra.

Every part of her screamed exhaustion, making every muscle in her body ache from the day she'd had.

Lena dragged herself toward the kitchen, her knees threatening to give out as she poured herself a glass of cold water from the jug.

Just then, her phone buzzed. She didn't move.

It buzzed again.

Holy crap! She hoped it was not another scandal loading.

It better not be.

Frowning, she flung her phone onto the couch this time, making sure it landed safely.

“What's now?”

The television was already on, filling the once silent room with the low murmur of a news broadcast she wasn't listening to. She reached for the remote, ready to switch it off. Then a familiar voice drifted from the television.

“Yes.” Her heart skipped a beat, leaving her rooted to the spot. “Lena Carter is my girlfriend.”

The glass slipped from her hand with a loud crash.

Noah Hayes.

For a second, she thought she'd misheard. She hadn't...

“How could he make such an insane statement in front of the whole fucking world when I barely know him?”

Her phone started vibrating nonstop.

Once.

Twice. This time, she had no intention of ignoring it. She grabbed her phone from the couch with trembling hands.

She froze. Message after message flooded in.

Five million new followers.

How could this even be possible? Just days ago, it was at three thousand followers.

Everything around her seemed faded.

Nine hundred notifications. Her inbox was filled with new messages from people she hadn't come across.

“Are you Noah Hayes' girlfriend?”

“You left Ethan for Noah all because of his fame.”

“You're shameless and a gold digger.”

Her thumb refused to stay still, tapping through one app after another before she even realized what she was doing.

Every social media app was flooded with one person's name: hers. Lena Carter. Every headline said the same thing:

NOAH HAYES CONFIRMS HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH LENA CARTER, EX-GIRLFRIEND OF ETHAN, THE SPORTS REPORTER.

The more she looked, the less it made sense. Questions flooded her mind. “What on earth did he say that for?” “What was his reason?”

There was no one beside her to answer these questions. All she could do was sit with them. The phone felt impossibly heavy in her hand.

There had to be an explanation. There just had to be.

A sharp knock echoed through the apartment, pulling her out of her thoughts.

She frowned.

Who could be knocking at a time like this? She hated this. She didn't move.

Another knock followed.

With shaking knees, she dragged her feet to the door.

The moment she pulled it open, Emma peeked through the doorway.

“Lena, are you okay?”

She didn't answer. She only walked over to the couch and sank into it.

“Have I ever been alright? He lied, Emma, in front of the whole world.”

Emma tilted her head, clearly confused. “Who lied? I really don't understand what you mean.”

She rubbed her hands on her face before Lena tossed her phone to Emma. “Why don't you see it for yourself?”

Emma caught it before it slipped from her hand. She frowned as her eyes landed on the screen. The more her thumb slid through the screen, the wider her eyes became. “Wait.” She looked up. “Noah said at the press conference that you are his girlfriend.”

Lena gave a slight nod. “This is everywhere, Lena.”

Lena stood abruptly, her hand curled into a fist at her side. “Exactly. Now everyone believes I'm dating him." She took a shaky breath before continuing. Some said I'm with him for the money, others said I'm with him for the fame, and even one goddamn fool called me a prostitute.

Emma closed the distance between them and reached for her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. “You are not dealing with this alone.”

“You don't seem to understand, Emma. My fucking job is at stake."

Tears slipped down her cheeks.

" I've got a lot of expenses on my list right now."

Lena pressed both palms against her head. Her thoughts were in complete chaos. “We will figure this out,” Emma whispered.

“I'm ending it before it gets worse.”

“How?”