THE PUBLIC FALL OF GIANNE PINKETT

“You’re fired.”

The words landed so suddenly that for a second, I thought I had heard wrong.

I stared at my boss across the office desk, waiting for something else to follow. A correction or explanation, nothing came.

“Sir…” My voice came out weaker than I wanted it to. “Please, I can explain everything.”

“I don’t care.” He closed the file in front of him without looking at me again. “You have five minutes before the press gets here.”

Press.

My stomach dropped instantly; the company wasn’t just letting me go. They were throwing me out before the scandal could stain them further.

I opened my mouth again, but no words came out this time. Five minutes were all I had left before the entire building watched me leave like some criminal caught in the act.

I turned around slowly and walked back toward my desk, but the atmosphere in the office had already changed. Nobody pretended not to stare anymore. Conversations stopped the moment I passed. A few people quickly lowered their phones, while others didn’t even bother to hide what they were doing.

Someone was recording me. I recognized her immediately. The same coworker who used to ask me for favors during lunch breaks now looks at me as if I were entertainment.

My fingers trembled while I packed my things into my bag. The zipper slipped twice because my hands wouldn’t cooperate.

My phone kept vibrating nonstop inside my pocket. Messages, calls, notifications, one after another.

I didn’t bother to check; I already knew what they would say. By the time I reached the reception area, the whispers had become louder.

“I heard she caused a scene in front of everyone.”

I kept walking.

Then someone mentioned his name.

“Kayden canceled his festival appearance because of her.”

My steps slowed.

Another voice followed.

“He said he’s mentally exhausted after everything she put him through.” A quiet laugh followed.

I felt my face heat slightly, but I kept moving. Nobody here knew how many jobs I worked to support him while he was still unknown.

Nobody knew whose money paid for studio sessions. Nobody knew I was the first person he played every unfinished song for.

All they knew was the version spreading online, and somehow, that version had already become the truth. I entered the elevator quickly before anyone else could say another word.

The metal doors closed in front of me, shutting out the voices. My reflection stared back at me from the elevator doors. I looked exhausted.

Then the memories came rushing back. Kayden and Amara were in his room on the night of the album party. I walked in without warning and saw them kissing. For a second, I didn’t even understand what I was looking at.

Amara was sitting on his lap while his hand rested around her waist, as if it belonged there. Amara was my cousin; she looked at me like I was the problem.

There was no guilt on their faces, nothing at all. I froze. It wasn't anger at first; it was more like my body stopped responding. Everything after that downstairs blurred. People came closer. Some of them recorded it without really understanding what they were capturing.

What spread online later wasn’t the full moment. It was an edited version, shaped and pushed out without context, and I became the version they decided to keep.

My phone vibrated again; hundreds of notifications filled the screen. Some insults, some threats, some told me to disappear. I locked it immediately.

By the time I stepped outside, the city felt different. People looked longer than usual. I wasn’t sure if it was real or not.

I got home feeling like something was pressing down on me the entire way. The moment the door closed, my legs gave out slightly.

I sat on the couch and checked my messages properly, overdue payments, everything I had been trying not to think about.

My hand went still on the phone.

Everything had been hanging by a thread longer than I realized, and now it had snapped; the phone slipped from my hand and hit the floor. I covered my face and broke down.

“Gianne.” Mia rushed to me and pulled me in before I could pull away.

“That guy is trash,” she said. “And Amara is even worse.”

I shook my head against her shoulder.

“What am I supposed to do now?” The question stayed in my mind as tears kept falling onto her shoulder.

“Leave town for a while,” she said, like she already knew what I was thinking.

“With what money? I still have debts and responsibilities,” I managed.

Mia looked at me for a moment. “Then stop acting like your life ended today.” She held my face so I would look at her. “You don’t have time to fall apart over people like them.”

She let go and stood up. “We need alcohol.”

Despite everything, a weak breath escaped me as she walked into the kitchen. I leaned back and closed my eyes for a moment.

Then my phone lit up again. I almost ignored it, almost. But I opened it, and my body stopped. It was an article from an entertainment page.

Kayden and Amara are smiling in a picture. My mother is sitting beside them, and the headline hit harder than anything before.

FAMILY MEMBER OF VIRAL EX-GIRLFRIEND APOLOGIZES TO KAYDEN ROWE

My fingers tightened around the phone. I read it; according to the article, my mother had apologized publicly for my behavior and wished Kayden and Amara well.

A cold laugh came out before I could stop it; my mother barely remembered what day it was most of the time. She isn't even fully aware of what is happening around her anymore.

And Kayden still used her for publicity and damage control. My heart sank. They were reaching into every part of my life.

My family, maybe even the few people left around me. Not anymore.

Mia came back with drinks but stopped when she saw my face. “What happened?”

I handed her the phone, and she read it once, then again. “What the hell is wrong with these people?”

I took the drink and finished half of it, stared at the screen again. At their smiles. In the comments, people who never met me suddenly knew everything about me.

I wiped my face slowly and looked up. “How far should I go with revenge?” I asked quietly, my voice steady in a dangerous tone.

Mia looked at me but didn’t respond. I already have my answer. I stood up and picked up my phone. Scrolled through names I hadn’t touched in years, stopped.

I dialed a number I hadn’t touched in years. The line rang once before someone answered.