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Chapter 106: Quiet Victories

Author: Nuella King
last update Last Updated: 2025-08-03 04:50:10

Emma’s POV

The morning after the gala, the world buzzed with noise.

The media wouldn’t shut up.

Articles. Videos. Commentaries. Threads. Everyone had an opinion — about Diane, about the betrayal, about me. My name trended on Twitter for eight hours straight. They called me everything from “Queen of the Clapback” to “The Woman Who Outsmarted Manhattan.”

But I didn’t care about any of that.

Because I was still in bed.

Wrapped in a blanket. Pressed into the steady warmth of Xander’s chest. His arms curled around me like a cocoon, one hand resting just over the curve of my belly, his thumb absentmindedly stroking the fabric of my robe.

“I can’t believe it’s finally over,” I whispered.

“Almost,” he replied. “But you… you’ve done the hard part. You didn’t just stand up for yourself. You made sure the world listened. That’s something to be proud of, Emma.”

I closed my eyes and let those words wash over me.

I was proud.

Not just because Diane had been exposed or because I was finally free of
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