“Public Exposure”The morning sunlight sliced through the grand curtains of the mansion like an accusation. I held my breath, staring at the tablet in my trembling hands. My face, I realized, had gone pale. Not just pale — drained, hollowed. Vanessa’s latest maneuver had reached its inevitable conclusion: she had leaked a doctored document to the tabloids, painting me as the manipulative interloper in Cade’s life.I couldn’t look at the headline. I couldn’t look at Chloe, who, oblivious, sat cross-legged on the floor, coloring with a serene focus that made my heart twist. My hands clenched around the tablet.“Lila?” Chloe’s soft voice broke through my spiraling thoughts. Her wide, innocent eyes lifted to me, filled with that quiet trust I had grown to protect with every fiber of my being.I forced a smile, the kind that didn’t reach my eyes. “Hey, pumpkin. What are you drawing today?”She beamed, but I knew she could sense my unease. Children always did. Always knew.I set the tablet
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