CHAPTER 4
The guests left quickly after that, their faces tight with embarrassment. Some stopped to apologize as they walked out, their voices quiet and sheepish. I accepted their apologies with a polite smile, but I didn’t forget a single face. I knew who had laughed. I knew who had filmed. I knew who had stayed silent.
Ethan didn’t say a word to any of them. He kept his arm around my shoulders, guiding me inside the house, up the grand staircase to my old bedroom. He sat me on the edge of the bed, then knelt down to untie my wet shoes, his hands still shaking.
“Let me get you some dry clothes,” he said, standing up. “And a warm drink. Tea? Coffee?”
“Tea would be nice,” I said softly.
He left the room, and I leaned back against the headboard, closing my eyes. The anger that had burned through me earlier was fading, replaced by a deep, tired ache. I had known Vanessa was wrong for Ethan. I had seen the signs from the first time they started dating.
She had isolated him from his friends.
She had convinced him that I was too controlling, too involved in his life.
She had pushed him to take a bigger role in the company, not because she believed in him, but because she wanted more power.
I had tried to warn him. I had sat him down, told him what I saw, told him I was worried. But he had been young, in love, blind to her flaws. He had accused me of being jealous, of not wanting him to be happy. We had fought. We had barely spoken for three months.
That was why I had planned this. I hadn’t wanted to humiliate Vanessa. I had wanted Ethan to finally see the truth. I just hadn’t expected the truth to hurt this much.
Ethan came back a few minutes later, carrying a mug of tea and a stack of my old sweatpants and a sweater. He set the tea on the nightstand, then handed me the clothes.
“Thank you,” I said.
He sat down on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands.
“How could I be so stupid?” he whispered. “How could I not see what she was?”
I put my hand on his back.
“You weren’t stupid, baby. You were in love. People see what they want to see when they’re in love.”
He looked up at me, his eyes red.
“She told me you hated her. She said you thought she wasn’t good enough for me. She said you were going to cut me off if we got married.”
I sighed.
“I never said any of that. I only ever said I wanted you to be happy. I wanted you to marry someone who loved you for who you are, not for what you have.”
He nodded, swallowing hard.
“I know that now. I’m sorry I didn’t believe you. I’m sorry I let her come between us.”
I pulled him into another hug.
“It’s over now. We’re okay.”
But it wasn’t over. Not even close.
My phone rang an hour later, just as I was getting ready to leave for my own house. It was my head of security, Tom. His voice was tight with urgency.
“Helena, we have a problem. The Mitchells just leaked a story to the Nashville Tabloid. They’re saying you showed up to the party drunk, uninvited, and threatened Vanessa. They’re saying Ethan is a mama’s boy who called off the engagement because you told him to. They’re spinning this hard.”
I felt my jaw tighten.
“Did they post any video?”
“Only a ten-second clip they took themselves. It shows you kneeling in the grass, but it cuts out right before Vanessa sprayed you. They’re making it look like you collapsed from being drunk.”
Ethan, who had been listening, grabbed his phone.
“I’ll post a statement. I’ll tell everyone what really happened.”
“Wait,” I said, holding up a hand. “Don’t. Not yet.”
He frowned.
“Why not? They’re lying about you. I can’t let them get away with it.”
“Because if we post a statement now, it becomes a he-said-she-said,” I explained. “They’ll keep lying, keep spinning. We need to wait until the story gets as big as possible. Then we release the full video. Every second of it. When everyone sees what really happened, their lies will crumble. And they’ll look even worse for trying to smear me.”
Tom agreed.
“She’s right. The longer we wait, the more rope they hang themselves with. My team is already monitoring social media. The story is blowing up. People are furious at you right now, Helena. But when the truth comes out? The backlash against the Mitchells will be ten times worse.”
I nodded.
“Good. Let them dig their own hole.”
Ethan looked at me, a mix of admiration and worry in his eyes.
“Are you sure you can handle this? People are going to say some terrible things about you online.”
I smiled, sharp and steady.
“Let them. I’ve built a billion-dollar company from nothing. I’ve faced down board members who wanted to ruin me. I’ve handled worse than a few internet trolls and a family of grifters.”
But even as I said it, I felt a twist in my stomach. I knew the Mitchells were desperate. And desperate people did desperate things. I just didn’t know how far they would go to get revenge.
That night, I sat in my living room, scrolling through social media, reading the comments. People called me a drunk. A bully. A control freak. They said I had ruined my son’s life. They said I should be ashamed of myself.
I didn’t let it get to me. I kept my eyes on the end goal.
But then, at two in the morning, my phone buzzed. It was a text from an unknown number.
You think you won? You have no idea what’s coming. We’re going to take everything from you. Everything.
May you like
I stared at the text, my heart beating a little faster.
This was definitely not over.
