May turned, just in time to see a woman—another guest—lower her phone and disappear into the crowd.
"Someone's leaking everything," May said, furious. "We need to shut this down now."
Shane's eyes hardened.
The softness vanished.
Now there was steel in her voice. "Let her try to ruin me. But she's not touching you."
"You think she won't?" May said, stepping closer. "You think she won't twist the story, make it look like I'm just some plaything?"
Shane's eyes blazed.
"No one gets to say who you are but me."
May smiled bitterly. "Then say it. Publicly. Claim me like you did last night."
Shane took her hand. "Then let's make some noise."
And they walked back into the party like fire and thunder—hand in hand, heat in their veins, and war on their shoulders.
But as they re-entered the crowd, phones started buzzing.
Screens lighting up.
Because Alexa's final move had just begun.
And it was something neither of them saw coming
They barely made it to Shane's car before the silence became unbearable.
Shane gripped the steering wheel, jaw tight. May sat beside her, heart racing, eyes locked on the glittering skyline through the windshield. The city never slept—but right now, it felt like the world held its breath.
"I need to tell you something," May said finally, her voice low but steady.
Shane turned her head, sensing the shift instantly. Her posture stiffened.
"What is it?"
May exhaled, then met her eyes.
"This morning… when you were still sleeping, your phone buzzed. It was Alexa."
Shane froze.
May continued, "I picked up. She sounded… broken. But it wasn't sadness. It was obsession. She said, 'If I can't have her, no one can.'"
Shane's face hardened. "She called?"
May nodded. "Then… I turned it into a video call."
Shane's brow furrowed. "You what?"
"I wanted her to see," May said, voice firm. "You were asleep on top of me. Naked. Covered in me. It wasn't just revenge—it was truth. I wanted her to know she'd already lost you."
Shane sat back in her seat, stunned. Her mind reeled.
"Jesus, May…" she whispered. "You let her see us?"
"I didn't plan it," May said. "But she needed to see what real love looks like. That it's over. That you've moved on. That I'm not just a phase or a distraction."
Shane dragged a hand through her hair, tension thick in the car. "What if she recorded that too? What if she spins it and leaks our moment?"
"She won't," May said. "Not yet. Because she's a coward. She wants control, not closure. She's not trying to move on. She's trying to drag you back."
Shane looked at her—eyes stormy, lips parted like she wanted to yell but couldn't find the words.
"I should've told you sooner," May whispered. "But I didn't want to ruin the morning. You looked so at peace. I've never seen you like that."
Shane's voice cracked, just a little. "I was. I felt… safe."
"Then hold onto that," May said, leaning in. "Because nothing she does will change what we have. Not unless you let her.
Shane stared at her for a long beat.
Then she reached over and took May's hand.
Held it tight.
And for the first time since the party started, she felt anchored again.
"You scare me sometimes," Shane whispered.
"Why?" May asked.
"Because I'm falling for you harder than I thought I could fall for anyone."
May leaned over the center console and kissed her—slow, deep, grounding.
"Then fall," she said against her lips. "I'll catch you."
But even as warmth surged between them…
…a new message lit up Shane's phone.
From: UNKNOWN
"You think the video was all I had?
Check the news. You're trending.
Say goodbye to the life you knew."
Shane opened it.
And her heart stopped.
A headline.
"Leaked Footage: Millionaire Shane Kingston's Secret
Past with Dangerous Ex Surfaces—And She's Not Done Yet."
A full article. Edited footage. Photoshopped images. And the video—now online.
May's name was tagged.
Her face shown.
They weren't just in love.
They were under attack.
And the whole world was about to see it.