Trial And Error

Chapter Fifty- One

Kian's POV

Kian scrolled through the tagged photos, her eyes narrowing as she took in the countless paparazzi shots of her and Madison on the balcony. Anger coursed through her veins as questions raced through her mind. How did they know where she lived? How did they manage to get such an angle? This blatant invasion of privacy infuriated her.

To think she had considered stepping out shirtless, revealing the scars that marked her skin. The thought of exposing herself in such a vulnerable way to the world made her stomach churn. And then there was Madison, half-naked in just Kian's shirt, her milky thighs on full display. Kian's fury ignited anew at the thought of someone capturing such an intimate moment without consent.

If the camera had caught a glimpse of Madison's lace-covered ass, Kian knew she would have lost all control. The urge to track down the photographer and inflict physical retribution was almost overwhelming.

How dare they take something so beautiful and sacred and twist it into something horrible? Kian's phone kept buzzing, the notifications relentless until she finally silenced it. On top of that her mother had even called, berating her for not sharing the news of her newfound relationship with Madison, a relationship Kian herself wasn't sure existed. It had been awkward explaining to her mother that they weren't together, at least not yet.

Lately, there had been little time for such discussions, with all of the fucking they'd been doing. The conversation on the balcony replayed in Kian's mind, and she realized that Madison's question about the future hadn't been about the next day's plans, but rather about the nature of their connection. Were they exclusive? The media had already made assumptions, labeling them as girlfriends without their consent.

Kian wanted to do things properly. She longed to take Madison on more dates, to court her in a traditional sense, before formally asking her to be her girlfriend. She had an entire plan in her head, one she devised for ages if it ever got to this point. At the time Kian thought she was all but delusional, obviously, she wasn't after all.

However, Kian's thoughts soon spiraled, pondering the darker implications of these photos. Memories of her captivity resurfaced - the men who had taken her, the looming threat of Amir still lurking out there. A chill ran down her spine as she imagined him making good on his promises, coming for Madison to punish Kian. The very thought sent her body into a fight-or-flight frenzy, the muscles around the scar on her shoulder throbbed.

Then there were the potential professional ramifications to consider. Kian knew her commanding officer would not take kindly to this breach of privacy and the media circus surrounding her personal life. The backlash from her superiors could be detrimental to her career, the culmination of years of sacrifice and service.

It was all such a tangled mess, the consequences spanning both her private and professional worlds. Kian raked a hand through her hair, feeling the weight of it all pressing down on her shoulders.

She knew she needed to get ahead of this situation before it spiraled further out of control. A plan began forming in her mind - have a conversation with Madison about how she's going to handle this. Kian trusted the musician and her team, they've dealt with much worse. Whatever they do Kian would report back to her CO. Her concern at the moment was whether or not this will hinder her evaluation coming up.

She filed the thoughts away for her therapy session later today. She was gradually becoming more receptive to the idea of having a therapist, feeling the positive shifts occurring within herself. It was as if the heavy clouds of her time in Afghanistan were finally starting to part.

However, Kian recognized that there was still an uphill battle ahead. Her primary concern centered around confronting the deeply ingrained issues stemming from her childhood. Hopefully, with time those would start to shift as well, but there was still that lingering doubt in the back of my mind. Wounds that deep never heal and when they do, they scar. She needed to call Madison, but it was too early, there was no way the brunette was up yet. So all she could do was sit and wait.