Between Us

Chapter 65

Alianna

I'm absentminded as I take a bite of the breakfast Sol made for me. I tried not to, but I ended up scrolling through my social media feeds all night, and I found nothing but hatred directed at me.

Despite Max's best attempts, screenshots of deleted content are making their rounds across all channels. We've made it into every single gossip magazine, and they're all scrambling to create timelines of Max and Crystal's relationship.

It came to no surprise to me when The Herald reported on Crystal's pregnancy, which only villainized me further. Now I'm not just the woman standing in between two childhood sweethearts, I'm also the evil stepmother-to-be.

Watching my love for Max being turned into a spectacle for everyone to witness is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do.

Photos I can't recall taking are being posted online, showcasing how we used to look at each other when Crystal and Max were still dating.

The media have convinced everyone that I've been seducing her for years, trying to break up Crystal and her. Everything about this reeks of her. She's always done this to me. Every single thing she's ever done to me, she's made me take the blame for, twisting our story until I'm the villain. This is what she'll do to me for the rest of our lives.

What will it be like once the baby is born? Will she somehow manage to use her own child against me too? I have no idea how long it'll take her to make Max turn her back on me, but I suspect she eventually will.

I take a sip of my coffee, trying to take my mind off the videos of people destroying my designs, some of which were hand sown by me, all of them citing that they won't support a two-faced home wrecker.

Then there's the death threats from Crystal's fans, and the loss of my own fanbase. I've had countless modeling contracts canceled without anyone so much as asking me for an explanation. She's destroying me, step by step, and it won't stop until she gets what she wants.

Gab chuckles and glances at me, "Lim bought The Herald and several other gossip magazines. She banned them from reporting on you."

My heart skips a beat at the thought of Max. I truly thought we could get through anything together, but eventually, she'll tire of this battle too. She can't save me when it's my own sister that's executing my fall from grace.

Gab groans when the doorbell rings, her eyes finding Sol's, "How much do you want to bet that we're about to find more Lims on our doorstep?"

She grins at her and shrugs, "I'd be disappointed if they didn't show up, Bebe. Alianna deserves to be part of a family that'll love her the way her own won't. Let's see if the Lims deserve her or not."

Gab sighs and smiles at her indulgently, "Ten paper cranes," she tells her, "That's what you'll owe me if you make me host more Lims."

Sol wraps her arm around me and nods, "I'll give you fifteen."

Mackenzie rests her head against my shoulder, her expression as crestfallen as mine. For once, she hasn't tried to give me hope, nor has she been lost in fairytales of her own making. She's been as quiet as I have been, neither of us sure of what the future might bring. I know she's been reading up on all the news about me too, and it hurts her just as much as it hurts me.

Gab looks grim as he leads Atlas, Sapphire and Jarvis into the living room, Jacen following a few steps behind them. Gab shoots her wife a look, and she grins back at her reassuringly.

Sol strokes my hair and smiles at me, "They were really worried about you. Each and every one of them called me, one by one. Since we're in charge of the Lim family's security, it didn't feel right to keep them in the dark. I didn't tell Max where you are, but I couldn't hide it from them. Jacen called me, in tears, and I don't think I've ever seen her cry before."