𝐖𝐈𝐍𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐁𝐀𝐂𝐀𝐑𝐃𝐈 everyone knows who she is. Worldwide model, covered in many vogue magazines, walked catwalks, and runaway. But people don't know what happens behind the curtains. Despite the many scandals that have plagued her reputation...
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The weight of everything pressed down on me, like the air was too thick to breathe. It felt like I was standing at the edge of a cliff, the ground crumbling beneath my feet, ready to drop me into the void. But this time, I wasn't alone. I wasn't going to fall without a fight.
My father was now tucked away in his own wing of the house, the threat of exposure looming over him like a storm cloud. He didn't know it was a bluff, and that was his greatest fear. The thought that his precious reputation could be shattered with a few words kept him in check, for now. But I knew this couldn't go on forever. It was a temporary solution, a bandage over a wound that ran too deep.
Theo still looked at our father like he was invincible, unaware of the man he truly was. And maybe that was for the best. At least for now. I couldn't bear to shatter his illusion, not when he was so young, so innocent. But the truth hovered over us all, a shadow that could darken everything if it ever came to light.
Mom was different, though. She was starting to heal, and for the first time in years, I saw her smile with her whole heart. It was like watching a flower bloom after a long, harsh winter. She wore dresses without long sleeves, didn't flinch when the door slammed, and her laughter—it was light, free from the weight of fear that used to choke it. It gave me hope that maybe, just maybe, we could get through this.
But Lucas... Lucas was a different story. He was still locked up tight, and every time I tried to reach him, he slipped further away. I yelled, I cried, I did everything I could to break through that wall, but he always walked away, leaving me standing there with my heart in pieces. I couldn't give up on him, though. I wouldn't. No matter how much it hurt, I was going to keep pushing, keep trying, because I knew that if I let him go, he might be lost forever.
So I surrounded myself with the people who still brought light into my life—my friends, Theo, even my mother. I threw myself into their lives, into our shared moments, trying to drown out the darkness that threatened to pull me under. And I focused on what I loved, what made me feel alive again. I dived into my modeling, letting the camera capture a version of myself that felt real, felt strong, even when I didn't always believe it.
The suffocating feeling was still there, lingering like a ghost in the back of my mind. But this time, I wasn't going to let it win. I had people to lean on, and I wasn't going to fall without a fight.
The late afternoon sun cast a warm, golden hue over the living room, turning everything soft and hazy around the edges. I curled up on the sectional, my legs tucked beneath me as I took in the scene before me. The whole group was here—my friends, my family in a way that transcended blood.
Jayden sat sprawled out on the other end of the couch, his arm lazily draped over Chloe's shoulders. Chloe was leaning into him, her head resting on his chest, a content smile playing on her lips. Bella and Travis were perched on the floor, backs against the coffee table, engaged in a playful argument over something trivial, probably one of Travis's bad jokes. Lucas was nearby, sitting quietly in an armchair, his eyes flicking over all of us with a distant but observant gaze. His presence was always there, even when he wasn't saying much.
