Page 121 of The Fiance Dilemma

He stretched his arm and snatched my phone, handing it to me without peeking at the screen. I sat up, coming to his side so we could both see whatever had torn at the thin bubble I’d carefully blown around us. He brushed a kiss at my temple as I unlocked the screen.

BOBBI:I know I’m fired and I’m supposed to cut all contact with you, but I’m at the airport and I’m bored. So you’re getting this from me. Consider it my breakup text.

I looked up at Matthew, eyes widening. “Andrew fired Bobbi?”

He clenched his jaw. “I’m surprised to agree with a decision that man made, but she should be fired. She played Andrew the moment she decided not to tell him the truth. And even after you broke down like that, she still tried to push you to—” His exhale wasforceful. “You always come first, Josie. And I hated—hated—seeing you crying and hurting like that.”

I kissed his cheek. Then his jaw. Then his lips. Matthew’s tension eased away. “I’m all right now. I’m better than all right. I’m with you.”

Another new text popped up, making us both glance down.

BOBBI:Andrew’s way to handle things is paying Page Nine off. I’m saying this because he won’t admit it. It won’t work. That’s why he hired me. They won’t take the money. Page Nine makes their own rules. They’re the twisted, Gen-Z targeted Robin Hood of gossip.

“They won’t take the money,” Matthew said. “She’s right. They’ll probably retaliate if Andrew tries to silence them that way.”

BOBBI:They want Matthew on the podcast. They wanted Josephine at first, but now that she called off the wedding, they want groom number five. It’s the big reveal they were working toward. Live thing, streamed, etc. They were sure he’d be left heartbroken, so they’ve been biding their time.

I blinked at the screen.

“Fuckers,” Matthew murmured. “I should have known.”

Another text came before I could speak.

BOBBI:They’ll offer him big money. His job back (yes, I also knew about that, Blondie). A raise. Anything, really. My advice is to take it. Go on the thing, lie, and put out the fire once and for all. You’re not getting married anyway. And it’s not only for Andrew’s sake but for the two of you. Blondie gets the money. Josephine becomes old news.

BOBBI:Yes. I used you to serve a purpose. But I always tried to protect you. Those two pretend to be righteous, cool, woke. But they forget all about it for the sake of a good story. When it’s someone else’s life on the screen of a device, we forget that it could be us or someone we care for.

BOBBI:You can’t change that, just learn to live with it. Make the best out of it. Roll with the punches and take the money. Give them the conclusion to the story. Move on.

BOBBI:Oh, and it was Duncan who leaked the clip. Don’t ask me how he got ahold of it, but I suggest you stop dating politicians.

BOBBI:It wasn’t a pleasure working with you, but it wasn’t as harrowing as I thought it would be. So call me if you ever need me. It’ll be on the house for all the trouble I might have caused. Although you should probably be thanking me for giving you an excuse to bang. Bye.

That was… A lot. And it all swirled around my head, slowly but distinctly locking into place.

“Matthew?” I asked.

“I’m not doing that,” Matthew said before I could follow that up. “I don’t want their money. Job, a raise. None of that.”

“I understand that.” I swallowed. “They’re horrible people. But I don’t want you to turn that down because of me. I… I can’t ask you to uproot your whole life to be with me. I’ve tried to do that in the past. With every man I’ve been with. I’ve molded myself and tried to fit, and sure, I fell in love with certain things that I made mine but… It’s never worked. So I can’t ask that of you.”

“You’re not asking me.” Fingers clasped my chin gently, bringingmy gaze up. “You’re not uprooting my life, either. They did that. I did that. And I don’t want any of that back. I only want you.”

I only want you.“Well… there goes my plan.”

“What plan?”

“Sending you off. Have you consider taking the job and go back to Chicago. Giving you space so you could have a choice.” I smiled at him, even though a little weakly. Matthew kissed me and I felt the words on my lips.You are my choice.He was mine, too. “What if you take the money? Like Bobbi advised. We feed them a conclusion, and you cash in a check.”

He snorted. “I’m not going on that thing to lie about the woman I love.”

“Then don’t. Don’t lie. I’m so tired of that. So exhausted by the lies and the shame and… caring about what people think and say about anything.”

His brows met, but I could see him piecing everything together. Where my head was going. What I meant. “That’s your story to tell, Josie. Not mine. I would never dare.”

“I don’t think it is, though,” I murmured. And when I heard the words, it solidified something in my head. I twisted my body so I could fully face him. So he could see my face. That I wasn’t sending him off, or running, but the opposite. “I think it stopped being mine the moment all of this started. And they want you, not me.”

Matthew’s arms came around my waist, and he pulled me closer, encouraging, providing the safety I always felt slip through my fingers whenever this whole PR mess was brought up. “What are you saying, Blue?”

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