Page 106 of Redeeming Melodies

"What's wrong?" But I knew. Had that sick feeling in my gut, the same one I used to get before a bad crash.

"Turn on channel six." Cassidy grabbed the remote, not waiting for me to respond. "Now."

The TV flickered to life and there she was. Vanessa. Perfect makeup, perfect posture, perfect fucking performance. Some morning show couch making her look small, vulnerable. Exactly how she wanted to appear.

"Fuck." The word came out like a prayer. "Jake needs to see this."

My hands shook dialing his number. He answered fast, probably still worried about me after our call.

"El? What's"

"Channel six. Now."

"I've tried so hard to protect Tommy from all this." Vanessa's voice wavered just right, practiced grief making the interviewer lean in closer. "The erratic behavior, the sudden moves. One day he's a champion, the next he's abandoning everything we built."

"That must be incredibly difficult," the interviewer prompted, right on cue. "How is Tommy handling these changes?"

"He's confused." A perfect tear rolled down her cheek. "How do you explain to an eight-year-old that his father's having some kind of breakdown? Moving to strange towns, making impulsive decisions"

"Breakdown?" The rage rose hot and fast. "She's the one"

"Shh." Sarah held up her hand, eyes locked on the screen.

"There have been rumors," the interviewer pressed, "about Mr. Blue's personal life. Recent changes"

"I don't want to speak ill of Elliot." Vanessa's mask slipped just enough to show calculated pain. "He's Tommy's father. But the man living in that small town now? I don't recognize him anymore."

"Son of a bitch." Jake's voice carried low through the phone. "She's really going for blood."

"And now there are reports of an altercation?" The interviewer's excitement barely concealed. "With your new partner?"

There it was. The trap she'd laid.

"It was frightening." Vanessa's hand fluttered to her throat. "Elliot just showed up, so angry. Jason tried to calm him down but"

"He threw the first punch." The words burst out before I could stop them. "That fucker was in my house, with my kid"

"We know." Cassidy's voice cut sharp. "But she's spinning it. Making you look unstable."

"Sources say Mr. Blue has been seen with a local law enforcement officer." The interviewer went for the kill. "Any comment on his apparent lifestyle changes?"

Vanessa's pause was perfect. Calculated. "I just want what's best for our son. All these changes, this new life he's chosen. It's not the stability Tommy needs."

"Mute it." Sarah ordered, already typing furiously on her phone. "We need to get ahead of this."

"How?" My voice came out raw. "She's already painting me as some unstable fuck having a midlife crisis."

"By telling the truth." Cassidy started pacing. "Not her version. Not the tabloid version. Just facts."

"What facts?" Bitter laugh escaped me. "That I hit my ex-wife's boyfriend? That I fell for a small-town sheriff? That I'm fighting for my kid while she puts on this perfect victim act?"

"Yes." Jake's voice steadied me. "All of it. The truth, El. It's stronger than her performance."

"Riley's ready." Sarah looked up from her phone. "We give him the exclusive, let him tell your side. No spin, no drama. Just reality."

"And Anderson's nose?" Had to ask.

"Self-defense during an emotionally charged encounter." Cassidy's smile turned sharp. "Sometimes these things happen when someone threatens your family."

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