Page 70 of Stuck with the Billionaire Celebrity

That I should have done something sooner.

Tad steps closer, his expression softening as he speaks. “The important thing now is that he’s in custody. He can’t hurt you anymore.”

I nod, but the motion feels mechanical, like I’m just going through the motions. I should feel something. Relief, anger, anything. But all I feel is exhaustion.

“Could it really be that easy?” I ask, my voice barely above a whisper. “Just like that… he’s gone?”

Tad exchanges a glance with Theo before answering. “It won’t be easy. There’s still going to be an investigation, a trial. But right now, you’re safe. That’s what matters.”

Safe.

The word feels foreign, like it doesn’t belong to me anymore. I’ve spent so long living in fear that I don’t know how to let it go.

I nod slowly, trying to absorb their words. “Okay. I… I just need some time to process this.”

“Of course,” Theo says, his voice gentle. “Take all the time you need.”

He starts to pull away, but I stop him, reaching out to grab his hand. I don’t know why, but I need to feel his presence right now. I need to know that I’m not alone in this, even if it doesn’t feel real yet.

He looks down at our hands, then back up at me, his expression softening. He squeezes my hand gently, grounding me in the moment.

For now, that’s enough.

18

THEO

“Are you okay?” I ask Grace the next morning.

“I don’t know the answer to that,” she sighs as she paces the kitchen.

“I get it. I’ve been where you are, so…I understand.”

“What do you mean that you’ve been where I am? You haven’t had a stalker before, have you?”

“Alexia, sort of. Not to the extent of Andrew, but similar.”

“What happened?”

I run a hand through my hair. We had discussed this briefly before but now, I should tell her all of it.

“I hosted a gala at my old home.

At the time, it was a big affair—lots of people were there. I wasn’t as strict about checking backgrounds back then.

This gorgeous woman introduced herself to me early in the night. She said she was my assistant Camille’s best friend.

I didn’t think anything of it. My staff used to invite friends and family to make the events bigger and boost publicity.”

“Making them use their social media or something?”

“Exactly.

Anyway, this woman’s ex-boyfriend showed up out of nowhere. They’d both been drinking, and things got heated fast.

They got into a really big argument—it turned physical.

I stepped in to protect her, because I was always taught you don’t hit a woman.

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