Page 24 of The One I Love

Eve returned to her apartment. Anson had been in meetings all morning, but he’d told her he would make time to watch her appearance. Immediately after the show, he’d texted his congratulations.

As she’d just heard from her attorney, Eve was able to tell Anson that Jason had been formally charged on numerous counts related to posting the video on social media, and his law firm had let him go. Once he was convicted, Jason stood a good chance of being disbarred.

Satisfied that justice was being served, Eve sat down to peruse her social media accounts. She was considering doing a quick livestream on Instagram, but then she saw what was trending.

Word was out that Jason had not only been charged, but the farm boy from Iowa had lost his job. The articles, tweets and posts rallied those who loved to root for the underdog.

#IhateEVE had gone viral.

Eve couldn’t believe it. Charges had been filed against the man. And yet, the horrible comments hadn’t stopped. Apparently, many still thought she’d approved of Jason recording them having sex that night. People were calling her horrible names, convinced she’d faked the phone call she’d recorded with Jason the other day.

They seemed to have forgotten that she was the victim. She had proof he was lying, but it didn’t matter. They didn’t want to believe her. They wanted to believe the guy over the woman, because that was the messed-up world she lived in.

She’d gone from media darling to social pariah in a heartbeat. Reassuring herself that she’d get through this and be okay eventually, Eve squared her shoulders and began making calls to her team. An hour later, after weighing all the options, she made the decision to delay the launch of EVE Cosmetics.

Her phone rang, and she saw that it was Anson. Eve let his call go to voicemail.

The knock at her door had her staying seated, until she heard Britt’s voice. “Eve, open up. It’s me.”

Eve rose. She couldn’t ignore Britt, who’d taken time out of her busy life to go with her to the studio this morning.

“I’m coming.” Setting down her iPad, Eve crossed the room and opened the door.

“Time to celebrate.” Flashing a bright smile, Britt held out a bottle of champagne. “I’ve had it chilling for just this moment.”

Eve stepped aside as Britt blew into the room like a breath of fresh air. “What are we celebrating?”

“Jason being charged. Jason losing his job. Your fabulous interview this morning. Take your pick.” Britt looked around. “Where do you keep your glasses?”

“Are we really going to do this now?”

Britt laughed. “Well, yeah.”

Eve got the flutes and put out a couple of scones that Hal had brought down yesterday.

Britt opened the champagne and poured.

“This is good,” Eve said after one sip.

“I know.” Britt grinned. “We’re having this vintage at the wedding.”

“Your wedding is going to be so cool.” Eve smiled. “The social event of the season.”

“I’m excited,” Britt said. “I can’t wait to marry your brother. And I can’t wait for you to get to know my sister. Bea is a sweetheart. You’re going to love her.”

“I’m looking forward to meeting her.” Eve gazed down into the amber liquid. “I was hoping this scandal, or whatever you want to call it, would be over and done by then. Now, I’m not so certain.”

“You’ve been vindicated,” Britt reminded her.

“Not according to what you read online.” Eve blew out a breath. “#IhateEve is still trending, and the comments range from ‘she’s ugly without makeup’ to ‘she’s a slut who slept her way through college.’”

Sympathy blanketed Britt’s pretty face. “I hate that you’re having to deal with this.”

“I’d hoped Jason being charged would be the end of it. It’s an open-and-shut case.” Eve gave a humorless chuckle. “Yet the trolls are still out there. The fact that I was the victim doesn’t seem to matter.”

“Believe me, I know how it feels when you’re being trashed online for something that you had nothing to do with, for something that’s untrue. I get it.” Britt set down her flute. “Trolls are always eager to tear down a woman for anything. The truth is almost irrelevant online.”

Eve nodded.

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