CASEY
They were now digging into her. My mother. Describing her as a gold digger who managed to sink her claws into one of the wealthiest men in the world.
'Like mother, like daughter.'
'Scandal in the Blackwell legacy.'
'History repeating itself.'
The headlines were brutal, plastered everywhere, splattered across blogs and gossip sites, even legitimate press. Twisting everything into something dirtier, uglier, worse than it already was.
This wasn't just a media frenzy. This seemed like a warfare. And suddenly, I didn't even want to go back home. I didn't want to face her. I didn't know if I could.
The headlines blurred in front of my eyes as I stared at the screen. My hands trembled. I wanted to throw the phone across the room. Smash it. Rip out its battery. Destroy any connection to the world outside this house. But I just… held it. Like maybe if I held it tight enough, it would hurt less.
