Day Seven doesn't announce itself.
No countdown.
No trending alarm.
Just a notification that says what everyone's already waiting for.
🔔 "Final livestream scheduled in 10 minutes."
I stare at it like it might blink first.
10:58 a.m. – The Question Everyone Wants Answered
We sit on opposite ends of the couch, phones face down, hands not touching.
"Last day," I say.
Darian nods. "Last day."
There's no smile. No bravado. Just nerves—honest, exposed.
"Whatever you choose," he says quietly, "I'll respect it."
I look at him. "Don't say that like you're already letting go."
"I'm saying it because this time, it has to be your choice."
That's the difference.
That's everything.
11:00 a.m. – Going Live (One Last Time)
🔴 LIVE
Viewers: 6.8 MILLION
The number climbs fast, but it doesn't crush me like before.
I breathe.
"Hi," I say. "It's Day Seven."
The chat pours in—hopeful, cautious, loud.
@FinaleTime: PLEASE BE KIND TODAY
@TeamLyra: NO MATTER WHAT, WE SUPPORT YOU
@ShipOrSlip: STAY OR GO???
I lift a hand. "Before you decide anything for us, let me say this."
Silence ripples.
"This week wasn't proof that love is perfect," I continue. "It was proof that it's messy. That it breaks rules. That it can't survive on performance."
Darian looks at me, eyes steady.
"I won't pretend," I add. "I care about him. More than I planned to."
A murmur in the chat.
@SheSaidIt: SHE CARES
@Breathe: LET HER SPEAK
Darian speaks next. "I don't want applause. I don't want redemption. I want honesty—even if it costs me."
I nod. "So here's the choice."
11:06 a.m. – The Vote
A poll appears on-screen:
LOVE or LIES?
Stay married
End it here
The numbers jump, fluctuate, argue.
But I shake my head.
"This vote isn't for you," I say gently. "It's for me."
The poll disappears.
The chat gasps.
11:08 a.m. – The Answer
I turn to Darian.
"Look at me."
He does.
"No cameras," I say. "No audience."
He reaches up and turns the phone face down.
🔴 LIVE PAUSED
The world vanishes.
In the quiet, my voice doesn't shake.
"I won't stay because we're watched," I say. "I'll stay because I want to choose you—without contracts, without countdowns."
His breath catches.
"And if I stay," I add, "we do it slowly. Honestly. Privately."
A beat.
"Do you want that?" I ask.
He nods once. "Yes."
I lean forward and kiss him.
No angles.
No edits.
Just us.
11:12 a.m. – After the Cameras
We turn the phone back over.
🔴 LIVE RESUMED
The chat explodes.
@THEYCHOSE: THEY CHOSE EACH OTHER
@NOFILTERLOVE: THIS IS EVERYTHING
@WEWEREHERE: ICONIC
I smile at the camera. "The livestream ends today."
Darian adds, "The marriage doesn't."
🔴 LIVE ENDED
Night – Quiet Victory
Later, the apartment is still.
No buzzing.
No comments.
I curl into his side on the couch.
"So," I murmur, "what now?"
He smiles—soft, unguarded. "Now we learn how to be real."
I close my eyes.
For the first time since the scandal began, the future doesn't feel like content.
It feels like ours.