Chapter <b>140 </b>
<b>Chapter </b><b>140 </b>
It was barely 7 a.m, when Sutton’s phone buzzed on the tray beside her hospital bed.
She hadn’t slept the whole night. Even though she was on pain meds, every time she shifted in her sleep, the pain woke her.
Luca was asleep in the chair beside her, long legs stretched out, head tilted toward her but not quite resting. He’d refused to leave, and sometime affer midnight, one of the overnight nurses had pulled in a cot, only for him to ignore it in favor of staying closer.
The phone buzzed again. Then again. Wishing now they hadn’t charged itst night, but it could be one of her sisters. Though she didn’t think they would call at this time in the morning.
Sutton rubbed her face with one hand and grabbed it with the other, careful not to wake him. Her fingers were stiff, but she managed to swipe the screen
open.
UNKNOWN CALLER
She hesitated for a moment but answered.
“Hello?”
There was a pause. Then a voice, ever so eager.
“Sutton Warner, or should I say Audrey? This is Lilly Day from The Daily Ledger. We’d like to offer <i>you </i>the opportunity to share your side of the story before-”
Sutton ended the call immediately. Heart loud in her chest.
What the hell.
A secondter, another call.
Declined.
Then texts.
Mike, New York Post: Care for an interview? Tell your side of the story. This is the story we will be running: “Audrey, Europe’s Favorite Model—Cyber CEO’s Secret Muse?”
Maya, Fox8: Please let us know if you’re open to discussing your secret affair with Luca De Santis.
Paul, New York Times: Exclusive offer. We pay big for a sit–down with Sutton Warner aka Audrey for the full story.
The Sun: Hi Sutton, This is Clint from the Sun. Are you and Luca still together? Did you trap him?
ENews: Was he engaged when you conceived? We would love to sit down with the model who Luca had an affair with.
Sutton’s chest tightened. She could feel tears well in her eyes. How had they found out? She looked nothing like she had back then.
A message from ir popped up.
ir: Shit, Sutton. Check the news. The story broke. It’s everywhere. The things they are saying..
Keira: I’m going to incinerate whoever did this. Stay off the inte. I mean it. DO NOT look. We areing to you.
Roman: Luca and I will handle this. Focus on you and the baby. On healing. We’ve got you.
She didn’t look at the links being sent to her by people she knew. She didn’t want to see the headlines. The messages from <b>the </b><b>reporters </b><b>had </b><b>been </b><b>bad </b>
Chapter <b>140 </b>
enough.
She knew someone had sold her out.
ybe for revenge or money. Nicole, or had someone else figured out who the wat?
Sutton swiped at the tears on her cheek. She was being stupid. She had nothing to feel been her aunt and uncle who stepped in. She had never gone nude.
I ashamed of. She had supported her sisters when it should ha
So, for some stupid reason, she clicked on one of the links someone from the office sent. Their message had read: Is this really you?
The media post showed photos of her on the catwalk and some images from magazines and well known promotional nights out with the other moder There was one that made Sutton cringe. Her skirt was so short. Some images she knew weren’t even het. Someone had put her head on someone else body. Including nudes. They were all carefully edited to look sleazy.
And worse, the story that came with the images.
The mistress. The child hidden in shame. Luca De Santis’s secret love affair.
And now, of course, the hospital angle. “Sources” confirming her delivery, her baby, her real name.
It felt like drowning, only in reverse. The heat rushed up to her face, not away from it.
She couldn’t look anymore. She clicked the side button, holding it down so it would turn off. The phone turned off, but her hands wouldn’t stop shaking Oh<i>, </i>my God. The way they were painting her was disgusting. She hadn’t even known she was the other woman.
Sutton must have made a noise because Luca stirred in the chair. He blinked hard and sat up straighter immediately when he saw her faca
“What happened? Are you in pain? Do you need a nurse-?”
She shook her head, voice tight. “It’s out.”
“What’s out?”
She swallowed hard.
“I just got a call from some reporter. Somehow someone figured it out. That I’m Audrey. That we’re here. That I’m…” She didn’t want to say the rest. That they were painting her the scarlet woman. As if she was something scandalous.
She stared straight ahead.
Luca didn’t ask questions. He stood fast, pulling out his phone.
“No,” Sutton said quickly. “Luca. Please don’t make a scene.” She knew him. He would not let this rest. Sometimes it was best not to fuel the fire and let it burn.
He wasn’t listening.
His eyes scanned the screen, going through his own messages and emails before dialing a number and holding the phone to his ear.
“Damien,” he said into the phone, voice crisp. All–business. Controlled but with friction underneath. “How fast can you get the PR team <b>looped </b><b>in</b><b>? </b>No denials. No exnations yet. Just prep crisis messaging. Confirm we’re escting and investigating the way this leak came out. I want <b>a </b>clear <b>record </b><b>of </b>everyone who had ess to Sutton at Lenox Hill, everyone. And I want to sue every media outlet that has printed <b>a </b>fake image or <b>sto </b><b>ant </b><b>you </b><b>to </b><b>put </b>a piece together about the true Sutton. She will not feel any shame over any of this, do you understand me?”
He hung up before waiting for an answer and hit another contact.
“Someone at the hospital must have done this,” he said, his voice low. He was angry.
He turned back in her direction as the ling picked up.
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<b>“</b>This is Luca De Santis. Put me through to the Chief of Staff. I’ll wait.”
Sutton stared at him. “You don’t have to-
His hand shook. “Someone sold your information. Our baby’s birth. Our son’s name. I will not let this go.”
“But-”
“No.”
His eyes met hers.
“This ends now. I’m not allowing this, Sutton. If we show weakness now, it will never end.”
There was something in his voice that hadn’t been there before. Not just anger but fury. Not with her, but with what had been done to them. He was defending her and their son.
She looked away, emotions twisting under her ribs. She loved <ol><li><i>m</i><i>. </i>She just hoped that this wouldn’t cause him any issues. </li></ol>
He put the phone down for just a second, long enough to sit beside her.
“I’m sorry,” he said, softer now. “That this is what <i>you </i>
woke up
got to deal with
this shit instead of just hea
Her voice shook slightly. “I should’ve been ready. I should have known with the inte that Audrey couldn’t stay hidden.”
“What you did for your sisters was something <i>to </i>be proud of, and you were never my mistress no matter what I said at the time or what they are saying now. I was the stupid idiot that got <i>you </i>into this mess. I’m the one that is going to get you out of it.”
Sutton went quiet.
She nced down at the covers pulled around her legs, the IV in her
arm still taped gently at the crook of her elbow. Her eyes were tired but dry now.
“I worked so hard to move on,<i>” </i>she said, voice fragile. “I’m worried about how people at the office will see me now.”
“Fuck ‘em,” he said. “You built a new life. You are that good at what you do. If the staff at Cyber10 don’t see that and make onement, I’ll fire the fuckers. If the reporters want toe at you like vultures, then I’ll sue them all.”
She sat back slowly. She could see that this was his fight now, not just hers. Their son had been roped into <i>this</i>.
“They’ll twist it all. The scandal of it. Like I was just some dirty little secret.”
“You weren’t a secret,” Luca said, voice hoarse now. “You’ve never been.”
She looked at him then.
<i>“</i>But they’ll paint me like one,” she whispered. “You can’t run from that,”
Luca was silent for a moment.
Then: “Let them try.”
She blinked.
“I’m not hiding you or <i>our </i>son. Not again. Let theme.”