Page 121 of Press Play

I dig my nails into the couch cushion, my breath coming in sharp bursts.

“You deserve more?—”

Fight back!

“No.” It comes out sharp, a blade honed by desperation. “I don’t.” I lean forward, meeting his gaze with unwavering intensity. “I don’t deserve more because there’s no one who will ever live up to you.”

“Wren—”

“Don’t ‘Wren’ me!” I snap, the heat rising in my cheeks. “I’m done submitting to circumstances I can’t control. For once, I’m fighting back. You think you can push me away, but you’ve never been more wrong.”

Theo’s face darkens, his voice rising to match mine. “I won’t let you stay with me—not after I sleep with another woman!”

“You won’t be sleeping with another woman.”

“What don’t you and Robbie understand?” he groans. “She can’t post that video!”

That video.

The words hang between us, and I see the helplessness in his eyes. He’s cornered, caged by a mistake he can’t outrun.

My mind races, sifting through the pieces of this mess, and then an idea forms, reckless and bold. My lips twitch into a grin I can’t quite suppress.

“No,” I say slowly, testing the weight of my words, “she can’t.”

Theo freezes, his brow furrowing. “What—what are you thinking?”

“She can’t post that video,” I repeat, holding his gaze. My pulse pounds in my ears, but I push forward, reveling in the momentum of the thought taking shape. “So... let’s make a new one.”

Chapter Forty-Three

Theo

I’ve beenin a dense fog, clawing at any semblance of light. Amanda’s text, Wren’s reaction, my own mind—it quickly became too much, and I fell before anyone could catch me. I hoped for a life preserver, but I wasn’t expecting this.

“What?” I murmur, my brain struggling to keep up as the fog begins to clear.

Her words ricochet inside my skull, but I can’t grab onto any of them long enough to make sense.

“You heard me,” Wren replies, her voice steady but her eyes flickering with hesitation.

“No, I don’t think I did.” I push myself to sit up straighter, though my body feels like it weighs a thousand pounds. “You’re suggesting we... what? Make a new video? Together?”

She presses her lips into a thin line, but she doesn’t look away. “Yes.”

A laugh bursts from my throat—sharp, humorless. “Are you out of your mind? Wren, this isn’t a game. Amanda wants to ruin you and to get to me. You’re the one at risk.”

“She won’t have a chance,” Wren says firmly, her gaze unrelenting. “If we control the narrative, she has nothing to hold over us.”

“This is insane.” I rub my hands over my face, trying to smother the panic rising in my chest. “You don’t know what you’re getting into. You don’t understand?—”

“Don’t I?” Her voice cuts through my protest. “You think I don’t know what it’s like to be powerless? To have someone else dictate what happens in your life?”

I freeze, my hands dropping to my lap. Wren may be the only person who understands. Her mother took the reins of her life, and just when she got them back, she reappears and tries to snatch them away again.

Yet, there’s a fire in her eyes I don’t think I’ve ever seen before, and it terrifies me as much as it draws me in. This isn’t the girl I grew up with. Her gaze doesn’t waver, even when mine does. Wren used to fidget, pull at her sleeves, or glance away when she got nervous. Not anymore. This woman is stronger than I gave her credit for.

“Do you think I came up with this lightly?” She continues, her tone softer now but no less steady. “Do you think I don’t know the risks?”

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