Page 122 of Press Play

I swallow hard, my throat dry as sandpaper. “If your job finds out?—”

“I don’t care about my job!” she snaps. “You come first, Theo. You always will.”

“And what happens after? If we do this, there’s no going back. What if it doesn’t work? What if it makes things worse?”

“Then we deal with it. Together.”

Her words are a lifeline, but they’re also a weight—one I’m not sure I can carry.

I shake my head, looking away. “I don’t want you to sacrifice yourself for me, Wren. You deserve better than this mess.”

“And you don’t?” she sighs, but there’s no anger in her voice. Only frustration. “You’ve spent your whole life trying to shield everyone else—me. Let me shieldyoufor once.”

Silence stretches between us, thick and suffocating. My mind is a storm, every instinct screaming at me to protect her, to refuse, to run. But then I see the determination in her eyes, her unwavering strength. I don’t know why I ever believed my girl would let me go through with this, and I’ve never been more relieved to be wrong.

“Wren...” My voice cracks, and I force myself to meet her gaze. “If this backfires?—”

“It won’t.”

“You don’t know that.”

“No, I don’t,” she admits, and for the first time, her confidence is unwavering. “But I know this: I’m not giving up on you. And I won’t let you give up on yourself.”

Something inside me crumbles. I let out a shaky breath, dropping my head into my hands. “You’re stubborn as hell, you know that?”

Her soft laugh is like a balm on my frayed nerves. “I’ve had to be, haven’t I?”

I lift my head, studying her face. There’s fear there, yes, but it’s overshadowed by something stronger—hope.

“All right,” I say finally, the word heavy but resolute. “We’ll do it, but on one condition.”

“What’s that?”

“If this goes south, you don’t take the fall.”

She nods, a small smile curving her lips. “Fine, but neither will you.”

Such a stubborn girl.

“Okay.” I exhale, and the weight starts to lift from my shoulders.

While I’m nervous as hell, I’m glad it’s her—the woman who’s always had my heart.

Wren didn’t want to, but she had to start her shift. It’s quiet again, but the murmur of her voice soothes my anxious nerves. We don’t have much time before Friday, two days to be exact. While Wren is a genius for thinking of this, I still don’t want to feature her front and center. This video has to be different because she’s different.

The clock is ticking, but before I talk to Amanda again, I need to figure this out. Scrolling through my text messages, I open a chat I haven’t been active in for some time.

Me:Hey guys, long time no talk.

And damn, I wasn’t expecting my phone to vibrate almost immediately.

Oliver:Well, if it isn’t the king himself!

Henry:This must be important; you never grace us with your presence.

Mark:Did you guys forget how to say hello?

Oliver:Hi, Theo.

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