Page 115 of Power Play
I let out a sharp breath. “Sophie saw it.”
Layla’s quiet for a beat. “Then don’t waste your breath trying to erase the internet. You’ll lose.”
“Ican’tlose her.”
“Then fight. Show her who you are. Not what some paparazzi pic suggests. Not what Chloe’s trying to spin.”
I scrub both hands down my face. “She won’t even text me back.”
“She will. But you might have to beg.”
I stare at the floor. At the cracked seam in my right trainer. At the mess I’ve made without meaning to. “I didn’t even touch Chloe.”
“But the world thinks you did. So go make sure Sophie knows the difference.”
I nod, throat burning.
“Murphy?”
“Yeah?”
“Next time Chloe comes near you dressed like a headline, run.”
That almost earns a smile.
“Thanks,” I mutter.
She hangs up.
And I’m left holding my phone in a locker room that suddenly feels way too big for how small I feel.
CHAPTER FIFTY-FIVE
SOPHIE
Ihear him before I see him.
The banging on the door comes first. It’s loud, urgent, impossible to ignore. Mia’s already halfway there when I stumble into the hall, heart tripping over itself as if it’s trying to outrun my brain.
Mia peeks through the spyhole, sighs, then turns to me. “It’s him.”
My stomach flips. Not butterflies. Just sickness. Dread. Residual heartbreak curling around my ribs like a viper.
“Tell him to go,” I whisper.
She opens the door a crack.
Murphy’s voice floods the space. “Sophie. Please.”
Mia steps out into the hallway, holding the door firm behind her. “She needs space. You should go.”
“No.” His voice is thick. Raw. “I can’t. Not like this.”
“She saw the photos, Murph. What did you expect her to do?”
“I expected her to trust me!” he snaps, and then immediately backpedals. “No. I mean, I didn’t expectthis. I didn’t know Chloe would be there, I didn’t know there’d be cameras. I didn’t eventouchher.”
Mia’s voice sharpens. “Didn’ttouchher? Mate, she was draped over you like a scarf. There’s a picture of her kissing your cheek as if it’s her damn job!”
