Chapter 18

Chapter 18

**EVA'S POINT OF VIEW**

I stood there staring at the reporters who surrounded me, It felt like the whole world was spinning around me. All those reporters, their voices and questions were all suffocating me, their noises was too unbearable to bear. They were all yelling at me, accusing me of stuff I didn't do. My heart was pounding so hard I thought it might burst out of my chest. Each beat just reminded me of how messed up everything had gotten, how deep I'd fallen into this pit of total embarrassment.

"Eva! Is it true you stole your sister's fiancé and married him?"

"Did you really take him from Sara?"

"Eva, what do you have to say about all these claims?"

"Eva! Got any comment about the affair?"

"Did you actually steal your sister's husband?"

"Are you a homewrecker?"

"Eva! What did Sara ever do to deserve what you did to her?"

"Eva! Answer our questions!"

I could barely breathe. My throat felt all tight, and everything was getting blurry 'cause I was trying so hard not to cry. All I wanted was to just disappear. You know, like, poof! Gone. Anything to get away from all their words that felt like they were crushing me. My hands were shaking like crazy, and I was holding onto my purse like it was the only thing keeping me from falling apart.

I never asked for any of this crap. I didn't want this life, all this attention. But here I was, their punching bag, getting torn to pieces in front of the whole freaking world.

I looked around, desperately trying to find some way out, but there was nowhere to go. They had me surrounded, and their questions just kept coming at me like arrows. Cameras were flashing in my face, the lights so bright they were making me all dizzy and confused. I felt trapped, like a mouse in one of those sticky traps, with no way to get free.

How the hell did I end up here? How did my life turn into this big, messy circus show? I wanted to scream, to yell at them that none of it was true, that I wasn't this horrible person they were making me out to be. But the words got stuck in my throat, choked down by all the shame and fear that was weighing on me.

*Seriously, how did everything get so messed up?*

"Leave her alone."

This voice cut through all the noise, all firm and bossy-like. My head snapped up so fast I almost got whiplash, and my eyes went wide as I tried to figure out where it came from. The crowd of reporters split apart, and there he was Max. His face looked like it was carved out of stone or something, and his eyes were all dark and angry.

For a second, I thought I was seeing things. I mean, why the heck was Max here? And why why was he suddenly defending me?

He started moving towards me real quick, pushing past all the reporters like they were nothing. It was like he had this bubble of authority around him that made them all shut up, even if it was just for a moment. His big frame was like a shield, blocking me from all their questions, and even though he can be pretty scary sometimes, right then his presence made me feel weirdly safe. I hadn't felt this protected in... well, maybe ever.

"Max Graves!" one of the reporters yelled, shoving a microphone in his face. "Is it true that you and Eva are getting divorced? What about your thing with Sara? Is she the reason your marriage is falling apart?"

I saw Max's jaw get all tight, and his hand balled up into a fist at his side. I could practically see the storm brewing behind his eyes, but he stayed calm somehow. He lifted his head and stared right into the cameras with this look that could've frozen them solid.

"I'm gonna make this real clear," he started, his voice all cold and hard. "Eva is my wife, and I married her because I love her."

Those words hit me like a truck. My heart did this weird stuttering thing, and I couldn't breathe for a second. Did I hear that right? Love? Max had never said anything like that to me before. He'd never shown me any love not once since the day we got married. So why was he saying it now, in front of all these people?

The reporters seemed just as shocked as I was, 'cause they all shut up for a second.

Max kept going, his voice still hard as a rock. "There's been enough gossip and rumors flying around, but let me make something crystal clear, Sara is just a friend and my sister in-law. There's nothing else going on between us, and anyone who keeps spreading these lies is gonna have to deal with my lawyers."

I just stared at him, my brain going a mile a minute. What the heck was he doing? Why was he defending me like this? Part of me wanted to believe him so bad, to grab onto this little bit of hope that maybe - just maybe - he meant it. But after all the crap we'd been through, how could I?

I mean, I hadn't forgotten how he'd treated me. How he'd turned to Sara, ignoring me and leaving me to deal with all this mess on my own. His sudden declaration of love now felt like some kind of act, something he was saying to make himself look good, not because he actually gave a damn about me.

Still, I couldn't help but feel something stirring in my chest. Hope? Confusion? I had no clue. All I knew was that, for the first time in weeks, I wasn't standing there all alone.

The reporters finally snapped out of their shock, and the questions started up again. "So you're saying there's no affair? What about that article that says Eva's a homewrecker? Are you telling us it's all made up?"

Max's eyes got even darker, and I could feel the anger just radiating off him. "The article is a big fat lie," he said through clenched teeth. "And I'm personally gonna make sure whoever published it pays for spreading false crap about my wife."

His words kept echoing in my head. *My wife*. He said it with so much force, like he'd finally decided to claim me, to stand up for me. But was any of it real? Or was it all just for show?

He turned a little bit and glanced over his shoulder at me. His eyes softened just a tiny bit, but there was something in his expression I couldn't figure out. I didn't know if it was regret, guilt, or something else entirely. I looked back at him, not sure what to say, not sure what to feel.

Was this really happening? Was Max actually standing up for me? Or was this just another one of his games, another trick to keep the media off our backs?

Before I could say anything, Max turned back to the reporters, his voice all warning like. "If anyone else publishes these lies about my wife, you're gonna be hearing from my lawyers. This stops now."

I just stood there, frozen like a statue, as Max grabbed my hand. His fingers wrapped around mine in a way that felt both weird and familiar at the same time. His touch was warm and firm, but not rough. It wasn't like he was forcing me to follow him, but more like he was trying to lead me away from all this craziness.

He pulled me through the crowd, with the reporters still yelling more questions, but their voices seemed far away now, drowned out by the sound of my heart pounding in my ears. Everything around me was a blur as I let Max guide me, my brain still trying to process everything that had just happened.

Was this really real? Was Max actually on my side now?

My thoughts were all jumbled up, a big mess of feelings that didn't make any sense. Part of me wanted to trust him so bad, to believe that maybe just maybe things could get better. But the other part of me, the part that had been hurt so many times before, was screaming that this was just another lie.

I looked up at Max as we got closer to his car, that fancy black thing that looked like some kind of safe haven in the middle of all this chaos. He still hadn't let go of my hand, holding on tight like he was afraid that if he did, I might disappear or something.

As we got to the car, I realized one thing: whether I wanted to believe him or not, at least for right now, I wasn't facing all this craziness by myself anymore.

And you know what? That that was enough for now.

Max opened the car door, still holding my hand as he helped me inside. The reporters were still behind us, yelling questions, but their voices seemed to fade away as Max closed the door behind me.

As I sank into the leather seat, I let out a breath I didn't even know I was holding. My whole body was shaking, and I felt like I might throw up or pass out or both. Max got in on the other side, and as soon as he closed his door, it was like someone had hit the mute button on the world outside.

For a moment, we just sat there in silence. I could hear my own breathing, all shaky and weird, and I realized I was still clutching my purse like it was a life preserver or something. I snuck a glance at Max, trying to figure out what the heck was going on in his head.

He was staring straight ahead, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles were white. His jaw was all clenched up, and I could practically see the wheels turning in his brain.

.