Chapter 27

Scot and Mia had hoped that the worst was behind them, but the peace they had briefly enjoyed was shattered by a new wave of attacks. It began subtly: whispers, online rumors, and barely veiled jabs aimed at Mia's character. Scot was determined to protect her, and he knew that their unity would be tested in ways they hadn’t anticipated.

The day started with a quiet tension in the apartment. Scot and Mia had just finished breakfast when Mia’s phone buzzed with a new notification. She glanced at the screen and froze.

“Scot, you need to see this,” she said, her voice strained.

Scot moved over to her side, peering at the message on the screen. It was a social media post, accompanied by a photo of Mia from the charity event, taken out of context and manipulated to suggest she was involved in unethical behavior. The post was already gaining traction, with comments and shares spreading the false information.

“Dammit,” Scot muttered, his jaw tightening. “It’s Jane’s doing, I’m sure of it.