Page 65 of The Clifftop Cottage

Another email from the lawyers.

Her grip tightened on the laptop. Had she dealt with this already? Had she signed the buyout? The whole thing blurred together now – a mess she’d kept sealed away because opening it hurt too much.

Her fingers hovered over the trackpad.

Before she could stop herself, she opened a new tab.

Typed her name into the search bar.

At first it looked familiar – old articles, opinion pieces, half-forgotten clips.

Then she noticed something else.

Her name was trending.

Headlines. Thumbnails. Video clips.

Erica Hayes wasn’t just being mentioned.

She was everywhere.

Her brow creased as she clicked one of the top links.

Heartbroken Influencer Finally Opens Up About Mental Health – and the Pressure His Ex-Wife Put on Him.

What?

She scrolled.

Steven Hayes, co-founder of EverWell, has finally spoken about the toll of running a business with his ex-wife, Erica Hayes.

The couple – once celebrated for their fresh approach to wellness – built an empire of fitness wear, health drinks, and a wildly successful podcast before both their marriage and business collapsed.

And then she saw his face.

Even now, something twisted painfully in her chest. That perfect, camera-ready smile. The slightly rumpled hair, the soft, approachable eyes. The way he always knew how to look like the nice one.

She still felt it.

She kept reading.

“Things were going so well for us,” Steven said in an exclusive interview. “We never imagined the brand would grow the way it did. We just loved what we were doing – and of course, we loved each other.”

Her heart gave a traitorous flick.

Stop.

“But success changes things. Erica – she was addicted to more. More content, more projects, more growth. At first I was too, but eventually I just couldn’t keep up. We barely slept. Everything was optimised. Food. Work. Even our downtime.”

Erica stared at the words.

“I told her we needed to slow down. Our audience is kind – they would’ve understood.”

She let out a short laugh.

Kind? The same audience that had hounded her?

“Then I had my first … episode.”