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I put my hand on the door, close my eyes, and take a deep breath. The second I step inside, Mack will start the footage. There’s no turning back now.

One last glance at Zander, Jarek, and Pascal. Then I push the door open and walk in.

What happens next is a blur. Part of me wishes I could slow it down and remember every second, but the adrenaline makes everything fly by. Blur or not, it feels like slaying my own personal dragon.

“Why are you here?” Reid shouts as his lies fall apart in real time. “Who the hell do you think you are, barging in here like this? How did you even⁠—”

He stops mid-sentence and stares at his monitor. His livestream is gone. In its place, the raw footage of me is playing, unedited, for everyone to see. Mack did it, and Reid can’t stop it.

His mouth falls open.

The comments are flying so fast I can barely read them. People are demanding answers. Others are posting clips side by side, the original next to his doctored version.

For the first time since this nightmare started, Reid isn’t the one telling the story.

His whole career is built on convincing people he’s a relationship expert. Now thousands of them are watching proof that he can’t even be honest in his own.

“You should’ve known better than to mess with two women,” I tell him, meaning Sage without saying her name. “You can’t treat women like shit forever and never get any pushback. Now you know.”

“Pushback?” He shoots up out of his chair, glaring. “I’ll show you pushback.”

He lunges at me, hands out, like he’s going to shove me into the wall. But before he can touch me, the door flies open, and all three of my guys are inside.

Zander pulls me out of the way and into his arms. Pascal grabs Reid’s arm, twists it behind his back, and pins him in place.

“Let go of me!” Reid howls. “The whole internet is about to watch you assault me! I’ll sue all three of you for everything you’re worth!”

Pascal grins. “I doubt that. Your feed’s been cut, and your camera’s off.”

Reid looks frantically at Jarek, who’s already switched off the camera and is glaring back at him with a very satisfied smile.

“He’s not worth it,” I say before things go any further. “And it’s Christmas Eve.”

Jarek steps in front of Reid and jabs a finger into his chest.

“You’re lucky she’s such a nice person,” he snarls. “Guess I don’t get that second punch after all.”

“But this is your last warning, Reid Smythe,” Zander says, his arm still around me. “Don’t ever cross our path again. And if Nina’s name comes out of your mouth one more time, you’ll have a hell of a time filing that lawsuit from a hospital bed.”

Reid gulps as Pascal lets him go. He doesn’t say another word to me, and I doubt he ever will.

“Come on.” Zander and the others close in around me. “Let’s go home.”

On the drive back, Jarek reads the news off his phone. Reid’s publisher has already announced they’re pulling his book.

When we get back to the house, I stop in the entryway.

Jarek turns first. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong.” My voice wobbles, and I try to hold it together. “That’s the problem. I don’t know how to do this. I’m used to taking care of myself. Not needing anybody. And you three just…” I shake my head. “Nobody’s ever fought for me like that before.”

“Nina.” Pascal walks toward me, cups my chin, and kisses me, and everything inside me melts. “Get used to it.”

A hand brushes the side of my neck, sweeping my hair aside, and a mouth presses a kiss to my skin.

“You’re the best thing that’s ever happened to us,” Jarek whispers against my ear.

Zander’s hand settles at the small of my back. His voice is the clearest of all, more certain than I’ve ever heard him about anything, as he says one word.