She Didn’t Fix Her Reputation. She Threw It Away. Chapter 33

She Didn’t Fix Her Reputation. She Threw It Away. Chapter 33

“Claire Novak?” The name seemed to trigger something in Beckett. He lost all control. “Daphne! Tell him! We’re the ones who belong together! You’ve loved me since we were kids! You said you would always stand by my side!”

I looked at him, my heart calm, and stepped out from behind Julian.

Every eye in the auditorium was on us.

The C-SPAN cameras swiveled to capture the drama.

Camera flashes started popping like fireworks.

It felt eerily similar to the media frenzy after the TMZ incident.

But this time, I wasn’t helpless.

“Beckett,” I said.

My voice, amplified by the microphone, carried through the silent hall.

Clear, and cold.

“In New York, you made me a national joke.”

I watched the color drain from his face as I continued.

“And now, in Washington, you’ve made yourself one.”

The silence in the room was absolute.

“We were over a long time ago,” I said, each word a sharp, clean cut. “We were over the moment you handed my photos to TMZ to impress another woman.”

His face was now completely ashen.

“You’ve been searching for Daphne Wells,” I said, looking him straight in the eye. “But the person you’re looking for was destroyed. By you.”

I finished speaking, switched off the microphone, took Julian’s hand, and walked off the stage.

My teammates immediately closed ranks around us, forming a human wall.

A solid, unbreachable defense.

Beckett and his ridiculous blue roses were left on the other side.

I could hear his voice behind me, ragged and pleading.

But I didn’t look back.

Some chances, once squandered, are gone forever.

Some wounds, once inflicted, can never be unmade.

He had chosen Anya.

He had chosen to sacrifice my dignity for his own vanity.

And now, he had to live with the consequences.

This time, it was really over.

END