~Narrator’s~

“Is it true that all four of you are in some kind of… marital arrangement?”

The microphone squeals. Cameras flash like lightning. And the entire restaurant-turned-press-conference falls into a heavy, stunned silence.

Reo stands at the podium. His jaw is clenched so tight it looks like it could crack bone. His navy-blue suit is spotless and sharp, every inch of him carved to intimidate. But his eyes burn. With anger. With shame. With that slow humiliation only powerlessness can bring.

Across from him, Adele sits like royalty. Her cream-colored dress accentuates just enough, and her bump is padded just right. Her smile looks soft but tragically fake. She places...