Chapter 4

He picked up.

His voice was warm with barely contained gloating. "Leah. What made you call? Finally come to your senses?"

I didn't take the bait. I let my voice go soft, tired, fragile.

"Aaron. I got suspended."

Silence on the other end. Then a laugh he didn't quite manage to suppress.

"Is that so? What a shame. I did warn you not to push me."

"You win," I said. "I can't fight you. I give up."

Aaron was clearly enjoying every second of this. He took his time. "You're surrendering now? A little late for that, isn't it? Do you think your suspension makes up for what you put me through?"

I let him have it. "I know. I know I was wrong. Aaron — can we meet? I want to apologize in person."

"Apologize?" He gave a short, cold laugh. "If apologies were enough, what would we need consequences for?"

"I really mean it this time," I said. I let a hint of tears into my voice. "Things online have gotten so big. My parents heard about everything. They were furious with me. They said I had no right to treat you the way I did." I paused. "They want to meet you."

That was the bait.

I felt the shift in him the moment the silence changed.

"Your parents want to meet me?"

"Yes." I kept it vague, softened. "They think that... given everything that's happened, maybe it makes sense to just — to go about this the way you wanted. They said they'd like to visit your family first. To pay their respects to your parents, make things official. Give everyone back home something to celebrate."

Everything I had said was precisely calibrated to land where I knew it would — his vanity and his family's greed.

Bringing home a wealthy city girl. Making it official in front of the whole village. That was Aaron's dream of triumph, and I had just handed it to him.

I could hear his breathing change on the other end of the line.

"Really? Leah, you're not messing with me?"

"Why would I mess with you?" I let a tremor into my voice. "I've lost my job. My reputation is in pieces. If I don't have you, what do I have left?"

That did it. Every last shred of suspicion dissolved.

"Okay! Yes! When are you coming? I'll call my parents right now — they'll want to get ready. We'll give you the best welcome we possibly can!"

"Next weekend," I said. "I need a little time to put together some gifts."

"Perfect! I'll be waiting! Leah — once you marry me, I promise I will spend my whole life making it up to you!"

I ended the call.

The fragile, defeated version of me I had been performing vanished the instant I lowered the phone. What was left was something quiet and very cold.

Aaron. You wanted to see me ruined. Then I'm going to let you have your moment at the very top — before I pull the floor out from under you.

I spent the next few days getting everything into position.

First, I contacted a crisis communications firm with a strong on-the-ground execution team. I laid out the plan. They assessed it and confirmed it was workable.

Then I met with my personal attorney and went through every legal angle, making sure every step I was about to take was clean. He drafted a formal legal notice and prepared a complete defamation lawsuit against Aaron — everything documented and ready to file.

I also had my assistant put together the "gifts."

I bought dozens of the latest tablets to give out to the villagers as welcome presents.

When everything was ready, I drove out to Aaron's hometown on Saturday as planned, in the red sports car that had been specifically called out in his original post.

It was a rural village a couple of hours out.

By the time I reached the entrance to the village, the welcome party was already waiting.

Aaron was in a brand-new suit, hair slicked back like a groom. His parents stood beside him — farmers who looked, in that moment, nearly incandescent with excitement and pride. The whole village had turned out to watch.

When I stepped out of the car, Aaron moved immediately toward me, reaching for my hand.

I stepped aside smoothly and handed him my keys instead.

"Aaron — I brought some things for everyone in the village. They're in the trunk. Can you have someone help hand them out?"

He looked in the trunk, and his eyes went wide at the rows of tablets.

"Leah, you didn't have to do all this!"

The gifts moved through the crowd quickly. The villagers lit up. Aaron's parents held my hands and called me their dear daughter-in-law.

Out in the courtyard, dozens of round tables had been set up. Aaron's family's modest two-story house had been strung with decorations for the occasion.

Aaron and his father walked me around, introducing me to everyone with barely restrained pride.

"This is my son's future wife — she runs her own company in the city!"

"Our Aaron is set for life now!"

I smiled graciously through all of it and let them have their performance.

The food came out. The drinks flowed. The mood rose to a full celebration.

Then Aaron's father climbed up onto a small raised platform that had been set up in the middle of the courtyard, took the microphone, and beamed out at the crowd.

I knew exactly what was coming.