Chapter 349: Prove Your Innocence

Chapter 349: Prove Your Innocence
[Sarah]

I stared at the television screen in my apartment, my hands instinctively moving to rest on my pregnant belly as I watched the live broadcast unfold. Emma sat confidently across from the talk show host, with Jason beside her, and what had started as an innocent interview was rapidly spiraling into something I had never consented to.

When Emma confidently declared that the woman in the screenshot wasn't her mother, I felt a wave of dizziness wash over me. The chat feed exploded with reactions, and I could see the tide of public opinion beginning to shift in real-time. Some of Jason's fans were expressing heartbreak for him, while others started questioning the authenticity of that damned video.

But none of that mattered compared to the rage building in my chest.

Jason had just exposed our relationship to millions of viewers without asking me. The host had shown my daughter—my six-year-old daughter—photos connected to that scandalous video. The audacity of it made my blood pressure spike.

I grabbed my phone and dialed Jason's number, my fingers trembling with anger.

"Jason!" I snapped the moment he answered, not caring that he was probably still backstage. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!"

"Sarah, I can explain—"

"They showed her the photo! She's just a little girl, Jason! She's six years old!" My voice cracked with fury. "You've been getting more and more presumptuous lately, making decisions without consulting me just because Emma likes you!"

"Sarah, please listen—"

"No, you listen!" I interrupted, pacing across my living room. "You can't just go on live television and make these announcements! You can't show my child evidence from some sick person's revenge plot and expect her to process that on national TV!"

There was a pause on the other end, and when Jason spoke again, his voice was quieter, more contrite. "I'm sorry. I know I should have asked you first, but I thought this was the best way to help. Emma is strong enough to handle this, and I believed it would be better to address it directly rather than let the media speculation continue."

"That's not your call to make!" I shot back, my heart pounding. "You don't get to decide what's best for my daughter!"

"You can't keep treating Emma like she doesn't understand anything," Jason said gently. "Rather than having her discover this through social media gossip or tabloid headlines later, isn't it better that she knows the truth now, in a controlled environment?"

His words hit a nerve because they weren't entirely wrong, but that didn't make me any less furious about his methods.

"In my eyes, she will always be a child who needs my protection," I said firmly, my voice cold. "That's not going to change."

"I understand," Jason replied, and I could hear the genuine remorse in his voice. "I'll bring Emma home after the show wraps up, and we can discuss this properly then."

After I hung up, I stood in my living room feeling raw and exposed. The protective instincts I had as a mother were at war with the logical part of my brain that recognized Jason might have actually helped my situation. But the fact remained—he'd made that choice without me.

Two hours later, I heard familiar voices in the hallway. When the apartment door opened, Emma bounded in, chattering excitedly about her television appearance. Mike and Olivia were already waiting in my living room, having let themselves in earlier.

"Hi Mike! Hi Olivia!" Emma called out cheerfully, seemingly unfazed by everything that had happened.

"Hey there, superstar," Mike replied with a grin. "You were amazing on TV."

Emma beamed, but I could see the exhaustion around her eyes. Being in the spotlight was thrilling for a six-year-old, but it was also draining.

"I'm really tired," Emma announced, rubbing her eyes.

Jason stepped forward, scooping her up in his arms. "Come on, let's get you upstairs for a nap."

As they disappeared up the stairs, I felt some of my anger begin to ebb. Whatever his methods, Jason genuinely cared about Emma. But that didn't mean I was ready to forgive his presumption.

After Mike left about an hour later, I finally had a chance to talk privately with Olivia. We sat in my living room, the late afternoon sun filtering through the floor-to-ceiling windows of my Manhattan apartment.

"I've been comparing every detail," I told her, pulling up the video on my tablet. "The body characteristics really are quite different from mine."

Olivia's eyes lit up with excitement, and she practically launched herself at me, wrapping me in a careful hug that accommodated my pregnancy. "Finally! You can prove your innocence!"

I pulled back, studying her hopeful expression. "Liv, do you really think I should hold a press conference and expose my body to all of New York's media to prove my point? Because I absolutely won't do that."

Her face fell slightly. "But if you don't, how will people believe you?"

I shook my head, feeling a mix of exhaustion and resignation. "If proving my innocence requires me to strip down in front of cameras and reporters, then my dignity would feel completely violated. When Emma said that woman in the video wasn't me, she was completely calm and confident. I trust that she won't be affected by online rumors."