Chapter 19

"Well, why don’t you stop acting like that! You’re supposed to help me!" Vivienne exclaimed.

This was already a huge scene. With everything unfolding outside their house, it would definitely make life harder for all of them. Dylan knew that entertaining this argument was pointless, but he was so embarrassed and tired he couldn’t help taking his frustrations out on her. And for good reason—she was the one at fault and still refused to see it.

"Why would I, when you don’t act like it either? You have so little trust in me that you steal a book just to know how I feel—when you could simply ask!" Dylan fired back.

"Why would you tell me anything? You never do!"

"I could say the same about you! And that doesn’t change the fact you stole the book!"

"Who cares about a stupid book! It’s not even about that anymore!"

Dylan scoffed. "Says the girl in handcuffs."

Vivienne went silent, giving the officer the chance to push her into the car. Dylan glanced at Marianne, who was watching Vivienne with more pain than anger. He wondered what she was thinking. He wanted to apologize again but decided to wait until Vivienne wasn’t around—she would only twist it into something bigger.

"So you’re just going to leave me to get arrested? Are you going to help me or not?" Vivienne asked. The door was almost shut when she jammed her foot against it. She had calmed, and the officer wasn’t rushing anymore.

"Well, you committed a crime. You should pay for it."

"So you’re just going to let them take me?" her voice rose.

"What else can I do?"

"I don’t know—something! Use your money or whatever. You can’t just let them take me!"

Again, she struggled. Dylan froze, thoughts swirling. If Vivienne were arrested and charged, his father would never allow them to marry. Their relationship would end here, and the shame of it made Dylan feel sick. All the things he had said had been out of anger. He wanted her to learn from this—not suffer punishment.

But stepping in would ruin his image. People would say he was letting Vivienne get away with more madness, and worse—it would disrespect Marianne. It was her property, her privacy. Paying Vivienne’s way out would make it look like none of it mattered. He was trapped.

"Casey!" Vivienne’s shout snapped him back. The door slammed shut. She stared at him through the glass, desperate, while the officer circled to the driver’s seat.

Dylan’s chest ached. Was this really how it would end? His father would be furious once it hit the news. Vivienne would lose what little support she had left. He was paralyzed between guilt and shame.

"Wai—" He started, but another voice cut through.

"Hold on, stop."

Everyone froze. Marianne stepped forward, stopping the officer before she drove off. Even the paparazzi fell quiet. Marianne stood wringing her hands, tapping the notepad against her arm. Her expression was conflicted.

"Wait… just wait a moment…" She looked at Dylan. Their eyes locked, and he realized what she was about to do.

She was going to drop the charges.

Dylan’s throat went dry. He wanted to stop her, to say she didn’t need to do it. But nothing came out. Selfishly, he wanted her to follow through.

"Don’t take her. I want to drop the charges. I don’t want this becoming an even bigger deal," Marianne exhaled.

"W-what?!" May exploded. "Marianne, you must be mad! No, she won’t be dropping anything."

She turned to the officer. "She’s not serious."

"Marianne, I don’t think this is smart," Emily said quickly. "Don’t think with your heart right now. Use your head."

"But that’s the thing," Marianne said quietly. "I am a helper of the heart. Although it’s called mental illness, it’s really an illness of the heart. And I don’t want to make theirs even sicker. I want to help both of them, and I can’t if one is behind bars."

Dylan let out the breath he’d been holding. In the car, Vivienne pressed her face to the glass, eyes wild with desperation.

The officer hesitated. "Ma’am, are you sure? This shouldn’t be overlooked."

"No… I’m sure." Marianne’s voice betrayed her, but the officer nodded, retrieved the key, and uncuffed Vivienne.

As soon as she was free, Marianne turned and walked away without looking at Vivianne once. May and Emily followed, pleading with her to reconsider, but she ignored them, head low, moving toward her car.

Dylan turned back to Vivienne, silent. He expected her to lash out at him for not defending her, but he was already exhausted. Without a word, he walked toward the house, leaving her standing there.

Whether or not Vivienne had been arrested, this scene would be plastered all over the internet. Dylan had only a slim chance of containing the fallout before his father saw it.

He heard Marianne’s car drive away as he closed the gate behind him. He would owe her a massive apology.

The paparazzi didn’t relent. Their shouts followed him even as he retreated inside:

"Do you think what she did was wrong?!"

"Why didn’t you help her like before?!"

"Are you realizing Vivienne isn’t the one for you?!"

"Is the wedding still on?!"

"Is Vivienne really pregnant?!"

"Do you regret your relationship?!"

"Are you sorry you stole the book?!"

"What will your relationship look like in the future?!"

Other than the pregnancy rumor, one question clung to Dylan’s mind: What would their relationship look like in the future? He hoped nothing like the storm he was living through now.