Chapter 32 Gone 💔

Chapter 32 Gone 💔
Daniel’s pov

“Daniel,” he says. “Good to see you're still breathing.”I stop in front of him. “Vincent.”He pushes off the wall. “Walk with me.”We move down the corridor and away from the elevators, away from prying ears.“You handled that well,” he says. “It was calm. Collected. Very porch.”
“Get to the point.”I snapped.
He stops outside a small meeting room and opens the door. Inside was a woman with a microphone, a cameraman, lights already set.
Is that??
It was the blonde journalist from last night.The one who stepped on Nora’s dress.
My blood turns hot.
Vincent smiles wider. “One interview. Five minutes. It's a controlled questions. You control the narrative. Or I will.”
I stare at him unbelievably.“You set this up.”
“I set up opportunity,” he argues. “You decide what to do with it.”
I look at the journalist. She smiles cold and professionally and with no remorse. I want to walk away but if I don’t speak, they’ll speak for me.
I step inside and grabbed a seat. I answer all her questions then she leans forward with a suspicious tone.“And the woman from last night– your date I presume. Is she part of this? Is she–”
“She’s none of your business,” I cut in sharply.The journalist moves closer. “The public wants to know who she is to you. Is she just a distraction or a fuck buddy to help you forget the mess you’ve made?”

The word lands hard like a slap and I feel the room tilt.“She’s not a distraction,” I say quietly. The journalist smiles cunning. “Then who is she?”
I look straight into the camera.“She’s mine,” I say. “And if she’s my fucking mate, that’s still none of your goddamn business.”
The room goes silent. I stand.“I’m done.”I walk out.Vincent is still smiling and I don’t look at him. I leave the building the same way I came through security, past the flashes, into the car. The drive home is long.
I step inside the house and the foyer is quiet.
Too quiet.
Then I hear movement upstairs. I climb the stairs hurrily and see Nora’s door is open and She’s packing.
Her suitcase is on the bed with clothes folded. Pickles sitting beside it, with his ears down, watching her like he knows something is wrong.
My stomach drops.“Nora?”
She doesn’t look up as she keeps on folding.“What are you doing?”She finally turns. Her eyes are red and swollen like she has been crying. She holds up her phone to my face. The interview is already online with the Headline: Daniel Hawthorne Confirms Relationship: “She’s My Fucking Mate”.
The video plays my voice–clear and furious. She looks at me.“Who am I to you, Daniel?”I step forward.“Nora–”
“Answer the question.” Her voice cracks. “Because right now, to the whole world, I’m just your fucking mate. A casual fuck. A distraction. And I feel so stupid for thinking I was more.”
“You are more,” I say desperately. “You’re everything.”
“Then why didn’t you say that?” she whispers heartbroken. I reach for her but she steps back.“I thought I had a chance,” she says. “I thought maybe… maybe this could be real. But you just proved every headline right. I’m the girl you fuck while your life burns down. And now my school is going to see this.Everyone. And they’ll think I’m exactly what she said.”
“Nora, please–”
She zips the suitcase as Pickles whines. She picks up his leash.“I need to go,” she says quietly. “Thank you for… everything. But I can’t stay here and watch my life get ruined because of you.”
She walks past me and I grab her wrist–gentle, desperate.“Don’t.”She looks up at me with tears spilling now. “Then tell me I’m wrong,” she whispers as she looks at my eyes. “Tell me I’m not just your fucking mate.”
I open my mouth but the words stick. Because the interview is already everywhere and I let it happen.
She pulls free,picks up the suitcase and Pickles follows.

The door closes behind her and I just stand there alone in the hallway, listening to her footsteps fade down the stairs. My phone buzzes.
Another notification.The video is trending. I sink to the floor with my head in my hands. And realize–too late–that I just lost the only thing that ever mattered. “Nora,” I whisper to the empty hallway. “Come back. Please. I’ll fix this. I swear I’ll fix this.”But the house is already silent.
And she’s gone.