Just then, my phone rang again. "Mom!" My daughter's excited voice burst through the speaker.

"What's up, sweetie?" I softened my tone immediately.


"Daddy says we’re going to Disneyland! Aren't you coming?" Her voice dimmed. "You never have time for us anymore."

Disneyland? Now?

"I'm sorry, baby, I can't. Mom has a situation to handle. You go with Dad, and I promise I'll be home early tonight to spend time with you."


"Oh... okay, Mom."

My daughter had always been too understanding for her age. I could hear the disappointment, but she didn't push.


God, I wished I could drop everything and join them.

With the company facing crisis after crisis, and now this rumor, I couldn't afford to step away.

Let them have their trip. By the time they returned, I'd have this whole mess sorted out.

I'd neglected my daughter in too many ways. The only time I'd truly been a proper mother was during those first three months after her birth.

The company had needed me desperately, so I'd cut my maternity leave short after just two months.

Chris had stepped up, taking care of our home and daughter.

"Ms. Morgan!"

Leo burst through my door without knocking, face flushed.

"Ms. Morgan, I found something. You need to see this!"

He thrust his phone into my hands.

The screen displayed photos of us supposedly "dating."

I swiped through the images, my blood running cold. Besides a few innocent work photos, the rest were blatantly photoshopped!

When I checked the account profile, I nearly dropped the phone—the avatar was my own photo!

This was getting twisted.

What kind of psycho would impersonate me to post evidence of my own affair?

"Share this account to me. Now."

"Sure, Ms. Morgan."

"You can go."

"But... the rumors are still spreading like wildfire."

"Just go. I'll handle it."

My mind raced. Had Chris seen these photos?

According to the timestamps, these photos had been online for at least two weeks. Why would Chris and Leo both discover them on the same day?

And on a Monday morning, no less—shouldn't Chris be buried in meetings rather than browsing social media?

Who the hell was orchestrating this?

I meticulously examined every photo, saved the worst offenders to my phone, then shared the account to my best friend Zoe, who had connections throughout the city.

Her family had lived here for generations, with connections in every corner. Tracking down a social media account would be child's play for her.

"What the fuck, Emily! Are you seriously banging that pretty boy from your company? Holy shit, girl, how could you—"

I cut her off before she could continue her tirade.

"Jesus, Zoe! You jump to conclusions faster than my mother-in-law. Can I get a word in? You don't believe me either?"

"This isn't about believing you! These photos clearly show... Well, damn, your assistant is smoking hot. Office proximity syndrome, perhaps?"

"Stop joking around and help me track down this account."

"What? This isn't your account? I was wondering why anyone would be dumb enough to post evidence of their own affair for the world to see."

"Look carefully, damn it! None of those photos are real!"

There was silence on the other end for a moment.

"So you're saying someone's spreading rumors about you? Haha, what a moron! People usually hide behind anonymous accounts for this stuff, but this idiot posted from their actual profile! Hang on, I'll dig into this for you!"