Chapter 5: Ryan’s Shadow

The rumors started before I could breathe.

I did not need anyone to tell me. I felt it in the pauses. I heard it in the way conversations stopped when I walked in. I saw it in the looks that lingered too long and the smiles that did not reach the eyes.

Something was wrong.

My phone buzzed again.

I ignored it.

I told myself I was done reacting. Done shrinking. Done letting Ryan pull strings from a distance.

Still, my chest felt tight.

Maddie called first.

“Tell me you’ve seen it,” she said, her voice sharp with anger.

“Seen what?” I asked, though I already knew.

She exhaled hard. “He’s talking. Again.”

Of course he was.

“What did he say this time?” I asked.

“That you’re using Alex. That you always do this. That you climb men and burn them when you’re done.”

My grip tightened around the phone.

“That’s rich,” I said. “Coming from him.”

“I know,” Maddie said. “But people are listening.”

That hurt more than I wanted to admit.

I ended the call and stared at my screen. Messages stacked up. Some are curious. Some are cruel. Some pretend to care.

And then there was his name.

Ryan.

I opened it.

You think you can rewrite who you are?

People remember, Izzy.

I always make sure they do.

My hands shook. Not from fear. From anger.

I typed back.

You don’t own my story anymore.

The reply came fast.

I own the truth.

I laughed. A short, broken sound.

The truth. His favorite word. His sharpest weapon.

I locked my phone and lifted my chin.

Not today.

Alex noticed right away.

“You’re quieter,” he said later, his voice low. “What happened?”

“Nothing,” I replied.

He did not accept that. He never did.

“Try again.”

I met his eyes. “Ryan is stirring things up.”

His expression changed. Not anger. Not a shock. Something colder.

“What did he say?”

“That I’m a user,” I said. “That this is fake. That I’m fake.”

Alex was silent for a moment.

Then he said, “Is any of it true?”

The question stung. Even though it was fair.

“No,” I said. “But I used to believe it was.”

He nodded slowly. “That’s not the same thing.”

I studied with him. “You don’t have to defend me.”

“I know,” he said. “I want to.”

That was worse.

“People are already choosing sides,” I said. “They always do.”

“Let them,” he replied. “I don’t make decisions based on noise.”

I wished I could be like that.

Later, alone, I stared at myself in the mirror. I barely recognized the woman looking back.

She stood straighter. Her eyes were sharper. Her mouth did not curve downward anymore.

Ryan used to tell me I was nothing without him.

I believed him once.

Never again.

When my phone buzzed again, I answered without checking the name.

“Stop,” I said.

Ryan laughed on the other end. Soft. Familiar. Cruel.

“You’re upset,” he said. “That means it’s working.”

“What do you want?” I asked.

“I want you to remember who you are,” he replied.

“I do,” I said. “I’m someone who walked away from you.”

His tone darkened. “You walked away because you had somewhere else to land.”

“Wrong,” I snapped. “I walked away because I was drowning.”

Silence stretched.

Then he said, “He won’t save you.”

“I’m not asking him to,” I replied.

“But you’re hiding behind him,” Ryan said. “Everyone sees it.”

“No,” I said. “They see what you want them to see.”

He chuckled. “You’re angry. That’s good. Anger makes mistakes.”

I ended the call.

My hands were steady this time.

That evening, Alex invited me to sit with him while he went through messages. He did not ask for permission. He just made space.

“I won’t answer for you,” he said. “But I won’t stay quiet either.”

“Why?” I asked.

“Because silence looks like guilt,” he replied.

I nodded. He was right.

He typed something. Then stopped.

“What?” I asked.

“There’s a risk,” he said. “If I push back, it confirms we matter.”

I swallowed. “Do we?”

His eyes lifted to mine.

“Yes,” he said. “Right now, we do.”

The words settled deep.

I watched him post a short statement. Clear. Direct. No drama.

People can say what they want.

I know who stands beside me.

That’s enough.

My heart raced.

“You didn’t mention me,” I said.

“I didn’t need to,” he replied. “They know.”

The response was instant. Support. Speculation. Fury.

Ryan texted again.

Bold move.

I did not reply.

Instead, I stood taller.

The next day, whispers followed me everywhere. Some sharp. Some are curious. But something had shifted.

I was not hiding anymore.

A woman approached me quietly. Someone I barely knew.

“Ignore them,” she said. “He’s afraid.”

“Of what?” I asked.

“Of losing control,” she replied.

That made sense.

Alex stayed close without hovering. He did not touch unless I moved first. He did not speak unless I asked.

That restraint said more than any grand gesture.

At one point, I caught him watching me. Not possessive. Protective.

It unsettled me.

“You’re staring,” I said.

“I’m assessing,” he replied.

“Am I a risk?” I asked.

“Yes,” he said honestly. “But not the kind I avoid.”

My breath caught.

Then Maddie rushed in, her face pale.

“Izzy,” she said. “Have you checked your phone?”

“No,” I replied slowly. “Why?”

She hesitated.

Alex straightened. “What happened?”

“There’s a photo,” she said. “It just leaked.”

My stomach dropped.

“What photo?” I whispered.

She handed me her phone.

The image filled the screen.

Alex and me. Too close. Too intimate. His hand at my waist. My face turned toward him. A moment stolen from context.

My heart slammed.

“When was this taken?” I asked.

“After the appearance,” Maddie said. “Someone was waiting.”

My phone buzzed.

Ryan.

You should’ve been more careful.

I looked at Alex.

His jaw was tight. His eyes were dark.

“This just became dangerous,” he said.

I swallowed hard, staring at the photo that could destroy everything.

“Who did this?” I asked.

Alex’s voice was low. Controlled.

“Someone who wants us to fall.”

I lifted my gaze to him, fear and resolve colliding.

“And if they already won?”