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"And your Mother's ultimatum?"
"Remains in effect. Choose my career and family, or choose you."
My phone buzzing interrupted the moment. Daphne's name flashed on the screen, and I answered reluctantly.
"Edward?" Daphne's voice was tight with confusion and concern. "I just received the strangest call from a journalist asking about rumors of you being romantically involved with Lili. How did they know?"
I met Lili's eyes, seeing my own exhaustion and dread reflected there. "It's complicated, Daphne."
"How complicated? Because this person seemed to think there was some scandal brewing about professional misconduct and conflicts of interest. They said they had photographs, Edward. Multiple photographs spanning weeks. They wanted to know if I was aware of the 'ongoing nature of the inappropriate relationship.' What photographs?"
The clinical phrasing made me wince. "Where are you now?"
"In London. I came to town for shopping and received this call completely out of the blue. Edward, please tell me this is some sort of misunderstanding. Your relationship can’t go public, not yet."
Lili was already reaching for her clothes, the magic of our stolen moment evaporating under the weight of reality. I watched her dress with efficient movements, her face carefully blank.
"I'm afraid it's not a misunderstanding," I said finally. "And I suspect you'll be receiving more calls like that in the coming days."
"My God, Edward. What have you done?"
Before I could answer, another call came through—this time from Mother.
"Edward, I trust you've had time to consider your options. The deadline for your decision is eight o'clock tomorrow morning. The Telegraph wants your statement by then."
"And if I don't provide one?"
"Then they'll run the story without your input, and the narrative will be shaped entirely by speculation and sources who may not have your best interests at heart." Her pause was calculated for maximum impact.
“Choose wisely, Edward. Miss Anderton's visa status, her employment prospects, her ability to remain in this country—all of it hinges on how you handle the next twenty-four hours. I can make her departure comfortable, or I can ensure it becomes quite difficult indeed.”
The line went dead, leaving me alone with Lili and the wreckage of our carefully hidden world.
"What did she say?" Lili asked, though her expression suggested she already knew.
"That I have until tomorrow morning to choose. My career and family, or you."
"And if you choose me?"
"Then we both lose everything."
She nodded, as if she'd expected this outcome all along. "Then I suppose we both know what you have to choose."
"Lili—"
"Don't." She held up a hand to stop me. "Don't make promises you can't keep. Don't tell me love conquers all when we both know it doesn't."
She moved toward the door with dignity that broke my heart. "I'll make this easy for you, Edward. I'll leave quietly, with dignity, before this becomes a circus that destroys us both. I won't be the reason you lose everything you've worked for, and I won't let your Mother turn me into a weapon against you."
"I don't want you to leave."
"But you're not going to stop me, are you?"
The question hung in the air like an accusation, and my silence was answer enough.
"I thought so," she said quietly. "Goodbye, Edward. For what it's worth, I don't regret any of it."
She left without looking back, and I was alone with the photograph that had the power to destroy everything I'd worked for—and the woman I'd discovered I couldn't live without.