Page 65 of Fallen Empire

Something I really didn’t fucking like.

I cut my eyes to Savannah, and the huge grin on her face was all it took to pull one onto mine.

My soulmate was alive. She was talking. She was smiling. And for a brief, fleeting moment, all was right in the world again.

“I can get you some soft foods for now,” Nurse Ruth said, checking Savannah’s vitals without missing a beat. “Jell-O or applesauce. Something light. What would you like?”

“All of the above,” Savannah replied without hesitation.

I couldn’t help but laugh. My smart-ass best friend was back. Even if she was still hiding how much pain she was in, I could see pieces of her shining through.

Nurse Ruth just shook her head and turned to leave, but we both knew she’d come back with options. She’d played tough, sure, but that woman had a soft spot for Savannah Sinclair, just like the rest of us.

It was hardnotto be inspired by someone who was supposed to be six feet under and still came back swinging.

Savannah leaned back against the pillow, her eyes fluttering closed for a moment as the weight of everything settled over her again. I let her rest in that silence—not the heavy, grieving kind, but the kind that only exists between soul-deep friends. The kind that holds space without filling it.

I stayed quiet, letting the hum of the machines speak for me while I worked up the nerve to do what I’d promised.

She needed to hear my story.

And maybe I needed to tell it.

“I was fourteen the first time I heard the wordspublic imageused like a threat,” I said softly, still watching her.

Her eyes opened, brows tugging slightly. She didn’t speak. Just listened.

“My mom cheated on my dad. He was the CEO of Pierman Media at the time. Big company. Big money. Big expectations. And even bigger egos.” I forced a bitter smile. “When she left, she didn’t just leavehim. She leftme. Took a settlement and vanished. And suddenly, I wasn’t just some kid dealing with her mother’s betrayal… I was a headline waiting to happen.”

Savannah blinked slowly. Her fingers twitched on the blanket, as if she could feel the shift in me.

“My dad spiraled,” I continued. “Whiskey and silence became his two best friends. And mine? Mine was control.Image. Fixing the cracks so no one could see we were shattered beneath the surface. I stepped in. I covered for him. Took on client meetings before I could legally drive. Played the part of the perfect daughter with perfect grades and a perfect press-ready smile.”

My voice caught for a second, but I didn’t stop.

“I learned how to hide the mess. How to spin a lie into something beautiful. And eventually, how to make other people’s secrets disappear. That’s how I built the company. Builtthislife. One that looked clean enough from the outside to forget how dirty it felt on the inside.”

Savannah’s gaze was locked on mine now. No pity. No judgment. Just that quiet understanding that only comes from someone who knows exactly what it means to be shattered and smiling at the same time.

“I didn’t share this for sympathy,” I said, brushing my palms against my thighs like I could scrub the memory off. “I shared it because you need to know that I see you. Not the version the world sees.You.”

Her throat worked as she swallowed. “And you think that version is worth loving?”

“I think,” I said, leaning forward, “that version is the only one that ever was.”

Savannah took a deep breath and looked past me. I let the silence linger.

“I don’t think my parents loved each other,” she said finally. “They loved me in their own ways, but not each other.”

She paused, then quietly asked, “Could you hold some water up to me, please?”

“Yes, of course.”

I lifted the cup and brought the straw to her lips. She drank until it was empty, gulping like it was the first thing that didn’t taste like pain.

“More?” I asked gently.

She shook her head, and I set the cup down. I didn’t press her, just waited.