The Final Countdown

Chapter 5

Maddie

The best thing about Germany is the difference in climate compared to America. Back home, if I were to have stepped outside in the middle of June in California? I'd be smacked right in the face with humidity, but thanks to being far from the North Atlantic Current, it's a solid high of seventy-five degrees outside.

There's a park a few blocks from the apartment that Izzy loves to go to. We'll feed ducks or watch kids sail boats in the pond, and truthfully, it's more of a break here for me than it is for her. Here, I'm able to block out the sound of beeping monitors and screaming and crying. As much as I've learned here, I've also experienced loss. I'm still picturing the seven-year-old girl we lost in a car accident yesterday during my clinical hours at the hospital.

But here, I'm able to watch my daughter's eyes light up when the children laugh. Here, I remember that to her, life isn't scary yet. It's filled with opportunities, new experiences, and love. Izzy brings me back down to earth, and even though I doubted being able to take care of her by myself here, I'm doing the damn thing and doing it well. It's days like these I'm grateful she's here with me. Without her, I'd probably be curled up on the couch with a tub of Ben and Jerry's,

Izzy points up to the tree above us from the bench we're sitting on. She's on my lap, her eyes going wide. "Look, mama! A bird!"

I gasp as if I've never seen a bird before in my life. "That's so cool, Iz! What sound does a bird make?"

She makes the cutest little chirp chirp in her high-pitched voice, and my heart swells up twice the size. The moment is interrupted when my phone starts to buzz in my pocket, and I let out an aggravated sigh, moving her to my other knee so I can fish it out.

When Maya's name lights up my screen, for once, my mood only seems to get better. "Hey!" I exclaim. "How are you? I feel like we haven't talked in forever!"

There are a few beats of silence before she asks, "Are you okay?"

"Um... Yes? Is there a reason I shouldn't be?"

More silence.

Dread pools in my gut, twisting around my insides until I find it hard to breathe. "Maya, what happened? Just tell me. Is Ethan okay? Is the baby okay?"

I can hear the loud swoosh of breath she lets out. "Ethan's fine, and I'm still healthy and pregnant. I just... You haven't seen the news?"

She knows better than anyone how much I despise the internet. I want nothing to do with the fame or the ridiculous rumors people come up with about my family. One day I'm having an affair. The next, we're getting a divorce. They'll say anything for a story. It used to bother me at first when the news leaked about Cameron and I being together, and although I haven't truly experienced the paparazzi yet in person since I've been studying here in Germany, the rumors and online blasphemy are enough to make me hate them.

But now I'm wishing I did pay attention to the gossip as I reply, "What are you talking about?"

"The tape..." She starts, but she doesn't have to finish. I know what tape she's talking about without her needing to explain. That damn tape has been in the back of my mind for years. I wasn't that much of an idiot to believe Katie had honestly deleted it. She's too conniving and evil not to hold onto leverage like that.

"Does Cameron know?" It's the only thing I can think of. His...everything is on full display to the entire world. If he doesn't know, he needs to. Maybe his management team can do something to delete it.

My hands are shaking as I clutch the phone to my ear, and adrenaline is coursing through my veins. As much as I want to cry, I have a little girl to be strong for. I try to shield her from this life as much as possible.