Lana's POV
I was finally starting to breathe again.
Not fully.
Not peacefully.
But enough to get through the day.
Until my phone rang.
Lily.
I answered without thinking.
"Hey—"
"Lana, turn on the news."
Her voice was tense.
Too tense.
My heart dropped.
"What happened?"
"Just—turn it on."
I grabbed the remote with shaky hands and switched the TV on.
The screen flickered.
And then—
His name.
"Breaking News: CEO Leo Ayden Under Investigation for Financial Fraud"
Everything went silent.
"No…" I whispered.
The screen showed images of him entering a government building.
Calm. Cold. Unreadable.
Like always.
But this wasn't business.
This was something else.
"They're saying it's serious," Lily's voice came through the phone.
"Multiple accounts, illegal transfers… Lana, this is bad."
I couldn't breathe.
"This doesn't make sense," I said quickly.
"He wouldn't do that."
"Then what's happening?" Lily asked.
I didn't have an answer.
Because suddenly—
Everything from the past few days came crashing back.
His distance.
His secrecy.
His meetings.
Chloe.
My chest tightened painfully.
"Lana…" Lily said softly,
"you don't think—"
"No," I cut her off immediately.
Too fast.
Too defensive.
But doubt had already slipped in.
He said he was protecting me.
He said I wouldn't understand.
My hands started shaking.
"What if…" Lily hesitated,
"What if he really was hiding something?"
"No," I whispered again.
But this time…
It didn't sound certain.
The TV kept playing.
Words I didn't want to hear.
Allegations.
Evidence.
Investigation.
And suddenly—
Leaving him didn't feel like strength anymore.
It felt like…
Running away before knowing the truth.
"I need to see him," I said suddenly.
"What?" Lily sounded surprised.
"I need to hear it from him," I repeated.
"Not from the news. Not from anyone else."
Because no matter how broken things were…
No matter how far apart we felt…
My heart still believed one thing.
Leo wouldn't lie about something like this.
Right?