Chapter 72 Creating Narrative

Alicia Davenport I woke up expecting the worst. When I reached for my phone, my fingers hesitated over the screen, dreading what I might see. Last night had been a temporary escape—a moment of peace in the chaos—but reality had a cruel way of shoving itself back into my life. I took a breath and opened the news. And blinked. The scandal… was almost gone. Well, not completely gone. There were still a few headlines floating around, but the relentless storm from yesterday had died down significantly. How? I scrolled through the articles, expecting to see more gossip, more invasive speculation, but there was nothing overwhelming. Just a handful of recycled pieces from yesterday, barely making a ripple in the media frenzy I had braced myself for. It felt strange. As if something—or someone—had intervened. A part of me was relieved, grateful even. But another part of me knew better than to believe things would just magically disappear. Had something bigger happened? Had the world