Chapter 31

Ask and you shall receive hehe xx

Back at home, Vanessa was fighting her own quiet battle. The irony of her situation weighed on her heavily—she had been trying to keep Kai shielded from the chaos in her life, trying to protect him from the confusion, but now, Kai was the one who was starting to ask questions. He'd find something of Zac's—a shirt left behind or a picture of him in a magazine—and innocently ask where he was. It was heartbreaking. Vanessa would try to placate him with vague answers, telling him that Zac was just busy or that he'd be back soon, but the truth was, she didn't know when or if Zac would be back at all.

The tension was suffocating. She kept herself wrapped up in work, then in Kai. She didn't give herself much time to think or to miss Zac, but there were moments when they'd text, and it would all come flooding back. Her heart would pinch, a rush of longing, of unspoken words, of memories. It was so hard to resist the urge to say everything that was on her mind, to share the smallest details of her day like she used to. But she had to refrain.

Was it the right thing? The question buzzed around in her mind constantly. Should she have pulled away? Was this distance good for them, or was it only tearing them apart? She hadn't even told her mom or Stella yet—maybe she didn't want to. It felt too complicated, too messy. She could almost feel the weight of their questions.

On tougher nights, she'd have a glass of wine to dull the ache. It was her escape, even if just for a little while. But even the wine couldn't fully mask the hole in her chest. Work helped. Kai helped. Their days were full, and on the surface, everything looked fine. Her co-parenting relationship with Cole was surprisingly solid. He didn't press her about Zac or why the three of them weren't doing the tour together anymore. He just seemed happy to have more time with Kai, and for that, she was grateful.

There was at least one part of her life that felt stable.

As she was zipping up the last of Kai's bags for the tour, Vanessa's phone pinged with a new message from the group chat she had with Stella and Laura.

Stella: Girl… have you seen these?? I thought he was going with you on tour??

Attached was a screenshot—Zac, on a yacht somewhere under the Mediterranean sun. Shirtless, surrounded by a few familiar faces… and one that wasn't.

Vanessa's fingers hovered above the screen, her stomach dropping.

Laura: Wait. Who's that girl?? Why does she look like she's in his lap? WTF?

Vanessa's heart pounded. She tapped the image to zoom in. The girl was leaning in—too close. Her hand rested casually on Zac's arm like it belonged there. Sunglasses, sun-kissed, bikini-clad, smiling like she knew exactly what she was doing.

Stella followed up a beat later.

Stella: Wait, I'm confused. Didn't he say he was just chilling with Ryan for a bit? Wasn't he supposed to be back with you and Kai by now?

Vanessa didn't respond. She couldn't. Her hands were suddenly clammy, her throat tight.

She sat on the edge of the bed and stared at the photo. It didn't look like Zac was doing anything outright wrong—he wasn't even looking at the girl—but the framing of it… the proximity. The timing. The audacity.

Was he just out there living his best life while she was back here juggling everything alone?

She tried to swallow the lump rising in her throat. Her ears rang with every unspoken word between them. Every sacrifice she had made to protect her peace… protect Kai. And for what?

Her fingers shook as she locked the screen. She couldn't look at it anymore.

Another message came in.

Laura: V? Are you okay?

Vanessa took a breath and set the phone face-down. Her chest was tight, her hands trembling slightly. She didn't even know what she felt—betrayed? hurt? disappointed? Or just… exhausted? Emotionally wrung out and done with trying to be the level-headed one. She thought they were figuring things out. She thought the distance would help. Give them clarity, space, time. But now?

Now, it all felt painfully fragile.

Don't check. Don't check. Just leave it alone.

But she had to. Her breath caught as she reached for her phone again, thumb moving almost automatically.

She opened Instagram.

Her fingers hovered before typing the name: Dominique.

And there it was.

The photo.

Dominique, striking and smug, framed in golden sunlight with Zac just behind her. Her caption was some throwaway line—cryptic and casual—but the image was anything but. She wore that bikini like it was made for attention, her body angled just enough to suggest intimacy, possession, proximity. Like it was casual. Like he was hers.

Vanessa stared at it for a long moment, her vision blurring just a little.

The logical part of her knew—this was probably not what it looked like. She knew Zac. She knew his body language, the tilt of his head, the way he smiled when he was genuinely relaxed. And that wasn't his smile. He didn't even seem aware of the camera.

But the emotional part?

The part that had stayed up late staring at texts that didn't come?

That part was hurting.

How could he let himself even be in the frame? How could he not think—not be careful? Didn't he know how much this would cost them?

She felt the pressure build in her chest, a silent scream she couldn't let out. Like maybe… maybe she was the only one still holding onto something that had already started slipping away.