"Riveted is different from your other songs, but fans are crazy about it. What's the inspiration behind it?"

Jay glanced at his clasped hands and then looked up at David, the host of the show on Channel One. "Someone I met. It's a song about a special, unexpected connection with a person."

David rubbed his chin. "Interesting. So, does that mean Jay Ashford isn't single anymore?"

Jay smirked. "No comments."

A dramatic sigh left David's mouth. "Rebellious Hearts, ladies and gentlemen. They sing about love, and we love them. Thank you for coming to talk to us today."

"Thanks for having us here," I said, shaking the guy's hand.

The live program was over. We rose from the couch and said goodbye to him and the rest of the crew.

"Can we skip the meeting with Wyatt?" Nick sighed. "The day was going so well."

Fin huffed. "Wishful thinking. Why did he want to see all of us, again?"

"Probably to talk about the second album," I said. "He didn't say much."

Another good thing that happened today was the absence of Wyatt's secretary. Wyatt was the one to open his office door and call us in.

Andre entered first, followed by the guys. I purposefully lingered behind them and took a seat next to Fin, out of Wyatt's line of vision.

I missed Ava. She must've been busy at work, and I couldn't text her, either. The thought of having dinner together warmed me. Although it wasn't what I really wanted, I had to be patient. Maybe she'd spend the night with me tomorrow.

Wyatt raved about our songs occupying the first and second positions in the charts. It was great news, but my focus was elsewhere. I took my phone out of my pocket and unlocked it.

There was nothing from Ava, but I had five missed calls from Riley. What could've happened? She'd text if it weren't important.

Me: At the meeting right now. What's up?

Riley: Call me asap.

"...media coverage. We have to be there."

I turned to Fin. "Be where? What did he say?"

"The gala," Fin whispered. "In a week."

That was convenient - the perfect occasion to introduce Ava to the world as my girlfriend. We'd have seven days to get ready.

"Jim?" Wyatt looked at me.

"Yeah?"

"I said Tasha's in charge. She's on vacation, but she'll be back on Wednesday. You can get the invitations from her."

"No, thanks," I said.

"Excuse me?"

"Jim meant to say I'll pick them up," Andre's voice boomed. "We'll meet on Wednesday without the boys, anyway."

Wyatt toyed with his chain and gave our manager an absent nod. "Okay. That's all, then."

I jumped to my feet and rushed out of the office, my phone already in my hand, my thumb hovering over Riley's number.

When I called, she picked up immediately.

"Hey, Jim. Have you been at the meeting all morning?"

"We were on Channel One before. I didn't check my phone. What's up?"

"Damn, so you know nothing."

Riley's words didn't freak me out, but her tone did. She sounded nervous.

"Riley. What is it?"

"Ava's pictures are all over the internet. It isn't good, Jim. I know you guys haven't made your relationship public yet, but now -"

"I'll call you. Thanks."

A giant lump clogged my throat. My fingers shook, refusing to cooperate when I tried to type Ava's name in the search bar.

"What's wrong?" Jay asked, touching my shoulder.

Everything. Everything was fucking wrong, especially when the first photo of Ava filled my phone screen.

She was standing in the doorway, looking small and terrified, wearing her comfortable clothes. At home. The fuckers knew where she lived.

"Fuck." Jay's voice broke through the haze that took over my brain. "That's Ava, right?"

I didn't realize he and the guys gathered around me, peering at my phone screen.

How the fuck did the paps know? We were careful not to be seen in public. All our dates happened in the privacy of my condo. There was no way for them to know who she was, let alone get her address.

More pictures appeared, and rage simmered in my veins - Ava rushing to her car, staring at the ground, her phone pressed to her chest. Ava at the bookstore, looking at the crowd, wide-eyed.

I called her immediately, but her phone was off.

"Jim. What the fuck is going on?" Jay kept asking as I strode to the elevator, holding the gadget to my ear to call a different number.

"Dec. I'm sorry to bother you on your day off, but it's an emergency. Paps figured out where Ava lives. I need to know whether they're still there and if she's home."

"Don't worry. I'm not far from her neighborhood. Call you in a few."

When the elevator door slid open, I got in and pressed my forehead to the mirror. The guys filed into the machine after me. Nobody said a word, but when the descent was over, Nick spoke.

"Jim, there's...Um, more pictures."

He thrust his phone in my hands once we were out of the high-rise.

There were childhood pictures of Ava I'd never seen. She looked adorable, but when my eyes lowered to the caption, my heart skipped a beat.

#unworthy. Jim O'Brien lowered his standards.

"Assholes," I said through gritted teeth. "Who? Who the fuck would do something like that?"

A couple of people turned their heads toward me at the sound of my yelling, reminding me we were standing in the middle of a bustling street.

I gave Nick's phone back to him. "I think I know who did it."

My cell vibrated. "Dec," I said, praying he found Ava.

"She's not home, but the paps are everywhere, waiting for her to return. I know how to get rid of them."

"Thanks. She might be at my condo. Call me if you manage to make them leave, okay?"

"Sure. Don't worry."

It was so much more than worry. How fucking heartless did someone have to be to hurt a good girl on purpose? To hurt my girl on purpose?

"We need to do something," Jay said. "Is that Tasha bitch behind it? How convenient is it that she isn't at work today, huh?"

"I need to find Ava first." I dragged a palm over my face. "That shit's brutal, and she must be terrified. I need to go to my condo."

"We can go with you and think what to do together," Nick offered.

Andre exited the building and hurried toward us. "What's going on?"

"The guys will fill you in," I said, reaching into my pocket to grab the car remote. "I have to go."

I got to my condo in record time, speeding up and breaking every traffic rule, but my apartment was empty.

I could ask Ava's friends if she was with them, but I knew her. She wouldn't want to be around people after what happened. It only left me with one place where she could've potentially gone.

I dashed to the closet and stuffed our clothes in a duffle bag. Thinking that we might have to stay at Alfie's for a couple of days, I took what I had in the fridge and the pantry so we could eat.

On the drive to the Victorian, I called Dec.

"I fake-called the police, and they left," he said. "I'm gonna stay here to make sure the paps don't return. Did you find your girl?"

I exhaled. "Thank you. Not yet. I'm on my way to Alfie's."

"Do you need anything? Groceries, clothes?"

"I grabbed some at home. Thanks, Dec. For everything."

Declan dismissed it. I was grateful to have him, especially now that I didn't know who I could trust.

Ava's ex-friend was likely the culprit, but what if she did it with someone else? What if someone we both knew helped her leak the pictures?

Despite the overwhelming guilt, I found the courage to call the person I owed an apology to.

"Jim," Alan's tired voice filled the interior of the car. "Tell me Ava's with you. I came home, but she isn't here, and I saw her pictures online."

How the fuck could I look Ava's dad in the eyes after this? I dragged his daughter into my world and exposed her to the hatred she didn't deserve.

"She's not with me, but I might know where she is. I'm driving to my house now."

Alan sighed. "I just...Make sure she's alright. Ava isn't as tough as she pretends to be. She's sensitive, and all those things they said are cruel. Unfair and cruel. And something else."

"Yeah?"

"Are you cheating on her?"

My nails dug into the leather of the steering wheel. "No. And I'd never cheat on her. I love her."

"I'm sorry. There are pictures of you with someone else. I just worry about my daughter."

Could I blame him? I would probably hate the guy who allowed my child to get hurt.

"I'm sorry. I'm really sorry, Sir."

I couldn't even call him Alan. How the fuck could I now? He trusted me with his daughter. He knew she spent nights with me. He was okay with me sleeping in her bed under his roof, for fuck's sake. I felt as if I betrayed him and the trust he placed in me.

"I guess there wasn't much you could do. Anyway, please tell Ava to call me. I need to hear her voice and make sure she's okay."

"I will as soon as I get there."

Alan hung up, and the tension grabbed hold of me. He said there were photos of me with someone else. Who the hell could that be? What pictures? I would've stopped the vehicle and looked if I weren't desperate to get to Ava.

Raindrops smashed against the glass, and a flash of lightning illuminated the evening sky. Our most special moments - her sleeping in my arms in my condo, us making love for the first time - always featured the rain. How the fuck did I let this happen to us?

When I pulled over next to Alfie's house, relief flooded my every cell. Ava's car was there.

I grabbed the bags from the trunk and hurried to the front door. As I let myself into the house, silence greeted me.

"Ava," I called, but she didn't answer. After checking the rooms downstairs and not finding her, I went to the bedroom we shared when we spent the night in the house.

Empty.

More open doors and more silence. Could she have left? I let myself into the small guest bedroom at the end of the hallway and froze.

Ava was curled up into a ball on the bed, facing away from the doorway.

I crouched down in front of her.

"Baby."

She didn't move. Her eyes remained closed, but just as I thought she was asleep, a tear slid down her cheek, leaving a wet trail on her skin.

I wiped it with my thumb. "Ava."

She sat, leaning against the headboard, looking anywhere but at me.

I perched on the edge of the bed. "I'm sorry. I'm so damn sorry for everything."

Ava squeezed her eyes shut. In a heartbeat, she buried her face in her palms and sobbed.

"Come here." I pulled her into my embrace. Her body stiffened, and dread seized me. Did she blame me? It certainly looked that way.

"Baby, we need to talk," I said, trying my hardest to ignore that the girl I loved didn't hug me back. It was as if I wasn't there. She wedged an invisible wall between us, and I had no way to break through.

"I brought some clothes and left them in our bedroom," I said. "Why don't we go there? The bed is bigger. You'll be more comfortable."

"Okay."

Her voice sounded hoarse from crying, and I hated myself even more.

Ava rose to her feet and left the room. I watched her unzip the bag I brought and fish out a shirt and some sweats. She stilled, holding the clothes to her chest. "Can you leave? Please."

The right answer was no. No, I couldn't. This wasn't okay. Her reaction wasn't. She was shutting me out without even talking to me.

But I was guilty. And the guilt made me pivot and go to the hallway to wait for Ava there.

Except that I didn't close the door all the way. I watched Ava whip off her tee and stand in front of the mirror in her bra and jeans. She studied herself with a frown, pressing a palm to her stomach, and it was the last fucking straw.

I reentered the bedroom and leaned against the wall.

A weary sigh fell off Ava's lips. "Jim."

"I'm not leaving," I said. "I'm not leaving, and we're talking. We're talking about the pictures and the fuckers who hurt you."

Ava snatched a shirt off the bed and pulled it over her head. "And Karina Garcia? Are we talking about her, too?"

Fuck.

"Yeah." I nodded. "We're also talking about her."