Liam
The world tilted on its axis as the press conference ended, leaving us reeling and disoriented. Karen, her face still streaked with tears, leaned heavily against me as we navigated the throng of startled guests, their whispers a buzzing undercurrent.
Suddenly they were a cacophony of reporters surging towards the entrance, hoping to badger us with questions we were not willing to answer. Promptly, security guards, trained to deflect chaos, formed a human barricade, their broad backs shielding Karen and me from the impending media storm, whisking us away towards the sanctuary of my office.
The door slammed shut behind us, a flimsy barrier against the impending storm. No sooner were we alone than Karen turned on me, her green eyes blazing with a fury that momentarily eclipsed the pain etched on her face. A stinging slap echoed in the sterile silence, the sound of her pent-up emotions finally exploding.
