She would marry someone else one day.
But not yet.
First, there would be a reckoning.
First, the world would see the truth.
First, the President of the United States would sit in her living room and tell her that her enemies had used artificial intelligence to destroy her marriage.
And Damien would learn that the government could make problems disappear.
Not with violence.
With power.
A different kind of power.
One he had never respected.
Until now.
---
The one hundred fifty-sixth week, the recordings went viral.
Not released by Marcus.
Released by someone who wanted to destroy Damien and Christabel once and for all.
The world heard Christabel's doubts.
Her fears.
Her confession that she didn't know if she loved her husband anymore.
And Damien's empire began to crumble.
---
The morning after the recordings leaked, the penthouse was chaos.
Phones rang.
Emails flooded.
The press camped outside.
Damien stood at the window.
Staring at the city.
His face was calm.
But his hands were shaking.
Christabel sat on the couch.
Staring at nothing.
Her eyes were red.
She had been crying.
She hadn't stopped crying since she heard her own voice on the recording.
"I don't know if I love him anymore."
"I don't know if I ever did."
She had said those words.
In therapy.
To Marcus.
The man who had been recording her.
The man who had been waiting.
The man who had been destroying them from the inside.
---
"I'm sorry," she whispered.
Damien didn't turn.
"For what?"
"For saying those things."
"You said them."
"I didn't mean them."
"You said them."
"I was confused."
"You were honest."
She stood.
Walked to him.
"I was vulnerable."
"You were human."
"Same thing."
"Different intention."
---
He turned.
Took her face in his hands.
"I don't care what you said in therapy."
"You should."
"I care about what you say to me."
"I love you."
"I know."
"I love you so much it terrifies me."
He touched her face.
"I know. Because I love you the same way."
---
The doorbell rang.
Not the front door.
The private entrance.
Only a few people had access.
Cole's voice came through the speaker.
"Damien, the President is here."
Damien stared at the speaker.
"The President?"
"He wants to see you. Both of you."
"Now?"
"Now."
---
The President walked into the penthouse like he owned it.
Not arrogant.
Comfortable.
Like he belonged.
Like he had been here before.
He hadn't.
But he acted like he had.
"Mr. Moreau. Mrs. Moreau."
"Mr. President."
"Thank you for seeing me."
"You didn't give us a choice."
The President smiled.
"I never do."
---
They sat in the living room.
The President on the couch.
Damien and Christabel across from him.
Lena was with the nanny.
The penthouse was quiet.
"I've seen the recordings," the President said.
"We assumed."
"They're devastating."
"We know."
"They're also fake."
---
Christabel stared at him.
"What?"
"The recordings. They're not real. They were generated by artificial intelligence. Deepfake technology. Voice synthesis. Your words, Mrs. Moreau, but not your voice."
"That's impossible."
"It's very possible."
"They sound like me."
"They were designed to sound like you."
"Why?"
The President leaned forward.
"Because someone wants to destroy you. And they're using the most advanced technology in the world to do it."
---
Damien spoke.
"Who?"
"We don't know yet."
"Then how do you know the recordings are fake?"
"Because we have the best forensic analysts in the world. And they've confirmed it. The recordings were generated by AI."
"But the public doesn't know that."
"Not yet."
"Are you going to tell them?"
The President was quiet for a moment.
"No."
"No?"
"The public doesn't want the truth. They want a story. And right now, the story is that your marriage is falling apart."
"Then what do we do?"
The President smiled.
"We change the story."
---
The next hour was a blur.
The President made calls.
Not to journalists.
To people Damien had never heard of.
Agencies. Departments. Offices.
Within sixty minutes, the recordings were gone.
Not from the internet.
From existence.
Every copy. Every link. Every mention.
Deleted.
Wiped.
Erased.
---
Damien watched.
His hands were steady.
But his mind was racing.
He had spent years building power.
Money. Soldiers. Weapons.
But this was different.
This was power he didn't have.
Power he didn't know existed.
Power that could make anything disappear.
The President hung up the phone.
"It's done."
"Just like that?"
"Just like that."
"How?"
The President stood.
"I'm the President."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one I have."
---
Christabel stood.
"Who else knows about the AI?"
"No one."
"The people who made the recordings?"
"They're being handled."
"Handled how?"
The President looked at her.
"Mrs. Moreau, some questions are better left unanswered."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the only one I have."
---
The President walked to the door.
Stopped.
Turned.
"I came here today because I owe you. Both of you. You saved this country from the cartels. You saved thousands of lives. You made me look good."
He paused.
"Now I'm returning the favor."
"This isn't a favor," Damien said.
"This is survival."
"Same thing."
"Different intention."
---
The President left.
The penthouse was silent.
Damien stood at the window.
Christabel sat on the couch.
"The President just made a problem disappear," she said.
"He did."
"Just like that."
"Just like that."
"I didn't know that was possible."
"Neither did I."
She walked to him.
"What else can they make disappear?"
He was quiet for a moment.
"I don't want to find out."
---
That night, Christabel put Lena to bed.
Not Damien. Her.
Lena was full of questions.
"Mama, why was the President here?"
"Because he wanted to help us."
"Did he help?"
"Yes."
"How?"
Christabel was quiet for a moment.
"He made the bad people go away."
---
Damien appeared in the doorway.
"She's asleep?"
"She's dreaming."
"Of what?"
"Of you."
He walked to her.
Took her hand.
"The President is gone."
"I know."
"The recordings are gone."
"I know."
"The people who made them are gone."
She looked at him.
"I know."
"Why aren't you surprised?"
"Because I know who you are."
---
He pulled her into his arms.
"I love you."
"I know."
"I love you in ways I didn't know I was capable of."
She touched his face.
"I know. Because I love you the same way."
"Even after the recordings?"
"Especially after the recordings."
First Line of Chapter 201(Teaser):
"The one hundred fifty-seventh week, Damien and Christabel learned the truth about the AI. It wasn't created by Marcus. He was just the messenger. The real enemy was someone they had never met. Someone who had been watching for years. Someone who wanted everything they had."
END OF BOOK ONE,IN A WEEK CHECK ON MY PAGE TO FIND SECOND BOOK, I LOVE YOU