Page 26 of Marriage & Mockery

“I know who you are.”

“I’m sorry to call out of the blue like this. I won’t take much of your time,” she promised. “But we’ve had several calls from big media outlets, and I wanted to check with you before I commit to anything.”

Her call was a new experience for me. Sheila had never asked my opinion about anything publicity-related, not even when I was appearing in public with Bennett. I appreciated seeing his new rules in action. “As long as he sticks to what he already said publicly and doesn’t put me through anything worse, I’m fine with him doing interviews.”

There was a brief pause. “I appreciate that, but the requests aren’t for Bennett.”

I stood and walked to the window. “What?”

“We’ve had calls from two morning shows and one late-night booking producer. They’re asking for you. On-camera or remote. They want your perspective on what happened.”

“I’m not even sure what to think about that,” I admitted.

“It means the statement and takedown notices are working even better than we could have hoped,” Collette explained. “People feel strong empathy for victims. They want to know the truth from the person who experienced the harm.”

I shook my head. “Victim is too strong a word.”

What Bennett had done was bad, but I was still blessed in many ways that most people would never experience.

“I appreciate your perspective. It’s something you can address if you want to do any of the interviews. But nothing moves without your say. I can decline all of them cleanly, or I can hold them while you think.”

It was hard to believe how quickly the tides had turned. A week ago the internet had been laughing at my face. Now major shows wanted me to talk about the worst point of my marriage. “I need time.”

“Of course. Take it,” she quickly agreed. “I’ll tell them you’re considering and that we’ll respond when you’re ready. No pressure from my end.”

“Thank you.”

“And Laina — if you want to talk through the pros and cons with someone, I’m available,” she offered. “Or not. Your call.”

I ended the conversation and lowered the phone.

I didn’t know yet whether I wanted any part of stepping back into the spotlight on different terms. But for the first time since the awards ceremony, the choice was actually mine. Something I mulled over while I got ready for my day, drove Lucy to school, and then headed to the grocery store.

In the week I’d been back home, we’d gone through just about everything I’d bought, so I needed to do a big restock. I kept my sunglasses on and worked through my list as quickly as I could.

I turned the corner into the pasta aisle and nearly bumped into another cart that started to do a half turn at the last second.

“Sorry, I realized I forgot something.” The woman glanced over her shoulder and stopped. “Laina?”

It took me a moment to recognize Jordan’s wife. We’d met at a handful of industry-adjacent dinners and a few holiday parties thrown by the network. “Hi, Rachel.”

Her smile seemed a little forced. “I didn’t realize you shopped here.”

“Close to home.” I adjusted my grip on the cart. “How are you?”

“Good. Busy. You know how it gets once the school year is fully going.” She hesitated, glancing down the aisle and back to make sure we were alone. “Jordan mentioned things have been different in the writers’ room this week.”

Tilting my head, I drew my brows together. “Different how?”

“I don’t have all the specifics, but he said that Bennett pulled some material from an outline that had already been locked in and made it clear you would not be used for inspiration going forward.”

“Wow.” Getting confirmation that he was upholding his promise had more of an impact than I would’ve guessed.

She nodded. “Yeah, Jordan said it put them under more pressure with the schedule, but that Bennett wouldn’t budge.”

I wasn’t sure how to respond since I didn’t know Rachel enough to share my innermost thoughts with her, especially after how I’d been burned. “I see.”

Rachel seemed to realize she might have overshared. “I only mention it because I thought you deserved to know.”