#Chapter 39: The Vacation

Tessa

“Don’t let it get to you,” Gideon said calmly, handing back my phone. “Time will reveal the truth, Tessa. Just remember—victory belongs to the prepared.”

The calmness in his voice loosened some of the tension in my shoulders. The online backlash, the disapproving looks, the whispers—it had all started to feel like an inescapable shadow. But hearing Gideon’s calm conviction brought a sense of