Chapter 522 The Feed

Katia’s POV

I was standing at the kitchen island, cutting fruit for Clara, when my phone started vibrating across the counter. Sam’s name appeared on the screen. I wiped my hands and answered.

“Turn on the stream,” she said without even greeting me. “Right now.”

“What stream?” I asked.

“Tessa. She is live. Just turn it on,” Sam urged.

I put the phone on speaker and opened the app. Aiden was sitting at the table with his cereal, while Clara was in her high chair, chewing on a piece of banana and watching him. The stream loaded, and Tessa’s face filled the screen. She was smiling the way she always did when she thought she had won something.

I listened as she started talking about Jules. She claimed she had always known his identity, mentioned Monaco, and then revealed that they had kissed. My hand froze over the cutting board, and Aiden looked up.

“Mom, why is that lady talking about Dad?” he asked.

I muted the phone for a moment. “Finish your cereal, baby. Then you can go upstairs and play your game.”

“But she said Dad’s name,” he insisted.

“I know,” I replied gently. “Go upstairs and take your tablet. I will come check on you in a little while.”

He studied my face for a moment before sliding off his chair and heading upstairs. I waited until I heard his bedroom door close before unmuting the stream. Julian walked into the kitchen while Tessa was still talking about the kiss. He stopped when he saw what I was watching. I did not look at him and kept my attention on the screen.

Tessa held up a photograph showing my face, my car, and my visor in my hand. She said my name, accused Gail of lying, and claimed the family had deliberately remained silent. Julian moved closer and stood behind me. I felt his hand settle on my shoulder. I did not pull away, but I did not lean into his touch either. We watched until the livestream ended. The kitchen fell quiet, apart from Clara making soft noises in her chair.

I set the phone down, and Julian remained standing behind me.

“She said you kissed her in Monaco,” I said, keeping my voice steady. “After Vegas. After we were already married.”

He was quiet for a moment. “Yes,” he admitted.

“You knew who she was,” I said.

“I knew she raced,” he explained. “I did not know she was the one who had been chasing you. Not then.”

I turned to face him. “You kissed another woman while you were my husband.”

“It was one kiss. It lasted less than a minute. I was drunk, and she was there. It was a moment of weakness, and I am sorry.” He kept his hand on my shoulder. “I am not going to stand here and pretend it did not happen. But I am also not going to let her use that kiss to destroy what we have. She can talk about it on every stream she wants. It does not change the fact that I came home to you. It does not change the fact that I have been yours since the night we woke up in that hotel room and realized what we had done.”

Clara dropped her banana. I picked it up and placed it back on her tray without taking my eyes off Julian.

“You should have told me,” I said.

“I should have,” he admitted. “I did not think it mattered. I was wrong.”

“Did you sleep with her?” I asked.

“No,” he answered immediately.

“Did you want to?”

“No,” he repeated, his voice remaining calm. “I kissed her. I stopped. I left. That is the entire story. She is trying to make it sound like something it was not.”

I nodded once. The photograph was still frozen on my phone screen, showing my face, my name, and the mask that no longer protected my identity. I stared at it for a moment before locking the phone and placing it face down on the counter.

“She is going to keep talking,” I said. “People are going to ask questions about the races, about Gail, and about that kiss.”

“Let them ask,” Julian replied quietly. “We will answer what we choose to answer, and we will not let her decide how this ends.”

“And if she keeps bringing up Monaco?” I asked.

“Then we tell the truth. One kiss, years ago, and nothing else. She does not get to turn it into something bigger just because she is angry that she never beat you on the road.”

I reached up and covered his hand with mine. Clara banged on her tray, and upstairs, I could faintly hear the sounds of Aiden’s game through the floor. This was still our home. My identity as Catwoman had been exposed, but we were still standing in the same kitchen, and Julian was looking at me as though he had no intention of going anywhere.

“All right,” I said.

He leaned down and kissed the top of my head. I closed my eyes briefly and allowed myself to accept the gesture. Then I lifted Clara out of her high chair and held her against my chest while Julian cleared the table. Notifications continued lighting up my phone, but I did not turn it over. Not yet.

“We should call Gail,” I said after a moment.

“We will,” Julian agreed. “After the kids are settled.”

“She is going to be angry,” I warned him.

“She has every right to be,” he replied. “She stood in front of cameras for us. Tessa just told the entire city she was lying.”

I nodded as Clara rested her head on my shoulder. Julian finished clearing the plates and returned to stand in front of me. He looked at our daughter before turning his attention back to me.

“We are still here,” he said. “That has not changed.”

“I know,” I replied.

“Do you?” he asked.

“Yes,” I assured him, shifting Clara higher on my hip. “I am angry about the kiss, and I am allowed to be. But I am not walking out of this kitchen over something that happened years ago when we were both still figuring out what we were to each other. Just do not ever let her use it again.”

“I will not,” he promised.

We stood there for another minute while notifications continued lighting up my phone. Neither of us reached for it. Upstairs, Aiden laughed at something in his game, and Clara made a small sound against my neck. Julian rested his hand on my back and left it there. My identity as Catwoman had been exposed, and the entire city now knew my name. But for that morning, we were still standing together in our own kitchen, and that was enough to begin with.