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Lann had promised she’d be safe when he left her behind, alone, in Santiago. She trusted him. However, this was about more than her safety. Leaving Lann was going to be hard enough. Now she was going to have to live it through social media too. It wasn’t going to be a private matter. It would be public knowledge. Being humiliated in front of the whole world when Lann dumped her would be an added agony she hadn’t bargained on. She pressed her mobile phone against her forehead. As her mother always said, she’d made her bed. She would just have to carry on sleeping in it until it was over. The optimist in her reminded her that she still had a week left with Lann. When the time came, she’d deal with the media, her friends, her family, and most of all, with herself.
She took a deep breath and dialed her parents’ number.
“Kat,” her mom, Felicity, exclaimed, “we were going to call you this weekend. How are you?”
“Wonderful,” she said, forcing herself to sound bright. “I have news. I met someone.”
Her mother’s voice adopted the high-pitched tone it usually did when she was worried. “You did? Who is he?”
“His name is Lann. He owns the library where I’m doing research.”
“That sounds like a foreign name.”
“Yes.” She didn’t mention that he was Russian. Felicity was untrusting of anything or anyone that fell outside her border of experience.
“Is it serious?”
“No. I just wanted you to know.”
“Kat,” her mom said sternly, “what aren’t you telling me?”
She cleared her throat. “It’s just that he’s kind of famous here in Santiago because he bought this old monastery and a library of hundreds of antique books and turned it into a home and we were photographed at a club. It’s all over social media. I didn’t want you to hear from someone else.”
“I see.” There was a short pause. “Is this relationship interfering with your studies?”
“Of course not.”
“Are you happy?”
“Very,” Kat forced herself to say.
“As long as you know what you’re doing, honey. This exchange program is a once-in-a- lifetime opportunity. Don’t throw it away on a fling.”
“Mom, please. I’m a big girl.”
“Will you send me some clippings?”
“Mom!” Kat laughed. “You’re impossible. How’s Dad?”
Her mom updated her on her dad’s health and on the status of the garden. They ended with Kat reassuring her mom that she’d be home for Christmas at the end of her study year.
When she disconnected, Kat took a shaky breath and rested her head in her hands.
“Was that your parents?”
She lifted her head at the sound of Lann’s voice. He stood in the frame, regarding her with a sympathetic expression.
“It was my mom. I didn’t want them to hear from someone else.”
“What did you tell them?”
“Only that I met you,” she smiled wryly, “and that I’m still focused on my studies. They’ll make their own assumptions after next week.”
“I agree. The less they know, the better.”
Sadly, the same rule seemed to apply to her. She knew so little about him when she wanted to know so much.
“I came to give you this.” He held a mobile phone to her. “It’s a secure phone. I know you’ve been ignoring the media calls up to now, but it’ll only get worse. It’s best to leave your old phone switched off.”
She nodded and took the phone.
“If anyone does manage to get through to you,” he said, “don’t deny or acknowledge anything. I’ll handle the media statements.”
“What are you going to say?”
“I’ll say that you’re my girlfriend.” He paused. “In another week’s time, I’ll say that we’ve broken off our relationship. In time, it’ll kill the media interest in you. When I’m gone, given a few weeks or so, the attention should dwindle to nothing. I’ll get my media consultant to keep in touch though. He’ll advise you if you’re ever in doubt of what to say or how to handle the exposure.”
She flinched at the thought of dealing with the publicity wolves alone, without Lann. She had to give it to him, he was trying to help. At least he wasn’t going to tell the truth. She made this bed. She squared her shoulders.
“Right.” She got to her feet. “That wasn’t so bad.” She felt his eyes on her back as she left the lounge, but he didn’t say anything.
She went to her room and texted her new number to Diana. She’d send an email to her parents and to Charles later. They weren’t going to call her before the next few days anyway. A second later, her new phone rang.
“Hey, Diana.”
“Your photo is all over the news.”
Kat sighed. “Tell me something I don’t know.”
“Don’t sound so despondent. You’re famous.”
“It’s not a good thing, Diana.”
“What are you talking about? Now that you’ve caught the elusive Russian and even got him photographed, you’re the new celeb in town.”
