The familiar grandeur of the Anderson mansion felt different as they pulled into the circular driveway. What had once seemed like a sanctuary now felt exposed, as if the very walls had become transparent to the prying eyes of the world. Sunny noticed Liam scanning the perimeter as he helped the girls from the car.
Beth met them at the door, her typically cheerful demeanor subdued. The older woman’s eyes darted between Liam and Sunny with an uncomfortable knowledge that made Sunny’s cheeks burn.
“Welcome home,” Beth said, helping take some of their luggage. “The girls must be exhausted from the journey.”
“I’m not tired!” Hailey protested on cue, though the smudges beneath her eyes told a different story. “Can we watch a movie, Daddy?”
“Later, peanut,” Liam replied, his gaze catching on the blinking redlight of the answering machine. “Why don’t you and Maddie go pick out which toys you missed the most.”
As the girls scampered off, Beth turned to Liam with a sympathetic expression. “There’s been quite a few calls,” she said quietly. “Your agent, the team office. And… others. Reporters, I think. I wouldn’t answer the landline at all yesterday.”
Liam’s jaw tightened as he nodded. “Thanks, Beth. I’ll deal with it.”
Without another word, he strode toward his office, cell phone already in hand, leaving Sunny standing amid the luggage with a sinking feeling in her stomach. This was their new reality — Liam immediately pulled away by the demands of damage control, Sunny left to maintain normalcy for the girls while everything crumbled around them.
“It’ll blow over,” Beth offered kindly, noting Sunny’s expression. The older woman placed a gentle hand on her arm. “These things always do, eventually. For what it’s worth, I think you’ve been the best thing to happen to this family in a long time.”
The unexpected support brought a lump to Sunny’s throat. In the weeks she’d lived with the Andersons, Beth had been a quiet but steady presence, maintaining professional boundaries while being unfailingly kind.
“I just don’t want to make things worse for them,” she admitted in a low voice. “The girls have been through so much already.”
Beth’s eyes softened with understanding. “Sometimes the path that seems most difficult is the one most worth taking,” she said. “I watched Kate and Liam build something beautiful here. After she passed, I never thought I’d see life in this house again. But you brought it back, dear.”
Before Sunny could respond, Maddie appeared holding a stuffed penguin aloft triumphantly. “Found him!” she called down. “He was hiding under my pillow!”
Beth gave Sunny’s arm a final reassuring squeeze before they separated to handle the practical tasks of settling back in.
With a sigh, Sunny began the process of unpacking and adjusting the girls back into home routine. She tried to focus on practical tasks — sorting laundry, organizing the girls’ souvenirs, preparing a light lunch — but her thoughts kept drifting to the muffled sounds of Liam’s conversation from his office.
“No, that’s not… Listen, it’s been blown completely out of proportion,” she heard him say at one point as she passed his door. “My personal life is my own business.”
Another time: “I understand the team’s concerns, but my family comes first.”
And most distressingly: “I don’t need to justify my actions to anyone. I’ve done nothing wrong.”
It wasn’t what he was saying that troubled her — in fact, she appreciated his defense — but the very fact that he had to defend their relationship at all. That their connection, which felt so natural and right when they were alone, was now being scrutinized as some sort of transgression.
After settling the girls with a snack and their favorite cartoon, Sunny retreated to her room under the guise of unpacking her own things. The moment the door closed behind her, she sank onto the edge of her bed, the weight of the day finally crushing her composure.
With trembling fingers, she pulled out her own phone, which she had deliberately left on airplane mode until now. She steeled herself and turned it on.
Her phone vibrated continuously as it connected to the network. Dozens of Instagram notifications. Twitter mentions from accounts she’d never interacted with. Facebook friend requests from strangers. Text messages from former colleagues and even old foster siblings she hadn’t spoken to in years. Everyone, it seemed, had seen thestory.
Against her better judgment, Sunny opened Instagram first. Her typically quiet account, mostly filled with photos of crafts she’d done with the girls (faces always carefully excluded for privacy) and the occasional landscape, had exploded with activity.
Her direct messages were flooded:
OMG is it true??? You’re dating LIAM ANDERSON??
Hey, remember me from foster care? Would love to catch up! Maybe an exclusive interview about your relationship? I work for TruthTeller now.
Gold-digging whore. He just lost his wife. Have you no shame?
You’re living the dream girl! Get that hockey dough! ??????
The public comments on her photos were worse — people tagging their friends, speculating about her relationship with Liam, making crude jokes about nannies and employers. Some had even found photos from years ago, making nasty comparisons between her and Kate based on looks alone.
Is it true the hockey player is banging you? My boyfriend says nannies are always asking for it.
