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The first question comes from the same reporter who wrote the article, and I can see the smugness on his face.
“Ms. Delvaux, you’ve also been accused of leaking Scarlet Tide’s confidential information. What do you have to say in your defense?”
I sigh. “I’m not going to comment on that, as it’s a potential legal matter. If these accusations hold any ground, I’ll face whatever legal action might be taken then. Need I remind you that defamation is actionable too?”
The room erupts in whispers and murmurs, and I take advantage of the chaos to deliver my next point.
“Finally, I want to say something about the accusations made against Declan Woods. I was married to him. I have first-hand knowledge of his character. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I can tell you that I was fooled for way longer than I care to admit. But, in the end, he showed me his true face.
“He’s not the man he made us think he is. He’s not a saint or a victim. He’s a liar, a cheater, a blackmailer, and a predator. Now that I think about it, it’s kind of fitting that the club’s new name is Predators.”
A few reporters chuckle, and I smile. I’ve got them on my side. I got them to listen.
“Thank you for your time and your attention. I hope you’ll continue to support the team and the league. We’re all in this together working toward the same goal: to make women’s football the best it can be.”
I walk away from the podium. Mom, Carmen, and Patricia join me, and we leave the room, going straight to Mom’s office to watch how the press will report on the conference.
I sit down and just breathe. I’ve done what I had to do. I’ve stood up for myself. I’ve stood up for my club.
Mom gives me a kiss on my forehead. “You were amazing, Alycia.”
“Thank you,” I say.
“You were excellent,” Patricia says approvingly. I exhale in relief. She was the one I had to convince the most.
“You handled that like a pro, Alycia,” Carmen says.
I smile and feel the baby kick. I rub my belly gently. I think about Raul, and how proud he must be of me.
But before I can do that, I have to deal with the aftermath.
Actions have consequences, and my one-night stand is proving to have more than one complication. The obvious one can wait until December, but the public scrutiny following the campaign to expose Declan isn’t going to stop because I stood behind a podium for ten minutes.
CHAPTER 26 – Alycia
Friday, November 14
It’s been two days since my press conference, and I’m still reading the forums I should know better than to open.
I’ve told players for years that the first forty-eight hours are the worst. It’s been forty-eight hours. Nobody told the internet.
I scroll through the comments, the tweets, the blogs, and the memes. Most of them are vicious.
They call me a liar and a slut, and somewhere between Wednesday and today, the internet decided I’m the one who cheated. They accuse me of sleeping with the coach to get a job my mother would have given me anyway, which doesn’t make sense, but sense was never the point.
One man has done the math backwards from the size of my belly, with a diagram, and he isn’t wrong about the month. A few of them wish things on the baby I won’t repeat.
I try to ignore them and focus on the positive ones, but it’s hard. I wonder if I made a mistake, if I should have stayed quiet.
But then I remember why I’m doing this. I remember Kayla Moss unlocking a bottom drawer and handing me a notebook she’d been keeping since high school. I remember Rebecca, who has to walk past his bench again in nine days. They both carried this for years without a podium, a lawyer, or a mother who owns a football club.
I close my eyes and take a deep breath. I can do this.
I have work to do, and I’m not going to let them stop me. I have a meeting with the sponsors on Monday I need to prepare for.
Training finishes at noon on Fridays. Raul’s been busy with the team all week, but he always makes time for me. I send him a quick message, and he replies before I can put my phone down.
Lunch?
