The clock blinked 10:32 am, soft and harmless, unaware of the storm brewing outside their door.
Inside the bedroom, warmth pooled like honey. Sara lay with her head on Kairo's shoulder, Zayn sprawled across both their stomachs, his tiny fingers tapping on Kairo's chest as he animated the wild creature from his new imaginary kingdom.
"Then the dragon came," Zayn declared, voice tiny yet dramatic.
Kairo gasped softly, playing along, "A dragon? Mama, don't move. Our son is about to save us." His arm tightened around her waist, thumb brushing slow, lazy circles, fighting the urge to pull her closer.
Sara rolled her eyes, smiling into her sleepy haze. Kairo smiled, nuzzling her hair.
Their small heaven swayed with laughter, sheets tangled in warmth, breaths mingling freely. Nothing existed outside their family of three.
Until Kairo's phone buzzed on the nightstand.
Once.
Twice.
Then again…and again…a vibration that grew restless, like something trying to claw its way inside.
Sara frowned. "Is that your phone? I thought someone switched it off."
Kairo sighed, still half-buried in the comfort of his family. "It is off. Probably system alerts…"
But then Sara's phone buzzed. And the iPad. And his smartwatch is on the dresser.
Zayn blinked at the sound parade. "Dada, all phones are dancing."
Kairo exhaled, annoyed. "I'll check."
He reached for his phone, pressing the power button out of habit. The screen lit up instantly.
And he froze.
Sara noticed it the very second his body stiffened. The warmth in his eyes drained… slowly… like someone had cracked open the very air he breathed.
"Kairo?" she whispered.
Dozens, no, hundreds of notifications exploded on his screen. Mentions. Emails. Emergency messages from PR. Missed calls from his father. Group chat alerts are firing like bullets.
Then the headline stared back at him.
Bold. Blood-red. Designed to destroy.
"Kairo Valen: Pregnant Ex-Girlfriend, Affairs, Married Woman Scandal, NovaCore Prince Exposed."
His heartbeat slammed into his ribs.
He scrolled, photos, a few fake stories, manipulated screenshots, anonymous "sources," dirty old rumors twisted into something monstrous.
His name was trending. His company was under attack. And their family, his family, was being dissected by strangers who knew nothing.
Sara watched his face drain of color. Her stomach tightened like it was falling from a height.
"Kairo… what happened?" Her voice barely touched the air.
He lifted his eyes. And for the first time since she met him, she saw fear in them, something deep, something unexplainable.
Not for himself. But for them.
He swallowed once, throat tight. His hands trembling, the phone slipped from his hands.
"What happened, Kairo?" Sara reached for him, holding his trembling body. She immediately reached for his phone, but he kicked his phone away, protective instinct flaring like fire.
"No. You don't need to see any of this." He whispered firmly.
"Kairo," she whispered, "show me. What's wrong?"
Zayn blinked between them, sensing something wrong. "Mumma?" His little voice wobbled.
Sara hugged him close, pressing him to her chest.
Finally, Kairo handed her the phone, slow, reluctant, like handing someone a blade. Sara read a few lines… and the blood drained from her face.
Disgust twisted her mouth. Hurt flickered behind her eyes. But the emotion that settled the strongest was pure, simmering anger.
"What is this?" she whispered. "They're calling you a homewrecker, a cheater. They're calling our son fatherless."
Kairo's jaw locked so tightly a muscle jumped in his neck. He looked seconds away from ripping the whole world apart with his own hands.
"They twisted everything," he said through his teeth. "They turned our truth into garbage, dragged you and Zayn into it… They picked the wrong family to provoke."
"I'll handle it," he said under his breath. "I promise you, I'll burn every lie down." He was literally burning with uncontrollable anger. His face red, eyes burning in rage, hands clenched into a tight fist. He was angry because people were calling names at his wife and child.
Sara's fingers trembled for a moment… then steadied. She placed her hand on his cheek, gently turning his face toward her.
"Kairo," she said softly, "look at me." His breathing hitched. Rage turning into tears, shimmering into his eyes.
"You didn't do anything wrong. We didn't do anything wrong. So don't lose your calm and let them make you feel like you did."
Zayn pressed his small hand against Kairo's chest. "Dada, don't cry," he whispered.
Kairo hadn't even realized his eyes had glossed over. He pulled both of them into his arms, one arm around Sara, the other around Zayn.
Kairo held them tighter, his breath brushing Sara's hair. His world. His weakness. His strength. But outside, the internet roared, calling his loved ones names, shaming them.
His company was trending for all the wrong reasons. And someone, somewhere, was trying to break them.
His father's calls kept lighting up the screen, one after another, until Kairo finally answered.
"What's happening, Kairo?" Charles' voice thundered through the phone.
"Who leaked this? Why is everything twisted? Did you hurt any girl? Tell me the truth!" he barked, frantic and furious.
"No, Dad!" Kairo snapped back, equally shaken. "I didn't do anything wrong. They twisted Sara and Zayn's story and turned it into this mess."
"It's been everywhere since morning," Charles said, breathing hard. "Someone posted that blind article anonymously. And now, the press is outside my house. Someone leaked my address."
Kairo ran a hand through his hair, chest tight. For a second, he almost didn't want to ask, but he forced the words out. "Are you okay?"
"Yes," Charles replied. "I wasn't home when it started. But listen to me carefully, I'm coming to your place. Don't lose your calm. Keep Sara and Zayn inside. Don't step outside for anything. We'll handle this together. I already called the lawyers. Stay in the house. Understand?"
Kairo looked at Sara and Zayn, his entire world sitting right there, and nodded."Okay. Come safe," he said quietly.
The call ended.
"What happened?" Sara asked softly.
Kairo exhaled, trying to steady the storm inside him. "The paparazzi are crowding Dad's place. He's coming here. You both should get freshened up," he said, keeping his voice steady even though his pulse was anything but.
"Kairo…" Sara looked at his face, searching for whatever he wasn't saying.
He forced a small smile and leaned in, kissing her forehead. "Everything will be fine. I won't let anyone hurt my world. Don't worry," he whispered. "Dad will be here soon, and we'll handle everything together. Just take care of yourself and my little prince."
He brushed Zayn's hair gently. The little boy blinked up at them, clueless but sensing the tension.
"Go," Kairo murmured.
Sara lingered for a second, reading the calm he was trying so hard to hold together. Then she nodded and slid out of bed, lifting Zayn in her arms as they walked toward the bathroom.
The notifications kept pouring in like acid rain, relentless and stinging.
Sara sat rigid on the couch, shoulders tense, while Zayn curled quietly in her lap. He played with her fingers in slow, sleepy patterns, completely unaware of the storm raging outside their walls. They had freshened up, dressed, and now waited in heavy silence for Charles to arrive.
Kairo, on the other hand, moved around the room like someone trying to hold himself together before he exploded. His breaths were even, but the pulse jumping at his neck betrayed the storm brewing inside him.
He scrolled through each headline, each twisted story, each edited photo. Every lie sharpened the anger in his chest until it felt impossible to breathe.
And then, in the middle of the chaos, another breaking news alert flashed across his screen, loud, sharp, cruel.
The kind that changes everything.
Kairo clicked it open. For a moment, he couldn't breathe.
A name stared back at him. A familiar name. One he hadn't seen in years. One he had no intention of ever seeing again.
Aisha.
The storm had reached their doorstep. And the world was beginning to close in.