I find out my husband has decided to livestream our marriage the same way I find out about earthquakes, celebrity breakups, and national emergencies.
Through my phone.
I'm in bed, wrapped in a blanket like a burrito of emotional exhaustion, when my screen lights up like it's possessed.
TRENDING #1:
DARIAN MALHOTRA IS LIVE 🔴
That's it.
No warning.
No heads-up.
No "Hey Lyra, how do you feel about becoming a 24/7 reality show?"
Just… live.
I blink. Once. Twice.
Then I tap.
Big mistake.
Darian Malhotra fills my screen in high definition.
Not suit-Darian. Not boardroom-Darian.
This is dangerous Darian.
White shirt. Sleeves rolled up. No tie. Hair slightly messy like he lost a fight with gravity and didn't bother fixing it. He's standing in the living room—the living room—which I am currently very much not dressed for public viewing.
Viewers: 1.8 MILLION LIVE
I sit up so fast I almost dislocate my spine.
"What—" I whisper.
He looks straight into the camera, jaw set, eyes steady.
"Good evening," he says calmly.
The calm before the PR apocalypse.
"My wife and I have been accused of lying to the public."
Oh.
Oh no.
Comments explode faster than popcorn in a microwave.
@TeaIsHot: WHAT IS HAPPENING
@CEO_WIVES: IS THIS A CONFESSION
@ShipThemHard: LYRA WHERE ARE YOU GIRL
I throw my blanket off and sprint toward the living room, phone clutched like a weapon.
Darian continues, completely unbothered by the digital riot he's created.
"They say our marriage is fake. A performance. A contract."
He pauses.
Just long enough to let the internet scream.
Viewers: 2.6 MILLION LIVE
"I disagree."
My foot hits the rug. I slide slightly. Almost die.
Worth it.
"I'm done issuing statements," Darian says. "I'm done apologizing. Words don't work anymore."
The comments are unhinged now.
@DramaAddict: MAN IS COOKING
@LyraDefenseSquad: PROTECT HER
@CancelCulture101: THIS BETTER NOT BE A STUNT
Then he says the sentence that ends my peace forever.
"So for the next seven days," he continues evenly,
"we'll livestream our married life."
I stop walking.
My soul exits my body.
"No edits. No scripts. No PR filters," he adds.
"If it's fake, the world will see it.
If it's real—"
I burst into frame.
"ARE YOU INSANE?"
The comments go absolutely feral.
@OMGITSHER: LYRA JUST SPAWNED
@MainCharacterEnergy: QUEEN HAS ENTERED
@ShipThemHard: THIS IS BETTER THAN NETFLIX
Darian turns his head slowly. Calmly. Like this was always part of the plan.
"Good morning, Lyra."
"Do NOT 'good morning' me on a live stream with THREE MILLION PEOPLE," I hiss.
He tilts his head toward the camera.
"Four million."
I glance at the viewer count.
4.1 MILLION LIVE
I want to scream. Cry. Possibly throw him off the balcony.
"You didn't ask me," I say tightly. "You didn't warn me. You didn't even text."
"You weren't answering," he replies.
"That's because I was being cancelled by the entire internet!"
The chat is living its best life.
@ChaosEnjoyer: THEY FIGHT LIKE A MARRIED COUPLE
@TeamLyra: GIRL DRAG HIM
@TeamDarian: LET HIM COOK
Darian faces the camera again.
"My wife is angry. Fair."
"ANGRY?" I shout. "I am one Wi-Fi outage away from homicide."
He finally looks at me—really looks at me—and his voice softens just a fraction.
"This is the only way," he says quietly. "No more manipulation. No more half-truths. Just us."
I stare at him, chest rising and falling.
"You just turned my life into a reality show," I say. "Without my consent."
The room goes quiet.
The comments slow.
Even the internet knows something serious just happened.
I step closer to the camera.
"End it," I say clearly. "End the live. Right now."
Darian hesitates.
Just for a second.
But that second is loud.
💬 LIVE COMMENTS:
@UhOh: HE HESITATED
@RedFlagPolice: END IT BRO
@HopelessRomantic: DON'T END IT 😭
I cross my arms. "You have five seconds before I expose things you alphabetize."
That gets him.
He exhales—and finally reaches for the phone.
The screen goes black.
🔴 LIVE ENDED
Silence crashes down around us.
I look at him.
He looks at me.
And suddenly, we're not viral.
Not trending.
Not a scandal.
Just two people standing in the ruins of a very public decision.
"This isn't happening," I say quietly.
He meets my eyes.
"It already is."