Page 57 of Faking it with my Bad Boy Crush

"Seattle Attorney Faces Disbarment for Exposing Investment Group Fraud"

"Legal Community Divided: Did Ethan Caldwell Cross the Line?"

"What?" Maya asked, reading the concern in my expression.

"The hearing went viral." I showed her the articles. "Legal blogs, news sites, even a segment on a Seattle news channel. Everyone's debating whether what I did was heroic or criminal."

"That's good, right? Public support—"

"Could make the state bar more likely to make an example of me." I scrolled through the comments sections—half supporting my choice, half calling for immediate disbarment. "If this becomes high-profile enough, they'll want to prove that ethical rules matter more than good intentions."

Maya took my phone, reading the articles with focused intensity. "Some of these are calling you a whistleblower. Comparing you to journalists who protect sources."

"Some are also calling me a thief and a traitor to my profession." I ran my hand through my hair. "This is going to get ugly, Maya. Media attention, public debates, my entire career dissected by people who don't know the full story. Are you sure you want to be part of that?"

She handed back my phone, her expression fierce. "I'm sure. Are you sure you want me to be part of it? Because I'm going to defend you publicly. Loudly. I'm going to tell everyone exactly what you did and why it mattered. I'm going to make sure people understand you're not a traitor—you're someone who chose integrity over career."

"That could reflect badly on you—"

"I don't care." She squeezed my hand. "You fought for me. Now I'm fighting for you. That's what we do, remember? We figure it out together."

My phone rang this time. Richard Sterling.

I answered on speaker. "Richard."

"Ethan, have you seen the news coverage?" His voice was urgent.

"Just started reading it. It's... a lot."

"It's an opportunity." Richard's tone shifted from urgent to strategic. "The state bar is getting calls from journalists, legal advocacy groups, even some legislators. People are calling for ethics reform, questioning whether whistleblowing should have different rules. If we play this right, if we frame your case correctly, we might be able to turn public opinion into protection."

"Or we make it worse," I said. "Make the state bar more determined to prove a point."

"That's a risk. But doing nothing guarantees you'll be disbarred. Fighting publicly at least gives you a chance." Richard paused. "I'm not just saying this as your lawyer. I'm saying it as someone who's watched you become the person I always hopedyou'd be. This fight matters, Ethan. Not just for you, but for everyone who's ever had to choose between following rules and doing what's right."

After we hung up, I looked at Maya. "This is really happening. I'm about to become the center of a public debate about legal ethics."

"Good." She stood, pulling me up with her. "Because you're right. And people need to know it. And I'm going to make sure they do."

"How?"

She smiled, fierce and determined. "I'm going to tell our story. Every detail. The fraud, the manufactured vulnerabilities, the coordinated campaign against my bakery. The fact that you exposed it all and saved a fifty-year-old business. Let people decide whether that makes you a criminal or a hero."

"Maya—"

"Don't try to stop me." Her voice was firm. "You chose to protect me. Now I'm choosing to protect you. That's what love means, Ethan. We protect each other."

Monday couldn't come fast enough. The independent survey results would either vindicate everything or make it all so much worse.

But standing on that overlook with Maya, her hand in mine, I realized something: whatever happened next, I wouldn't face it alone.

For the first time in twenty years, I had someone who chose me back.

And that was worth more than any career I'd lost.

Chapter eighteen

The Moment She Stands