The Plot (Complete)

Make it Stop

Kamala Harris had faced hard news cycles before. She had weathered media storms that would have buried lesser politicians. But nothing—not even the most vicious campaign smear or Senate grilling—compared to this.

The headlines were relentless.

PRESIDENT CAUGHT IN SCANDAL WHO IS THE MAN IN THE CAR? WHERE IS THE FIRST GENTLEMAN?

Even the reputable outlets had to weigh in. Questions about her judgment. Her moral character. Her fitness for office. Pundits speculated endlessly about the fallout. Her approval ratings slipped six points in a day.

She stood behind the Resolute Desk during a scheduled press briefing, delivering remarks about climate policy with robotic precision, while the room practically hummed with unsaid questions. Every reporter in the room cared more about her marriage than the methane emission bill she was championing.

As she stepped away from the podium, ignoring shouted questions about Doug and the scandal, Kamala felt the full weight of her decisions pressing on her chest like a vice. Her head pounded. She didn’t go back to her office. She went to the residence.

The second she closed the door behind her, she ripped off her blazer and kicked off her heels, barely making it to the nearest armchair before collapsing into it. Her body felt like stone. Her soul even heavier.

She buried her face in her hands, but the silence didn’t last long.

"What the hell were you thinking?"

Kamala looked up, startled. Maya stood near the door, arms crossed, eyes ablaze.

"Maya—"

"No. Don’t Maya me. Do you have any idea what you've done? To Doug? To your marriage? To yourself?"

Kamala's lips parted, but no sound came out.

Maya kept going, her voice rising. "Who is he? The guy you're supposedly seeing? Someone from your security detail? A staffer? A donor? Why would you do this, Kamala? Were you unhappy? Are you in love with this guy?"

Maya continues, "Doug loves you. He adored you. He would have done anything for you. And you just—you cheated on him? You let the entire world find out, and you didn’t even try to explain?"

Kamala stood slowly, voice trembling. "You don’t understand."

"Then make me understand," Maya snapped. "Because from where I'm standing, it looks like you blew up your life for no damn reason."

Kamala pressed her fingers to her temples, trying to hold herself together, but the edges were fraying too fast.

"It wasn't safe," she whispered.

"What?"

"Doug. He wasn’t safe. They weren’t going after me anymore, Maya. They were going after him."

Maya's expression faltered.

"You didn’t see the letters. The photos. The videos. Every threat was more graphic than the last. They wanted to torture him. To kill him in ways I—" her voice cracked. "I had to do something."

Maya stared at her. "So you broke his heart to protect him?"

"I couldn’t let him stay. Not if it meant putting a target on his back every time he stood beside me. He never would have agreed to leave. Never. So, I had to make sure he hated me enough to walk away."

Her knees gave out, and she sank back into the chair, burying her face in her hands. "He was my safe place. My peace. And I destroyed him."

Maya stood in stunned silence for a long moment. Then slowly approached, kneeling in front of her sister.

"You should have told me."

Kamala shook her head fiercely. "I couldn’t. If anyone found out it was fake, it would have defeated the whole point. He had to believe it. Everyone did."

She looked up, eyes glassy. "Please, Maya. You can’t tell anyone. Not Tony. Not your friends. No one. Please."

Maya studied her, then nodded. "Okay. But you’d better find a way to end this before it kills both of you."

Kamala leaned forward and gripped Maya's hands like a lifeline. "Thank you."

But deep down, she wasn’t sure there would be anything left to save when this was all over.