Author's Note: Sorry it's been so long between updates, life has been busy! Enjoy <3
We seemed to quickly go back to normal after our almost kiss, the incident not being discussed or even acknowledged, though it still lingered in the back of my mind. Part of me wanted to talk about it, but I was scared to bring it up when I wasn't sure how I really felt about it. Maybe it was just a one time thing, a fluke?
One night, as we sat in the living room playing a board game, Hunter's phone rang. After our marriage had gone public, it seemed like both of our phones had rung nonstop for a week, but things had quieted down a lot since then. Hearing it ring again made me nervous, even though it could be something as harmless as a spam call. But seeing his manager's name flash on the screen only filled me with more dread. "Hey, Val, what's up?"
Hunter looked at me as he listened to her, a confused expression on his face. I watched as he reached for the remote, turning on the TV and searching his name on YouTube. The top result was a fairly short clip from TMZ, with Audrey's face on the thumbnail. Hunter Hayes' ex tells all: Country's golden boy falls from grace, the title read. "What the hell is this?" I whispered, unable to take my eyes off the screen.
As he hit play, Audrey appeared on the screen, makeup running down her face as if she had been crying. She took a deep breath before looking straight into the camera. "This is the hardest thing I've ever had to do, but I feel this needs to be said. Hunter Hayes is not the man you may think he is. We were in a relationship for about a year, and that year was...hard. I loved him so much, still love him, really, but...he did not treat me the way I deserve. He was always picking fights with me, talking down to me, making me feel worthless. I always felt like I had to walk on eggshells around him. Not only that, but he kept cheating on me. I have my suspicions that he was doing so for the entirety of our relationship. His marriage came as such a shock to me, especially when he married his mistress. Hopefully this can act as warning, for Lydia and any other girl he tries to be with. He's bad news."
The video ended abruptly, and Hunter stared at the screen in shock, phone still by his ear. My blood was boiling. I stood from the couch, beginning to pace around angrily. "How dare she get up there, blatantly lie, and try to ruin you like that. Who the fuck does she think she is? She's really so self absorbed and so delusional that she can't accept responsibility for her own relationship ending? Unbelievable. What she said is what she does to you. She's just so desperate to hurt you that she'll do whatever she can and this is bullshit. I could kill her right now."
At some point during my rant, Hunter had put Val's call on speaker phone, his gaze fixed to the floor. "We need to do some damage control, and fast," Val said, cutting my rambling a bit short. "Hunter, if you have any physical evidence of how she treated you, we need it. If she's going to play dirty, we gotta play it right back. And we need to draft an official response to put on all your social media. I'll go through all my contacts and see who I can find to be a character witness, or at least just speak out in your favor. Anything will help at this point."
"I'll do it," I cut in, voice firm. "I'll talk to whoever I need to. Social media, the press, the pope, anyone. And you can bet that I have some choice words for Audrey herself."
"Lydia, no, you don't have to do this," Hunter finally spoke, looking completely defeated. "This isn't your fight."
"This is my fight, and I won't sit back and watch this happen to you. You are literally the last person who would ever deserve to be in this position. If I can do anything to fix this, I'm going to do it. No questions asked, and even if you tell me not to," I took a deep breath, sitting next to him on the couch. "I don't care about my privacy anymore. I'm going to make this right."
Hunter nodded, not having the energy to even fight me on this. "Thank you, Lydia. I'll get you set up with a Zoom interview as soon as possible," Val mentioned, seeming to breathe a little easier. "We're all pissed, but try to stay level headed. As wrong as she is...she's convincing, and well spoken. We need to appear the same way."
"Don't worry," I said, looking straight at Hunter. "I'll make sure the truth is heard."
*****
The next morning, I was set to be interviewed, live on television, by one of the major national news shows. I was nervous, but I felt confident that this is what I had to do. I no longer had any concerns about myself or how this affected me; I was only worried about Hunter. I sat in the living room on my laptop, anxiously waiting for the interview to begin, but I was only focused on him. I wasn't sure if it would really make a difference, but if it benefitted him in any way, it was worth a shot.
A production assistant for the show logged on first, giving me instructions and guiding me through what the process will be like. I listened intently, determined to make everything go off without a hitch. It was a few more minutes before we went live on TV, my heart beating faster and faster in my chest. "We are now here live with Lydia Weaver, the wife of Hunter Hayes, here to discuss the recent allegations. Good morning, Lydia, how are you?"
"I've been better, but I'm hanging in there. How are you?" I asked, trying to be cordial.
"Great. Getting right to the point, you've had kind of a whirlwind romance. How did you get to not only be a wife, but in the spotlight?" A newscaster questioned, looking at me intently.
"With all due respect, Hunter and I have decided to keep our relationship private for the time being," I mentioned. It felt weird speaking for Hunter, or at least talking as an "us," but I hoped it didn't sound clunky or awkward. "I just wanted to speak out and set the record straight."
Without missing a beat, another newscaster spoke. "So I assume that means you've seen the video released? What were your initial thoughts?"
"I was completely shocked, and horrified by the content of the video. I really felt for Audrey, and I can tell she was upset. Anyone would feel for her after watching that. No one should be subjected to an abusive relationship like that," I paused, choosing my next words carefully. "However, in all the time I've known Hunter, nothing like she described has occurred. He has always been so respectful, kind, and genuine, not only to me, but everyone I've seen him interact with. The accusations she's made have absolutely no merit."
"And how long have you known Hunter?" Someone wondered, eyeing me carefully.
I knew that saying I'd only known Hunter for weeks would hurt my credibility, so I quickly tried to adapt. "I've known him long enough to know who he is. Plus, with the pandemic, we are together 24/7. At no point during that time have I felt unsafe, insulted, or anything other than happy. Because of everything I've seen and experienced with him, I had to speak out. Someone as caring and sweet and...someone who just has a beautiful soul should not have to face accusations like this."
"And what about the accusations against you, of you being a mistress? Have you had any interactions with Audrey?" They questioned.
I could feel anger rise in me as I thought about the only time I'd ever met her, how horribly she had treated him, but I tried to stay composed. "I have not been a mistress. When I met Hunter, his relationship with Audrey had been over for some time," I paused, taking a deep breath. I had to approach this carefully. "As for your second question, I have interacted with Audrey. It was brief, but in that time, I was appalled by the way she treated Hunter. She was constantly berating him for things he did not do and making him question his worth. If you could've seen his face, you would've known just how hurt he was," My voice cracked, and I could feel tears brimming in my eyes, and one even spilled over before I could stop it. I quickly wiped away the tears before turning back to the camera. "I'm sorry. It's just hard to watch someone you care about get hurt. My point is, I have only ever seen her treat him the way she described, not the other way around. Hunter doesn't deserve this."
"Well, that's all the time we have. Thank you for joining us this morning," They commented, then began rattling off for a cut to a commercial break. I said my final goodbyes to the newscasters and the production team before signing off, closing my laptop with a sigh of relief.
My hands still shook from nerves as I stood, heading into the kitchen to grab a glass of water. Hunter soon emerged, looking happier than he had in what I felt like years. "You crushed your first TV appearance! Thank you so much, for everything really. I owe you...so much."
I shook my head, moving to stand closer to him. "You don't owe me anything, Hunter. I would do it again in a heartbeat, even if my heart is about to beat out of my chest right now."
He laughed a bit, looking at me curiously for a moment. "Did you...mean it? Everything you said, and the...?" he made a gesture, indicating he meant when I teared up.
I blushed slightly, embarrassed by the emotional display. "Of course I meant it. I meant every word. And I don't cry very easily, so consider yourself lucky," I joked, nudging him gently.
He laughed for real this time, rolling his eyes a bit at my stupid joke. He tentatively opened his arms to offer a hug, which I gladly accepted, immediately settling into his embrace happily. He held me tightly, sighing contentedly. "Thank you. Really," he muttered. "And I care about you, too. A lot."
I squeezed him just a bit in the hug, happy to stay just like this forever. It no longer felt like there was a threat looming over our heads. There was no telling what the fallout of this would be, but at least we were closer to being stable and okay. I could only hope that Hunter's reputation would be okay. God knows he deserved a lot better than Audrey and her schemes.