Chapter 2 - Ryan Had A Producer
The live ended twenty-three seconds later.
I ended it.
Ryan told me where to press after I threatened to throw his phone under a moving car.
Not my most mature moment.
Noah got into my car.
That violated the weekend exchange.
Ryan knew it.
So did I.
He did not stop us.
That frightened me more than another argument would have.
On the drive home Noah didn't speak.
At a red light I looked back.
“You okay?”
He stared out the window.
“No.”
Fair.
“Do you want to talk?”
“No.”
Also fair.
Then:
“How many people?”
I knew what he meant.
“Eighteen thousand when you saw it.”
His face tightened.
“That's a lot.”
“Yes.”
“Did they see me?”
I didn't know.
The phone had been pointed toward me most of the time.
But Noah had grabbed it.
The camera could have caught him.
Maybe his face.
Maybe only his shirt.
“I don't know.”
He looked at me.
I refused the easy lie.
“I’m going to find out.”
At home, Noah went straight upstairs.
I called Ryan.
He answered immediately.
“What?”
“Who was the woman?”
Silence.
“Ryan.”
“My producer.”
I almost laughed.
“Your what?”
“She helps with the channel.”
“You have a producer.”
“Yes.”
“For videos about our custody case.”
“They are not about the case.”
“You were livestreaming a custody exchange.”
“That wasn't supposed to happen like that.”
“What was supposed to happen?”
He didn't answer.
I sat at the kitchen table.
“What's her name?”
“Dana.”
“Dana what?”
“Voss.”
“How long has she been working with you?”
“A few months.”
“Paid?”
“Yes.”
“With what?”
“My money.”
“That wasn't my question.”
Ryan exhaled.
“The channel makes some money.”
I stopped.
“What?”
“Ads. Memberships. Brand deals.”
“How much?”
“That is none of your business.”
“If Noah is appearing in content that earns money, it becomes my business very quickly.”
“He wasn't supposed to appear.”
“Then explain the woman saying his crying would improve your numbers.”
Silence.
I closed my eyes.
Ryan finally said:
“She says provocative things.”
“That wasn't provocative. That was instruction.”
“No.”
“No?”
“She was watching the stream remotely. She was talking about engagement.”
“That's supposed to help?”
“I didn't say it was appropriate.”
“Why was she on the call?”
Another pause.
“We use a production room.”
I didn't understand.
“What production room?”
“A private audio connection while I go live.”
“You had a woman in your ear while you confronted me?”
“Not literally in my ear.”
“Ryan.”
“She monitors comments. Tells me if audio drops. Tracks viewers.”
My stomach tightened.
This hadn't been impulsive.
Phone up because he was angry.
Press live because he lost control.
There was infrastructure.
I asked:
“Did she know Noah would be there?”
Ryan hesitated.
“Yes.”
“Did she know this was a custody exchange?”
“Yes.”
“Did she know you told him it was private?”
“No.”
Too fast.
I caught it.
“Ryan.”
“She didn't talk to Noah.”
“That's not what I asked.”
He got angry.
“You kept my son from me today.”
“I brought him home after you broadcast him crying.”
“It was my weekend.”
“And now you're worried about procedure?”
“I’m worried because you're going to use this.”
I laughed.
“For what?”
“Court.”
That was when I understood something about Ryan I hadn't fully understood before.
He had filmed because he believed everything became useful once there was an audience.
Pain.
Anger.
My reaction.
Noah's reaction.
Even his own mistake.
All of it could be edited into a side.
I lowered my voice.
“Send me the full livestream.”
“No.”
“Ryan.”
“I need to talk to Dana.”
The call ended.
Ten minutes later, my phone began buzzing.
Friends.
My sister.
A parent from Noah's school.
People sending links.
The livestream had been deleted from Ryan's channel.
Clips were already spreading elsewhere.
One had more than seventy thousand views.
The caption read:
MOM BLOCKS DAD FROM HIS OWN CHILD.
I watched twelve seconds.
Stopped.
My hands were shaking.
Then another message arrived.
Unknown number.
You don't know me. My name is Dana Voss.
I stared.
A second message appeared.
Ryan is going to tell you I pushed him to do this.
That is not what happened.
May you like
Then a third.
But there is something about the channel you need to know before he deletes anything else.
Related Stories
