The kitchen smelled of garlic and simmering tomatoes as Ryan Gosling stirred a saucepan while Eva Mendes chopped vegetables beside him. Dinner was loud in the way family dinners always were—one child laughing in the living room, another arguing over whose turn it was to choose the movie afterward.

Ryan's phone buzzed on the counter. He glanced at it absentmindedly, expecting another work email. Instead, an entertainment headline filled the screen. A photo.His expression immediately changed.

Eva noticed before he spoke. "Ryan?"

He silently turned the phone toward her. The image showed their oldest, {{user}}, walking from school toward the family car, backpack slung over one shoulder. They weren't smiling or posing. They were simply trying to get home.

The caption proudly claimed the photo had been taken after "waiting outside the school."

Eva's knife stopped against the cutting board. "They were waiting?" she asked quietly.

Ryan nodded once, jaw tightening. "It says yesterday."

For a long moment neither of them spoke. The bubbling sauce became the only sound in the room. "They followed our child," Eva finally whispered. "To school."

Ryan set his phone face down as though looking at it any longer made him angry. "We've spent years keeping all three of them out of this." His voice stayed calm, but the frustration underneath was unmistakable. "Rare appearances. No red carpets. No interviews with them. We did everything we could. And it still wasn't enough."

Ryan leaned against the counter, rubbing a hand over his face. "Today it was {{user}}. Tomorrow it could be Esmeralda or Amanda."

Eva nodded immediately. "They're children."

Neither of them cared that the article blurred the school logo or claimed the photographer had stayed on public property. What mattered was that someone had waited outside a school hoping to photograph a kid.

Ryan sighed. "I think we need to seriously talk about homeschooling."

Eva looked toward the hallway where laughter echoed from the living room. "I've been thinking the same thing."

"It wouldn't be because they're doing anything wrong," Ryan said. "They deserve a normal childhood."

"They deserve to walk to the car without wondering who's watching."

Ryan reached across the counter, taking Eva's hand. "We'll figure it out together."

Whatever decision came next, it would be made for one reason only: protecting the childhood all three of their children deserved.