Chapter 1

At the premiere, Zachary Hopkins, the movie king who'd vanished from the spotlight for three years after his accident, finally showed his face, leaving the whole audience speechless.

He went public with his underground romance with Eleanor West, his devoted fan and the queen of his fan club.

Eleanor looked all shy and sweet as she took the mic.

"On behalf of Zachary, I'd like to thank the Queen of Pop, Macie Singleton, for dumping him back then," she said.

Zachary took the mic, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Macie Singleton? Isn't she just a has-been now? Is she even worthy of being called a queen?" he scoffed.

All the reporters instantly shoved their mics in my face as I tried to stay out of sight in the corner.

I opened my mouth, but I just couldn't get a single word out.

Three years ago, during that fire, I ruined my throat on smoke just to save him. Ever since then, I hadn't been able to speak like I used to.

Sitting in the corner of the premiere, my palms were slick with sweat.

Whispers swirled around me from every direction.

"Why is she even here? I remember she dumped Zachary while he was still in surgery. So ruthless," someone snarked.

"Yeah, she's been MIA for two years. Word is she landed herself a sugar daddy," another person chimed in.

"Bet she's only here because Zachary snagged Best Actor. Probably wants to crawl back now that he's back on top," someone else scoffed.

I felt like I was being put on public trial, with everyone staring at me like I was some kind of villain. My head sank lower and lower. I just wanted to vanish into thin air.

I waited until the whole place went dark before I finally dared to lift my head, using the cover of darkness just to see who'd show up next.

The curtain slowly rose, and there was Zachary, looking every bit as confident and handsome as ever under the spotlight.

He was holding hands with a girl whose face rang a bell, and together they made their way to the front of the stage.

"Whoa! Zachary's finally announcing his relationship tonight. Guess she's the one!" someone gasped.

"I heard she's his superfan. That's like the ultimate fangirl fantasy come true," another person chimed in.

"She's absolutely killing it. Girls everywhere must be losing their minds with envy!" someone else teased.

People kept shooting looks my way, and I clutched my bag strap until my fingers ached. Every stare felt like a flame licking at my skin. I was burning up inside.

"Hey everyone, I'm Zachary Hopkins, and this is my fiancée, Eleanor West," Zachary announced, his voice steady and confident.

Eleanor West?

It hit me. She was the girl who'd been following Zachary since day one, the queen of his fan club.

Back when Zachary and I were still together, I'd run into her a few times.

She'd always hang back, trailing behind us at a safe distance.

But now, she was boldly standing in the spotlight, Zachary holding her hand as he made it official for everyone to see.

Meanwhile, I was curled up in a dark corner, feeling like a mouse too pathetic to face the light.

I gave a self-deprecating chuckle, just about to sneak out quietly, when suddenly someone put me on blast.

"Rumor has it Macie, Mr. Hopkins' ex, showed up tonight. Care to comment?" a reporter called out.

The whole place went dead silent.

Eleanor flashed a bashful smile and looped her arm around Zachary's.

"Absolutely! On behalf of Zachary, I just want to thank the Queen of Pop, Macie Singleton, for doing us the favor of kicking him to the curb back then," she added with a playful edge in her voice.

Zachary's gaze zeroed in on me, and he spat out each word, every syllable laced with mockery.

"The Queen of Pop? Isn't she just a washed-up nobody now? Does she even deserve to be called a queen?" he sneered.

Then, out of nowhere, he dropped to one knee and, with the whole world watching, gave Eleanor a grand, show-stopping proposal.

My heart seized up, and I reflexively ducked my head, desperate to keep my face hidden.

But the reporters wasted no time. Cameras whipped around and boxed me in, pinning me against the corner.

Flashes exploded one after another, and my eyes were assaulted by blinding bursts, leaving me seeing stars.

"Why did you show up at the premiere tonight? Still pining for your old flame Zachary?" one reporter shouted.

"Is it true you left Zachary after the fire just because he got scarred?" another pressed.

"Did you vanish from the music scene for the last two years because you found yourself a sugar daddy?" someone else sneered.

I covered my face, feeling completely powerless, just wishing I could get out of this mess.

Through the gaps in the crowd, I managed to catch a glimpse of Zachary's face.

He looked down at me as the media closed in, his gaze icy and detached.

"Miss Singleton, care to set the record straight about these rumors?" a reporter pressed.

I was trapped in the corner, nowhere left to escape.

I tried to speak, but my throat burned and felt raw. I couldn't get a single word out.

Three years ago, when that fire broke out, I wrecked my throat on the smoke trying to save Zachary. Ever since, I haven't been able to speak the way I used to.

After the premiere, pics of me trapped in the corner went viral, instantly trending on X.

The headlines blared in bold red font: [Fallen Queen Shows Up Begging for a Comeback, Left Speechless When Confronted by Her Ex.]

Soon enough, my whole past romance with Zachary blew up online. Every little detail got dragged out for the world to see.

His fans were roasting me alive, posting stories everywhere about how he used to cross cities just to visit me, or show up at midnight with snacks in hand.

"Insiders" started claiming I never visited Zachary after the accident, and that I broke up with him by text.

With every new post and photo, my so-called guilt was nailed to the wall for everyone to judge.

Hate-filled hashtags about me were blowing up all over X, "Macie Singleton: From Pop Queen to Washed-Up Nobody"

"Ungrateful Macie Singleton Gets Roasted for Crawling Back to Her Ex"

"Who's the Mysterious Backer Behind Macie Singleton?"

That night, Eleanor and Zachary's X posts sent the whole media frenzy into overdrive.

Eleanor kicked things off by sharing a family dinner photo.