Chapter 2
Eleanor sat next to Zachary, a diamond ring sparkling on her ring finger.
The caption said: [Not a sugar daddy, just my husband.]
It clapped back at the trending rumor that I was with a sugar daddy.
Zachary retweeted it right when the drama was blowing up, adding his own comment: [Out with the old, in with the new, proud of my upgrade.]
I couldn't take my eyes off the ring in the photo, zoning out completely.
After I won the Golden Melody Award, Zachary gave me an engagement ring.
He was already a top star, landing the lead in a blockbuster Christmas movie, just one step away from Best Actor.
"Let's wait one more year, then we'll get married!" he said.
Zachary held me close on the swing, and just like that, he said the words I'd dreamed of hearing a thousand times.
I didn't complain. After all, this was a crucial time for his career.
I traced the ring on my middle finger, feeling like the whole world had softened around me.
"Then I have to get you an engagement gift too. What do you want?" I asked.
Zachary tilted his head back, thinking for a moment, then gave my cheek a playful squeeze.
"When I win Best Actor, write me a song! You owe me one in advance," he said.
I pouted. "What if you don't win?"
"Don't you trust your man?" he laughed, reaching over to tickle me.
Three years flew by in the blink of an eye.
Now he was the hottest thing in Hollywood, the new Best Actor, and he'd just made it official with his bride.
Everything was unfolding just the way he'd mapped it out.
Only, the woman standing next to him now… wasn't me.
Lara snatched my phone away and shoved a pill and a glass of water into my hands.
"Girl, are you just a glutton for punishment? You still have the mood to scroll through all that online hate?" she said.
I just sat on the bed and smiled.
The comments were savage. People called me some rich guy's plaything and claimed that even back when I was Macie, I only got to the top through backdoor deals.
But honestly, after everything I'd been through these past three years, this was nothing.
"Why bother? You're going out of your way to see him even when it hurts, and now the whole internet's dragging you," Lara said.
I swallowed the pill, the bitter taste lingering in my throat.
"Aren't you going to explain yourself?" my friend Lara Hunter asked.
I pointed at the photo on my screen. He's getting married.
Even if I cleared things up, what difference would it make?
I would never be the other woman.
The next day, while I was at the rehab center working on my vocals, Lara came in with some good news.
"I sent a few of the songs you wrote back then to the director of Fluttering Moments. He loved them and said we could set up a meeting," she said.
Fluttering Moments was adapted from one of my favorite novels, a huge fantasy drama that was all the rage this year.
The male lead was so much like Zachary that I'd actually written a few songs for him back then, but I never got the chance to release them.
If I could land this project, it would be like finally making peace with my younger self.
"But..." Lara looked troubled, hesitating for a moment.
"They've already cast Zachary as the male lead. He said if you want to take this project, you have to meet him face-to-face," Lara continued.
My smile froze.
"Maybe it's better to just let it go," Lara suggested.
I shook my head, barely managing to get the words out.
"I'll go," I said, my voice rough but determined.
After I added Zachary back as a contact, he shot over a hotel location almost instantly.
[Room 8023. Twenty minutes. Don't be late.]
He skipped all the formalities, not even pretending to be polite anymore.
I pushed down the ache in my heart and asked Lara to call me a cab.
When I finally made it to the door, out of breath and just in time, Zachary was in a bathrobe, rubbing his hair dry with a towel.
He shot me a quick, indifferent look, then turned and headed inside.
There was no sign of anyone else, just the two of us alone in a hotel room. It felt way too intimate.
I lingered in the doorway, torn between stepping in or just bolting.
He glanced back, his brows creasing with impatience.
"If you don't want to talk, then get lost," he said, his voice icy.
Gritting my teeth, I stepped forward and shoved the hard drive labeled "Fluttering Moments Soundtrack" toward him.
Zachary just let out a cold laugh, didn't even bother to take it, and flopped down on the couch.
I quietly placed the hard drive on the coffee table in front of him, keeping my mouth shut.
Zachary crossed his legs and spoke slowly, his tone cold and dismissive.
"Eleanor's interested in this project too. Honestly, there's no reason for me to hand it over to you, neither professionally nor personally," he said.
My face went pale. Was this just his way of rubbing it in?
"But hey, Macie, you were willing to cozy up to a sponsor for the Golden Melody Award back then. So why not keep me company tonight for this project?" Zachary sneered.
I just stood there, stunned, my whole body trembling. I couldn't believe those words actually came out of his mouth.
Of all people, he knew exactly what I'd sacrificed for my music.
And with one careless sentence, he erased all the years I'd poured into my dream.