Chapter 1
When Edward proposed to me, everyone said I was the luckiest woman in the world.
But five years of his indifference had worn away all my love and passion.
His first love, Lily, returned to his life with no memory of the past. He doted on her, taking her out to watch the snow and the moon, reliving all their sweet memories together.
Meanwhile, I became the target of online hate for no reason, and I had to quit the acting career I loved.
I left Edward divorce papers and walked away, heading overseas for a performance with my childhood friend.
But unexpectedly, the always-cold Edward completely lost his composure. He chased me all the way, eyes red and begging me to come back.
*****
When the video of Edward rescuing Lily blew up online, I was sitting in the dressing room, waiting to shoot the next scene for the drama.
In the clip, Lily was sobbing pitifully in Edward's arms, tears streaming down her face.
The comment section was full of people feeling sorry for her.
One commented: [I seriously can't handle this.]
Another commented: [She lost her memory and found out her true love was forced to marry someone else. No matter how much they care, they can't be together. This is breaking my heart.]
Someone else commented: [If it hadn't been for that homewrecker Claire, those two would've never been torn apart.]
One commented: [Look at Mr. Pierce's face. He's so hopelessly in love but can't have her. My eyes are literally leaking right now.]
Another commented: [Seriously, can someone please send this video to Claire already?]
Someone commented: [Honestly, true love never fools anyone. Claire just doesn't have a clue.]
My agent, Amy, was freaking out. She said, "Why does this have to blow up now? You finally scored this supporting role all by yourself. If they drop you over this mess, nobody's ever gonna cast you again."
She shot up from her seat, looking desperate. She continued, "Why don't you just talk to Mr. Pierce and see if he can get those trending posts deleted?"
I shook my head and said flatly, "It's pointless. He doesn't care."
Amy sat in silence, then slumped back in her seat, completely defeated.
She knew it too. Edward would never lift a finger for me.
People had said much nastier things about me before, and the hate was even more intense back then. Edward never once did anything for me.
Back then, I guarded my acting career like it was my lifeline. The online hate would leave me tossing and turning all night, feeling miserable, and honestly, I was this close to falling apart.
I used to have these naive dreams that he'd actually speak up for me, even if it was just one word in my defense.
But he just said, "Trending topics only last a few days. Let's just live our own lives. Why care so much about what other people think?
"I can't use company resources for personal matters.
"Claire, you're a celebrity. Don't be so dramatic."
I waited in the dressing room for another half hour.
The director's crew came in late, all looking apologetic.
One of them said, "Sorry, Ms. Jensen. There's a problem with the camera equipment today. Why don't you head home for now? We'll let you know when we're ready to shoot."
I nodded and said, "Okay."
The trending topics were blowing up online. The more people pitied Lily, the more they despised me.
Amy had seen this play out so many times, she knew exactly what was going on.
Most likely, this gig was going to get canceled again.
Amy's eyes were practically blazing as she scrolled through her phone. She snapped, "Why are people so clueless? You only got together with Edward after they broke up, so why have you had to carry all this hate for years?
"I refuse to believe there isn't a single reasonable person online. Wait, what?"
She stared at her phone, stunned. She then said, "Whoa, a top influencer is actually speaking up for you."
I leaned in to check. Sure enough, a major influencer had posted about it.
His name was Jay, and he was famous online for always standing up for what's right.
Jay posted: [Mr. Pierce only got together with Claire after he and Lily broke up, didn't he? With his family background, unless he wanted to, nobody could've made him marry anyone.
[Mr. Pierce and Claire have been married for five years now. Lily just lost her memory, not her common sense. Anyone with a bit of decency knows you should keep your distance from a married ex.
[Honestly, I think Lily's the real homewrecker here.]