Chapter 5
James's hand on my shoulder started to tremble.
He locked his gaze on me. "Five years ago, after my car accident, you stood in the pouring rain and cried next to me. Why?
"You're so heartless. You didn't say goodbye when we broke up. So why did you cry?"
His face was almost twisted with rage, but I stayed calm.
I watched him, watched as he lost control, looking like he was about to blow up.
My voice stayed calm. "James, this isn't like you."
He froze for a moment.
Then he finally let go of me. His lips were shaking. It was like something was weighing on his chest, like he was about to burst.
James smashed everything within his line of sight, thoroughly destroying it all. Still feeling unsatisfied, he kicked the coffee table and chairs over onto the floor.
I pressed myself into the corner, trying to make myself as small as possible. Even though I tried my best to keep it together, I couldn't stop myself from trembling.
A long, long time ago, I'd faced this kind of chaos before. The bedroom was a wreck, like the apocalypse had hit.
James grabbed the last stool by the vanity, ready to smash it to the floor. Then, finally, he noticed me huddled in the corner.
Our eyes met, and I must have looked a mess.
His furious expression froze the instant our eyes met. He didn't smash the stool after all.
He glanced at me, curled up in the corner, and his face looked conflicted. Holding a stool in his hand, he did not make any further move for a long time.
After what seemed like forever, he finally put the stool down with a stormy expression.
James stepped over the wreckage and walked out the door without saying a word.
I grabbed the curtain next to me, my hands shaking badly.
But as he reached the door, he stopped in his tracks.
He didn't turn around, his voice low and exhausted. "Go home. You don't need to come to the set anymore."
I slowly crouched down, curled up in the lounge, and stayed there for a long time.
When I finally stepped out, James and Olivia were already gone.
News quickly spread online that Olivia would be replacing me as a guest star in Mason's new movie.
Olivia posted on Twitter to explain: [Got invited at the last minute. Thanks to Director Mason for trusting me.]
As soon as that post went up, the internet turned on me.
They said that after winning the Violin Laureate, I acted like a diva and stood up the film crew, which forced Mason to find someone else at the last minute and bring in Olivia as an emergency replacement.
It was obvious someone was stirring the pot, and the hate directed at me kept getting louder.
I recognized the loudest troublemaker account. It had to be Olivia's alt.
Olivia had always had it out for me.
But there was no way she could've caused such a huge uproar by herself. She must've had James backing her up.
I'd never seen James abandon his principles and standards to indulge someone like this.
The noise online was unbearable.
I cut off the internet on my phone, then switched it off altogether.
As evening approached, my mom showed up, absolutely furious.
The doorbell rang frantically, and the moment I opened the door, she slapped me hard across the face.
Her face was trembling with rage. "That woman's daughter messes with you like this. And I still end up with a useless daughter like you?"
My cheek burned, and I turned my head away, not saying a word.
She looked like she was about to lose it, grabbing my face and forcing me to look at her.
Honestly, she'd been living like a madwoman all these years.
Her voice was full of mockery. "A minor role got snatched by that bitch, and she managed to steal James from you.
"You deserve to be played by those two bitches, mother and daughter, for the rest of your life. Your own father—"
I shot her a glare and snapped, "Mom, that's enough!" My voice cut through the air.
She looked awkward for a second, like she'd realized what she was doing, and didn't say another word.
She threw out a "Useless," spun around, and slammed the door behind her.
That night, I tossed and turned, tormented by nightmares that wouldn't let me go.