Chapter 1

A serious illness wiped out almost all my savings. I couldn't afford to take care of my son, Oliver Almond, anymore.

So in desperation, I brought him onto a reality show, playing the sympathy card and hoping someone kind might want to adopt him.

No one told me my ex would be there—Oscar Hawk, who'd become a superstar in the six years we'd been apart. And who also happened to be Oliver's father.

Oscar gave me a frosty look as I flashed him an awkward grin, then glanced at the five-year-old Oliver by my side and let out a dismissive snort.

Man, he'd got some serious attitude.

What I didn't expect was that this same arrogant man would one day collapse in front of me, crying like his world had ended.

*****

This was a reality show that streamed live the whole way through.

The setup had celebrities playing parents to kids from regular families.

I saw the casting call online and was immediately drawn in by the huge paycheck.

I signed up right away, pleaded my case, and with Oliver's ridiculously adorable looks, the director just couldn't say no.

But I never expected my ex, Oscar—now a superstar actor at the peak of his fame—to show up on the show.

That totally caught me off guard. Running into him looking anything but put-together was never part of my plan.

I tried to duck out of sight, but it was too late. His eyes locked onto me.

He let out a cold snort. All I could manage was an awkward, stiff smile.

This episode was all about forming three families. Once Oscar took his spot, the celebrity lineup was complete.

He was obviously the ace up the producers' sleeve. The moment he showed up on camera, the live chat went wild. The viewer count shot straight up.

[No way! Nobody told me Oscar was gonna be on this show.]

[Word is, celebrities only sign up for this show when they're about to announce something big. Could it be...]

[Wait, is that Jasmine? No way. Is my ship actually sailing?]

[Oh wow, now that you mention it...]

[Let's be real. They only worked together once. No need to force the ship, right?]

[Jasmine's stans are way too extra, always posting fanfic stuff. Oscar doesn't even seem to notice her.]

[Agreed, but hey, whatever floats your boat.]

My eyes wandered to a girl on stage. She was bright and cute, and absolutely beaming ever since Oscar walked in. Whenever she looked at him, her eyes practically sparkled.

I knew who she was—Jasmine Gellar, the new darling of the scene. Rumors about her and Oscar had been making the rounds for a while now.

A strange, tight feeling settled in my chest.

She didn't seem like someone who'd treat Oliver right.

Once all the celebrities were in place, the host finally announced it was time for the children to come out.

I held Oliver's hand as we walked, reminding him softly, "Sweetie, when we get up there, just go hug the most handsome guy on stage, okay?"

Oliver nodded with determination. "Don't worry, Mom. I've got this."

On stage, there were five celebrities, but only three children. If a celebrity chose Oliver, it meant they would be paired with him as a family. That choice also meant they could not form a partnership with any of the other celebrities.

The kids started introducing themselves.

The first child was a chubby boy. On his wrist was a sturdy silver identity bracelet, finely engraved. It looked both precious and well-worn.

Next was a shy little girl, dressed in fancy clothes that made it clear she wasn't from an ordinary family.

Oliver went last. He looked a bit nervous, tripping over his words and sneaking glances at me every now and then.

After I gave him a small, encouraging smile, he pulled off his introduction without a hitch.

While the kids were introducing themselves, Jasmine moved closer to Oscar, acting like I wasn't even there.

"Oscar, what if we team up? We could form a family with Charlie," she suggested.

Charlie Young was the chubby little boy.

I shot Oscar a death glare. If he dared to pick another kid over his own, he was finished.

Oscar caught my stare, shot me a sideways glance, and showed a faint, almost mocking smile.

Before Jasmine could get an answer, the director announced that the kids could go ahead and choose their temporary parent.

On my cue, Oliver dashed over and wrapped himself around Oscar's leg, blinking up at him with wide eyes. "Mister, can you be my daddy?"

Oliver mostly took after me, but his eyes—they were almost identical to Oscar's.

Before Oscar could even say a word, the chat exploded.

[So cute. Pick him!]

[If I can't have Oscar, then no one on this show should!]

[That kid's eyes are just like Oscar's. So pretty.]

[It's meant to be. Say yes!]

Oscar didn't say a word for what felt like forever, just kept staring at Oliver's face like he was searching for something.

Oliver began to squirm, looking anxious, and shot me a desperate, pleading look.

Jasmine stepped forward with a sweet smile on her face, just about to say something. But before she could even open her mouth, Oscar scooped Oliver right up into his arms.

The message was clear to everyone. Her bright smile tightened.

Oliver visibly relaxed, snuggled up on Oscar's shoulder, and shot me a cheeky wink.

I gave him a big thumbs-up, letting him know he nailed it.

In the end, Jasmine teamed up with a trending idol singer to form a family with Charlie. The other group paired a veteran actor and a legendary female singer with the little girl.

After dinner, the producers asked each kid who they wanted to bunk with tonight.

The unspoken rule was obvious—they'd be splitting up by gender. This was just standard procedure.

But Charlie wasn't happy about it at all. He kept sticking to Jasmine, and it took a ton of persuading to finally get him to go. By the end of it, she was barely holding her smile together.

Since Oliver and I were actual mom and son, nobody questioned his choice to stay in my room. Everyone even praised him for being brave.

And with that, the first day of filming wrapped.