Chapter 3

I was silent for a couple of seconds, then let out a heavy breath, my resolve hardening.

"Devon, let's break up," I said.

Devon's face went ghostly pale. To my shock, he fell to the floor before me.

"Etta, what's going on? Please, don't freak me out like this," Devon pleaded. "Weren't things okay between us last night? Did I mess up somehow?"

I clenched my jaw, summoned every bit of strength I had, and exposed his true colors.

"I know Lexi is pregnant with your child," I said.

Devon's eyes widened in shock as he stared at me, panic written all over his face.

He clung to my hand and started blurting out excuses.

"Etta, please, just hear me out. It's not what you think," Devon begged. "I got wasted at a work event one night. It just happened that one night, I swear. And only once.

"I'm really sorry, I've been trying to make it up to you ever since.

"Please forgive me, Etta. It really was just a mistake that night."

Tears streamed down my face, blurring my vision, but my voice was clear and unwavering.

"Devon, drop the act," I said. "You've been with her for three years, haven't you?"

After I found that pregnancy report, I dug through all of Devon's social media and travel history.

That was when I realized Devon and Lexi had been seeing each other for three years.

Lexi had sent him countless sexy pics and he had fired back with all kinds of flirty replies.

Guess he was a pro at covering his tracks, and I was just a fool.

"Yesterday was supposed to be our engagement party. I thought you'd at least have a shred of decency, but you still couldn't wait to run off and sleep with her," I spat. "Devon, you make me sick."

I could just picture all those endless nights where Devon and Lexi, the two people I trusted most, betrayed me over and over in each other's arms.

I couldn't hold it in anymore. I broke down, sobbing uncontrollably.

"I'm sorry, Etta," Devon said.

No matter how many times Devon apologized, I remained completely unmoved.

Suddenly, he started smacking himself over and over, like he'd lost his mind.

Seeing that, I was shocked.

His face was quickly covered in angry red marks.

But this time, I didn't let myself go soft.

I took off the engagement ring, stood up, and pushed him aside.

"Devon, we're done. For good," I said.

I grabbed my suitcase, which I'd packed earlier, and headed for the door without so much as a backward glance.

But in the very next moment, Devon stepped in front of me, blocking my way.

"Etta, please, give me just one more chance. I really know I screwed up," he pleaded.

I tightened my grip on the suitcase, shot Devon one final, cold look, and walked out of our home. "No more chances. It's over between us."

*****

That afternoon, I flew out to Kloburgh.

Not long ago, a top director liked my script. He went over all the details with me and even asked if I wanted to join the crew.

But since I was about to get engaged to Devon, I ended up turning him down.

On a whim, I messaged the director again, not expecting much. To my surprise, he instantly booked me a ticket.

Back in university, I wrote a script that went viral and became a huge hit.

My professor always said I was the most gifted student she'd ever met, like I was born with a talent for this.

But after I got together with Devon, I got so lost in love that I let my dreams fall by the wayside.

Now that I was finally free, I was determined to seize every chance to level up.

My script was a historical revenge drama, all about a princess who lost her kingdom and was out for blood.

The budget was pretty tight, and most of the cast were actually university students with hardly any real acting experience.

But they turned out to be surprisingly good actors, and with the director giving it his all, we managed to shoot half the series in just a month.

Back when I used to tag along with Devon on set, I'd always watch how everyone worked, picking up a ton of tricks along the way.

So now, I could offer my input at just the right moments.

The whole crew started looking at me in a whole new light, and even grew to respect me.

I wasn't the clingy assistant who lived in Devon's shadow anymore.

This past month, I hustled on set all day and night.

I kept fine-tuning every single detail of the script, chasing perfection, while also prepping my next one.

Drowning myself in work was the only way to keep Devon out of my mind.

At first, he blew up my phone nonstop with calls and texts, so I finally just blocked him for good.

After a stretch of peace, Devon suddenly showed up on set with a big, fresh bouquet of roses.

The whole place buzzed with excitement. Even the director, who never cracked a smile, was grinning ear to ear as he welcomed him.

Devon treated the crew to coffee and gave a speech, hinting that everyone should take care of me.

Everyone was looking at me with envy.

I didn't expose him in front of the whole crew. I waited until we wrapped up for the day, then dragged Devon into a deserted corner and gave him a slap.