Chapter 5

On August 31, 2022, I spent the whole afternoon bawling my eyes out in the restroom on set.

I had no clue why they forced this scene in.

But as a nobody in the cast, I had no choice.

When the male lead grabbed my waist, my whole body trembled.

The guy I was acting with had a face full of hard lines, looking nasty as hell.

It made me think of the orphanage director's ugly mug right away.

Sorry, Dear, I shouldn't have cried.

I stained these pages with my tears.

But I was so scared.

Everything just disgusted me.

I was in the restroom, dry-heaving for what felt like forever.

I dialed Logan's number, my hands trembling.

And guess what?

It was Natalie who picked up.

Why her?

Why did it have to be her?

Right then, as if the universe was messing with me, a news alert popped up on my phone. [Logan and Natalie's new show just started filming today.]

Dear, I felt like Logan wasn't the same anymore.

After the host finished reading, the camera cut to Logan.

Logan's voice was choked up. "No way. If she was really forced, why didn't she say anything to me? I—"

The comments section blew up.

[Damn, this isn't what the news said at all.]

[If she was really forced, that director should burn in hell.]

[Someone dig up the truth, now.]

I knew exactly why that page of my diary had caused such a huge uproar.

About six months after filming In the Depths of Dreams, I managed to heal on my own and get back on my feet.

I thought I was finally done being haunted by it.

But little did I know, the real nightmare was just beginning.

The In the Depths of Dreams crew wanted to stir up some hype.

So the marketing team decided to put the spotlight on me, the girl with no connections and no backing.

They poured a ton of cash into promo accounts to spread the word.

[Shocking: How Desperate Can an Actress Get for Fame?]

[How Far Will a Nobody Go for Clout?]

There were so many of these articles flooding the internet.

I ended up trending online.

I gained 100 thousand followers overnight, but every single one of them was a hater.

My DMs were packed with all kinds of filthy abuse.

That was probably the longest night of my life.

I was sobbing as I dialed Logan's number.

But all I got was a voicemail every time.

With nowhere else to turn, I ended up running straight to his set.

I wanted to explain everything, but I showed up just in time to catch him filming a kiss scene.

The fans were waving their phones in the air, cheering and snapping pictures.

I hid in the shadows, hat and mask on, skulking like a rat in the gutter.

To avoid drawing any attention, I hid out in Logan's trailer ahead of time and waited for him.

I sat there all afternoon, and finally, Logan came in to take a break.

I stood up and grabbed his hand, but he jerked away from me.

"Don't touch me," he snapped.

I would never forget the look of pure disgust in his eyes, not even if I lived to the end of my days.

"Aria, you really went this far just to get famous?" he spat. "Just stay home and keep out of sight. Don't go showing your face around anymore."

My eyes were swollen and red, tears spilling down uncontrollably.

"Is that really how you see me, Logan?" I asked, my voice trembling.

Logan scoffed, his voice raw, "I didn't sleep at all last night, you know? I wanted to stand up for you, but those pictures don't lie."

I wiped my tears, desperate to explain, "The crew threw in that scene at the last minute. I had no clue they'd splice it together like that."

Logan let out a mocking laugh. "So they just threw in a scene where you strip yourself? You couldn't say no to something like that?"

"So cheap," he sneered.

Those words sliced through me like a blade.

They scraped right across my heart.

I stood there, frozen, feeling like I couldn't breathe.

We had been through everything together during the eight years.

And now, even Logan was questioning me.

"How could you think I'm that kind of person? After eight years, how could you not know who I am?" I choked out.

I just lost control.

I was screaming at the top of my lungs.

My voice was so loud that some fans nearby caught it right away.

A bunch of people started shouting and rushing over. "There's a girl's voice coming from Logan's trailer."

How ridiculous.

Even so, instinctively, I yanked the curtains closed.

I was afraid I'd mess up Logan's future.

Soon enough, fans were crowding all around Logan's trailer.

Logan frowned, his expression grim and clouded.

He leaned in close, his voice low in my ear. "Aria, you're so damn manipulative. Figures. You'd even take off your clothes on purpose."

Struggling to keep my anger in check, I lowered my voice. "We've been together for eight years. How can you not trust me?"

Logan scoffed, "Why not? Wasn't it you who almost hooked up with someone when you were eighteen?"

My voice just died in my throat.

So, when one was hurting that much, words just failed one.

That day, to clear up the misunderstanding, the company made me out to be a crazy fan who just wouldn't let go.

I spent the whole night just staring at our marriage license, all by myself on the couch.