Chapter 4

I didn't say a word, just quietly listened to Steven questioning me.

"Come on, Rhea. We've been stuck together for years. How could we just call it quits like it's nothing?" Steven said.

"You're just jealous of Lisa, aren't you? I've told you, it's just for publicity. Haven't you noticed how much the company's stock has skyrocketed because of our new drama?" he added.

He warned, "If you keep this up, I really will agree to the divorce."

Listening to Steven's familiar voice, I felt an odd, almost serene emptiness inside.

"Sure," I said flatly.

"What?" Steven was shocked.

I replied, "Let's get divorced."

Steven's agent let out a snort of laughter on the other end of the line.

Though she whispered, I caught every single word.

"Ms. Chavez, seriously? Trying the 'hard to get' routine now? Classic move, but it's way too played out! Not even TV dramas use that anymore." She scoffed.

Steven fell for it, too. Flustered, he lowered his voice and tried to sound stern.

"Aren't you ashamed of yourself? What are you trying to pull this time?" he snapped.

"Steven, I'm not joking. Let's get divorced," I replied, calm as ever.

Then I hung up.

I shot over every detail my lawyer told me, forwarding them all to Steven.

But soon enough, my number got blocked.

Right before that happened, Steven fired back with just one last text: [Instead of playing drama queen, maybe figure out why you're getting roasted everywhere online!]

Even at this point, Steven still thought I was just being moody, like I was throwing some petty fit.

He even went so far as to hit me right where it hurt the most.

He knew perfectly well it was he and Lisa who left that scar, yet he didn't feel a shred of guilt.

When that big red exclamation mark flashed on my screen, signalling that I'd been blocked, a strange calm washed over me for the first time ever.

So be it. Steven, we were done for good.

*****

Before leaving Riveton, I went back to the very spot where Steven had once slipped a ring onto my finger.

I tried to say goodbye to the person I once loved.

Even if he had cheated, even if he had led the hate campaign against me, even if he had paraded his mistress before my eyes, I still couldn't deny everything he had once done for me.

It was pitch dark now, and there were almost no people left on the beach.

Standing there in the shadows, I let myself listen as the waves pounded relentlessly against the shore.

When we were at rock bottom, we barely had a hundred bucks between us.

But Steven would still pull out ten or so dollars just to take me to the most popular pizza spot in town.

For ten dollars, we only got a medium slice of pizza.

Steven couldn't bear to see me go hungry. He'd always let me eat at least half of it until I was full, and then he'd finish the rest.

That night, I heard Steven's stomach rumbling even before it was late.

I couldn't hold back my tears. I hugged him and just burst into uncontrollable sobs.

"Steven, someday we'll be filthy rich!" I cried out.

I added, "We'll get a huge house and have a team of housekeepers on call 24/7, so we can eat whatever we want, whenever we want!"

Steven doubled over, shaking as he burst out laughing. "Dummy, we're actors. If all we think about is food, do you want to show up on screen as a cute little piglet?"

He cracked me up so much I actually blew a snot bubble.

"Yeah... that's true," I replied.

I wondered how it all went so wrong between us.

Suddenly, a bright beam of light lit up the sand nearby.

It looked like someone had cobbled together a makeshift stage right there on the beach.

I moved toward the glow, and just beyond it, I caught sight of two familiar figures.

"Lisa! I love you. Will you marry me?" Under the bright lights, Steven got down on one knee, holding up a burgundy ring box.

In front of him, Lisa clasped her hands over her mouth, tears of joy brimming in her eyes as she nodded eagerly.

"Yes!" she said, her voice choked with emotion.

The crowd went wild, screaming, cheering, taking pics, and posting everything online in real time.

Their moment would be online within minutes, blessed by millions.

And me? I'd once again be nailed to the cross of public shame, mocked, cursed, humiliated.

I was nailed to the spot. No matter how desperately I wanted to run, it was impossible to move.

Those memories of us, poor but happy, felt like shattered dreams. Each piece was slowly picked apart and devoured until nothing was left.

My hands and feet went numb with cold, and my whole body felt weighed down with lead. I was utterly powerless to move.

"Rhea."

All of a sudden, a voice landed softly in my ear.

I was pulled into a warm, familiar embrace.

Benjamin placed his hand over my eyes, blocking out the world in front of me.

"Don't look. You don't even realize you're crying, do you?" he said quietly.

Did I? It was only when I snapped back that I felt the cool tears streaming down my face.

Benjamin said, "Don't make the wrong choice again."

I felt something warm brush against my ear.

He rubbed gently against my earlobe. He said, "Come back to me, please."