Chapter 3
"But this is enough to make me lose my mind. I guess you probably felt the same way when you saw me with Joseph," Camila said.
"I'm sorry. I went too far earlier," she added.
She opened her phone, and the chat history with Joseph appeared on the screen.
Joseph was still blowing up her phone with messages.
[Camila? Why are you suddenly ending things with me? Weren't we having fun together?]
[Hello? Answer me, Camila! Did Mr. Compton talk to you about me? I swear, I only see you as my idol!]
[Camila, you have to believe me. I've looked up to you for eight years. You're the light in my life. I would never do anything to ruin your family... Please, just talk to me, okay?]
The messages kept popping up, so Camila picked up her phone and immediately blocked him.
Finally, the phone went quiet.
"I'm sorry..." Camila whispered.
She inched closer, and when she saw I didn't resist, she pulled me into a gentle hug.
"I just wanted to mess with you. It wasn't until I found myself in the same spot, seeing you getting all cozy with another woman, that I realized how much it must've hurt you..." she murmured.
"Cory," she called softly.
She looked up and gave me a soft kiss on the lips.
"Can we stop fighting, please?" she whispered.
"Okay," I replied.
This marriage was always tied up with interests. I was not about to end it on a whim.
Besides, it was not like I never cared about Camila.
She just lost her head for a moment. Honestly, it was not that big of a deal.
I just wanted to give her a wake-up call.
Just a little warning to set things straight. Now that she had learned her lesson, there was no need to blow this up any further.
But the next day, something big went down on set.
Joseph stood in my way, his eyes bloodshot like he'd been crying all night.
Joseph said, "I know it was you. Why can't you believe I just admire her?"
"Do you think everyone who tries to get close to her is up to something?" he demanded.
With that, he pulled out a knife.
Amber screamed and tried to tackle me, but Joseph didn't hesitate. He slashed his own wrist with the knife.
Blood spilled everywhere, and everyone was horrified.
He held up his bleeding wrist, looking at me like he was carrying the weight of the world.
"Is this enough for you to believe I'm innocent, Mr. Compton?" Joseph said, his voice shaking.
"Call an ambulance. Don't let him die on set," I ordered.
I turned to give the order, but suddenly found myself staring right into Camila's eyes.
"Camila!" Joseph called out, his eyes lighting up.
I frowned at Camila.
She shot Joseph a cool glance. "This was my idea. Don't come bothering him again."
Joseph's face was full of disbelief.
Camila put herself between Amber and me, grabbed my hand, and walked me out. She didn't even spare Joseph a single glance.
Overnight, Joseph became the butt of everyone's jokes.
He'd planned to stir up drama on set and embarrass me, but Camila left him humiliated right there for everyone to see.
After Camila went public about our marriage, Joseph instantly became a laughingstock online.
He only rose to fame because I supported him.
Now that he'd lost my backing, even web series wouldn't bother inviting him anymore.
It was not my problem.
It was his own fault. He got what he deserved.
If he'd been even half as sweet as Amber, I never would've given up on him.
Lately, Camila kept checking her phone with a frown.
She'd already cut off all contact with Joseph, but whenever she looked away, I'd sneak a glance, just curious what was going on.
Turned out, it was a friend they both had in common.
The mutual friend kept sending her photos, along with screenshots of Joseph's posts.
In every single one, Joseph looked like a total mess, wearing ragged clothes, working as a nobody on some tiny set.
He'd get yelled at, his eyes red with tears, but he'd just grit his teeth and take it.
After the shoot, he'd be on his knees scrubbing the floors.
Whenever some big shot was in a bad mood, they'd just slap him right across the face.
There was also a screenshot of one of his posts: [It's fine. Camila, my light, taught me to never give up. If I keep moving forward, there's always hope ahead.]
The last message was from Camila: [Don't send me this stuff anymore.]
[Don't send me this stuff anymore.]
That made me smile to myself.
Guess my little scheme really paid off.
As a reward, I dropped by Camila's set the next day and even whipped up her favorite pork rib soup myself.
But as soon as I arrived on set, Camila came straight at me, her eyes still red from crying.
"Why did you do this?" she confronted me.
"What are you talking about?" I asked.
"Don't think I don't know!" she snapped.
She knocked the lunchbox out of my hand, making me stumble back.
Boiling hot soup spilled down my hand and chest, instantly turning my skin bright red.
"Mr. Compton!" Robert rushed over, calling out.
"Ms. Walker! Mr. Compton's hurt!" he yelled.
"It's just a bit of skin. Nothing compared to what Joseph's been through," Camila shot back.
With that, she dragged over a scruffy, dirt-streaked kid.
I was totally shocked to see Joseph. He'd ended up here as just another extra on Camila's set.
This shoot was supposed to be hush-hush; nobody outside the crew was supposed to know this place even existed.
That was when it hit me.
Just half an hour before I arrived, Camila had bumped into Joseph. He'd come to the set hoping to get work as a stand-in.