Chapter 3

Brice was so caught up in his own world that he didn't even notice when I came back.

"Brice," I blurted out, unable to hold back any longer.

He turned to glance at me, and his smile slowly disappeared, replaced by a chill.

As soon as he noticed my eyes on his phone, he locked the screen in a rush and tossed it onto the couch, his guilty conscience plain as day.

"Oh, you're back already? That was fast," Brice said.

"See? I didn't even have to pick you up—you always manage just fine on your own," he joked.

"Adelina, you've always done a pretty good job taking care of yourself," Brice said.

Even though my heart was already numb from all the pain Brice had put me through, hearing those words from him still hurt like hell.

I really had learned to look after myself.

He was never going to be there for me, no matter what.

In the end, I had no one but myself to count on.

In the past few years, especially once he started making a name for himself, everything changed.

He became obsessed with keeping his image spotless, always watching his back like his reputation was made of glass.

He wouldn't let even a whisper of scandal get near him.

So he constantly expected me to sacrifice my own interests just to keep his record clean.

Once I finally took off those rose-colored glasses, all I saw in Brice was pure, bone-deep selfishness. I couldn't believe how blind I'd been before.

But hey, at least there was one thing to be glad about.

I was finally breaking up with him.

This selfish, self-absorbed jerk? I was done with him.

"We're done," I said, my tone so even it barely sounded like me.

There was no drama, no heat—just me saying it like I'd already made up my mind ages ago.

Grown-ups didn't break up with shouting or tears.

They just did the math in their heads, and when it was all weighed up, both knew it was time.

When I said we were done, I actually saw relief wash over Brice—like he'd finally let go of a heavy burden.

He toyed nervously with his phone and asked, "Is this because of that confession incident?"

"I know I've let you down. Just take the apartment, okay? Think of it as my way of saying sorry," he said, sounding uncomfortable.

I didn't say a word.

I earned this.

All those years, all the resources, all the effort I poured into him—just this apartment couldn't even begin to repay what I had given.

He packed up his stuff in no time.

It was like he'd been ready to leave all along, just waiting for the signal to walk out.

Watching him come out of the bedroom, suitcase in hand, I couldn't hold back anymore and asked, "Brice, tell me—did you fall out of love with me because Lexie's the heiress of Starcrest Entertainment, or is it that, after all these years together, you still can't let go of your childhood crush?"

Brice stood in the entryway, silent for what felt like forever.

I looked at him, and realized that the face I once loved—so bright-eyed and innocent—now held a kind of maturity and sophistication I'd never seen before.

The man who used to hold my hand and swear we'd reach the top together—he wasn't the same person anymore.

After a long silence, Brice sighed. "Adelina, you know better than anyone how tough this business gets if you don't make it to the top. I'm just tired of hustling—don't want to keep fighting like this anymore. I'm sorry."

I couldn't hold back my laughter anymore.

Any lingering bitterness inside me melted away.

I looked him in the eye and said sincerely, "Brice, I truly wish you every success. Hope you shine bright and make it big out there."

He looked up at me, a flicker of regret and uncertainty in his eyes, but in the end, all that was left was ruthless detachment.

"Adelina, I hope you keep quiet about us. I don't want Lexie misunderstanding anything," he said.

With that, he opened the door and walked out, never once looking back.

I watched as the door was pulled shut from the other side, and whatever little regret I'd felt vanished completely, leaving me feeling lighter than I had in years.

Maybe this really was for the best.

After the breakup, Brice looked like a weight had finally been lifted off his shoulders.

That night, he announced his relationship with Lexie on social media.

He was busy hyping up his old flame's big return, making sure everyone noticed Lexie was back in town.

Fans flooded the comment sections, practically rolling out the red carpet for Lexie, dubbing her the "fairy girlfriend" and begging her to come back ASAP.

And of course, they couldn't help but toss some shade at me, calling me an "angelic bitch" and telling me to go crawl in a hole.

Katie had my back, venting for me in the group chat.

I replied coolly, "Don't worry about it. These days, the louder you show off, the harder you fall—you know how it works."

Katie shot me a pained look. "But you were the one who was officially with him. Now everyone's blaming you and twisting the truth—ugh, it makes me so mad!"

I kept my head down, jotting notes in my script without missing a beat.

"Does being the girlfriend of a Best Actor really make you someone special? Wouldn't it be cooler if we just became leading ladies ourselves?" I said, still focused on my notes.

Katie bounced right back, her excitement showing all over her face.

"Adelina, I knew you were unstoppable! Let's pour everything into perfecting this script. Once you snag the lead in Tyler Lawson's Mountain Watch, let's show them what it really means to go after the Best Actress title!"

"Seriously, you sacrificed way too much for Brice. All those amazing opportunities, you handed them over to him, while your acting's miles better than his—he's not even in your league. Totally not worth it," Katie said.

Yeah, it really wasn't worth it.

But at least now I had finally snapped out of it.

Online hate was just a passing storm.

Now I was cutting loose from all that boring romance and diving back into my career.

I was dead set on proving myself, determined to wipe off every bit of slander people splashed on me, one step at a time.

What really caught me off guard was that Lexie was gunning for the female lead in Mountain Watch too.