Chapter 1
This was a world where hyping up a ship could land you in court.
After Damian Nicholls and I broke up, he cried his eyes out on a variety show when my name came up.
The shippers thought I'd led him on, so they hauled me into a Trial of True Love.
Damian got dragged into the trial, too.
The rule was, if you betrayed true love, you'd have to swallow ten thousand needles.
*****
"Damian, Elaine, your shippers have called for a True Love Trial. The whole thing will be streamed live.
"The shippers will serve as judges, grilling the celebrities with questions. The system will judge your responses.
"There are three rounds in total. Only answers that come from genuine truth will be allowed to pass.
"Anyone who passes will be crowned the Pure Love Champion and take home a ten-million-dollar prize.
"Anyone who betrays genuine feelings will have to swallow ten thousand needles.
"Brace yourselves—the trial's about to begin."
The cold, mechanical voice rang out from above. Every seat in the audience was filled, and crowds packed the area outside the stage.
Farther out, countless people were streaming the trial live on their phones, eager to witness this century-defining showdown.
The True Love Trial had been around for years, but this was the first time anyone got dragged onto the stand after breaking up.
With my back to the audience, I stared at the giant screen on stage, where a photo of Damian and me was displayed for everyone to see.
Our livestream launched and instantly blew up, fueled by mine and Damian's crazy popularity. It was a must-click.
The live chat was almost completely siding with Damian.
[Help, Damian's really got it rough. Even after the breakup, his ex is still milking him for attention.]
[Seriously, does Elaine Terry have zero self-awareness? Can't she tell who's real and who's just putting on a show? Does she really have to get called out in front of the whole country?]
[FYI, I heard it was their shippers who pushed them into this mess.]
[Not a fan, just a random viewer, but Damian cried on that show when he talked about Elaine. I'm rooting for Damian.]
[Elaine totally messed with the shippers' feelings. She deserves to face the consequences!]
[Damian got his heart broken, but he's still defending his ex. He's the real Pure Love Champion, for sure.]
The trial was about to kick off, but Damian was hesitating, not stepping onto the stage yet.
He looked at me with a resigned expression and said, "Elaine, I don't blame you for the breakup.
"This whole trial is just going to mess you up. Maybe you should just bow out before things get ugly."
His gaze was gentle, still brimming with feeling for me.
I kept quiet, but the cold, robotic voice blared from the giant screen. "Once the trial starts, it can't be stopped. Anyone who tries to quit will be wiped out. Elaine, are you choosing to quit?"
Damian gave me this hopeful look, as if he was genuinely worried about me.
Watching Damian's lame performance, I could only find it funny.
What made him think I'd still fall for his words like I used to?
"I refuse," I said.
As soon as I finished speaking, the audience began to murmur.
Damian's expression was complicated; he looked like he had something to say, but held back.
"Damian, are you choosing to quit?" the voice asked.
Damian stammered, "I..."
His agent, Rowena, kept urging him. "Damian, what's there to be afraid of? Just let her go through the trial; it's better for us."
I caught Rowena quietly threatening him. "You have to get up there today, otherwise we'll be the ones taking the fall," she hissed.
The audience was starting to sense something fishy.
"Wait, wasn't Elaine supposed to be the one who betrayed Damian? So why is Damian hesitating now?" someone in the crowd commented.
"Damian can't even get on stage. Something's definitely off about this whole thing," another person added.
But plenty of Damian's fans were quick to jump in and defend him.
"Come on, Damian's just too nice; he doesn't want to make a scene with his ex," one fan chimed in.
"Damian, get up there! We're behind you all the way. Go show her what's up," another shouted.
The girl who spoke up was just a kid in a school uniform, way too emotional to be reasonable.
The people around her just shook their heads, not bothering to argue with her.
Pushed by his fans and the crowd, Damian finally took the stand.
The very tactics he once used against me ended up forcing him to face the music himself.