He pulled me up from the ground and gently brushed the dust off my clothes.
Dazed from the onset of my condition, my mind tricked me into thinking I had gone back to those happy days. My hand trembled as I reached out to touch Luther's face.
However, Luther flinched away, making my weak body stagger from the rejection.
In that brief moment when he instinctively caught me, he seemed startled by how thin I had become. Every bone in my body must have jabbed into him like needles.
But they all said that she ...
Before he could process it, I snapped back to awareness and pushed his hand away without a word.
He handed the contract over to Juliette and turned to leave, but she called after me.
"Jenna, I'm short a stand-in actor. Could you help me out just this once?"
"The character used to be in a mental hospital. Since you've actually been there, it'll be easier for you to act the part."
Those three simple words hit like a whip, tearing my old wound wide open. I stood frozen, pale, my thin frame shaking uncontrollably.
Juliette pressed on, her voice soft and coaxing, "Don't worry. With my connections, even as a stand-in, I'll make sure you're paid like a lead actress."
Money.
I needed a lot of money to cure my daughter's heart disease.
After a long pause, I finally forced the words out with a hoarse voice. "...Okay."
Under the glare of the spotlight, I stood amidst a crowd of actors playing mental patients. They grabbed my hair and slapped me across the face.
"You lazy bitch! Why do we have to work while you get to sit around doing nothing?"
Staring at my face, his sharp nails scraped across my skin, "With a face like yours, no wonder the director can't stop drooling over you."
I shut my eyes in despair. The humiliation and terror I had buried deep clawed their way back into my mind.
The lights shifted and a group of doctors in white coats walked in.
"You're acting up again today. How will you ever learn to behave if you don't suffer a little?"
They took out bottles of pills, seized my face roughly and forced the bitter medicine down my throat. I choked and instinctively tried to spit it out.
However, that only irritated them even further. Their faces were clouded with displeasure.
"Talking back now? I guess you've decided you don't want to get better and leave this place."
They all laughed mockingly as hands reached for me from every direction.
I screamed and whimpered, but after three years of being broken into obedience, I did not dare to resist.
The next second, my whole body froze in horror.
A hot stream trickled down my legs. Under the harsh flash of lights, it was impossible to hide.
"Oh my God… Jenna Hawthorne, who was once so high and mighty, actually…"
The mocking laughter echoed around me.
Surrounded by the crowd, I did not dare lift my eyes to meet anyone's gaze, especially not Luther's, who stood not far away. I shut my eyes in despair.
Three years ago, I was still proud and headstrong, cutting through the elite circles of the business world with sharp precision and unshakable confidence.
But now… I was reduced to a woman suffering from mental illness, humiliated and branded as insane in front of everyone. Shame overwhelmed me as I bit down on my tongue with all my strength and only when the sharp tang of blood filled my mouth did I finally come back to my senses.
I could not die.
If I died… what would happen to Anna?
Then, a man's cold voice cut through the chaos.
"Get out."
A coat was draped over my shoulders. It still held the lingering warmth of the man who had placed it there and it made my frozen body feel just a little less cold.
