“Patrick! Didn’t you say you were going back to your hometown for two weeks? And this is what you’ve been doing instead? Have you even thought about how it looks? You’re part of a fan-shipped couple with Sara now, but in a month, you’re marrying me. What do you think people will say about me?”
Patrick’s eyes turned red at the corners, his head hanging low. This was his go-to move during arguments—looking regretful and vulnerable, knowing it would make me soften and forgive him.
But today, after seeing how he treated Sara, something in me finally broke.
I clutched at the ache in my chest, struggling to breathe as tears blurred my vision. Exhausted from the long journey and everything that had happened, I stumbled into the room and sank onto the bed, drained.
“Nina, don’t be upset,” Patrick said, standing under the warm glow of the lamp. His tousled brown hair made him look carefree and youthful, while I sat there feeling worn down and defeated.
“I’m just doing this for the money. All those interactions—it’s just acting. Can’t you try to understand?”
I looked at him, my voice cold and flat. “I didn’t know you were 'that' good at acting.”
Silence stretched between us, heavy and uncomfortable.
Suddenly, there was a knock at the door.
I opened it to find Sara standing there.
“Sorry to bother you, Nina,” she began, her voice sweet yet hesitant. “Rick told me about your relationship. I was worried I might have caused you trouble, so I came to apologize.”
I forced a polite smile, masking the storm inside me. “It’s fine. This is between me and him—it’s not your fault.”
Hearing our voices, Patrick hurried over, a hint of panic in his expression.
“Sara, what are you doing here?” Patrick immediately pulled Sara behind him, as if shielding her from me, like I might harm her.
That gesture cut through me like a knife. So this was it—Patrick’s priorities were as clear as day.
“Nina, this is between us. Don’t make things difficult for Sara.”
I stood there, quietly staring at the man I had loved for three years and in that moment, I realized how foolish I had been.
“I’m tired. You two should leave,” I said, reaching for the door to close it.
Patrick stopped me, his voice pleading. “Can’t you just trust me? We’re getting married soon. The company even agreed to let the wedding be live-streamed.”
I froze mid-motion, his words sinking in.
Most of Patrick’s followers were “mom fans” who had promised extravagant gifts for his wedding day. Suddenly, his insistence on a public wedding made sense.
Even the wedding I had so carefully planned was just another money-making tool for him.
It felt like an invisible hand was squeezing my heart, robbing me of air, leaving me suffocated by the weight of it all.
“Get some rest. There’s another shoot tomorrow,” I said flatly, then slammed the door shut without waiting for a reply.
Through the narrow crack of the door, I caught a glimpse of them standing close, talking in hushed voices. I didn’t want to know what they were saying.
I couldn’t hold it back any longer. Tears welled up and spilled over, landing heavily in my palms.
I didn’t know what to believe anymore—what was real and what was just a lie?
Suddenly, the thought of our wedding a month from now felt meaningless.
Another episode of the show aired and their fan-shipped couple went viral again. This time, the buzz was so big that it brought the entire show into the spotlight.
The director was visibly ecstatic and decided to dedicate an entire episode to an exclusive interview with Patrick.
I set up the equipment, my face expressionless as I flipped open my notebook.
“When did you start liking Sara?”
“If another contestant had chosen you, would you have considered her instead?”
“What are your thoughts on everyone shipping you and Sara?”
Patrick responded to each question with a gentle smile, his voice warm and steady.
I found myself zoning out. The man in front of me felt like a stranger. He had never looked at me with such tenderness, not even once in all our years together.
Could he really have something going on with Sara?
Patrick looked at me in surprise, snapping me out of my thoughts.
Only then did I realize—I had accidentally spoken my doubts aloud!
