Adeline Nixon POV:
The train rattled, a rhythmic lullaby that usually calmed my nerves. Not today. Today, the world was too loud, too insistent. I hugged my small carry-on tighter, trying to disappear into the seat.
Two women across the aisle, their voices hushed but carrying, were scrolling on their phones. "Did you see that photo of Ethan and Keira?" one whispered, giggling. "They look so good together. Like, really good."
"Right?" the other chimed in. "I mean, Adeline is... fine. But Keira just has that spark. She' s so fresh, so vibrant. Adeline always looked so… tired next to him."
My nails dug into my palms. Tired? I wanted to scream, You try staying "vibrant" when your boyfriend is gaslighting you, and his fans are sending death threats!
I used to be vibrant. I remembered my early days in culinary school, my hands stained with flour, my mind buzzing with new recipes. I had dreams, ambitions that didn't revolve around someone else's spotlight. Ethan used to say my passion for baking was contagious, that it lit up my eyes. Now, it felt like a distant memory.
They continued, oblivious to the woman with a heart full of broken glass sitting just feet away. "I always thought Adeline was just with him for the fame," the first woman mused. "Like, she was just riding his coattails."
The words burned. Riding his coattails? They had no idea. We were together long before the fame. He' d wanted to keep our relationship a secret in the beginning, worried it would hurt his "image" as a rising star. "Just for a little while, babe," he' d pleaded. "Until I get my big break. I don' t want people to think I' m tied down."
I' d agreed, because I loved him, and I wanted him to succeed. But then the whispers started. Other actresses, models, even fans, flocking to him like moths to a flame, thinking he was single. I' d seen the flirty messages, the lingering looks. It was torture, living in the shadows.
"Ethan," I' d confronted him one night, my voice trembling. "This is killing me. The rumors, the girls. Everyone thinks you' re available."
He'd just sighed, rubbing his temples. "Adeline, don't be so dramatic. It's nothing. Just professional courtesy. You' re overthinking everything." He' d made me feel guilty for having feelings, for wanting to be seen as his partner.
Finally, after a particularly public flirtation with a co-star went viral, he' d relented. He posted a photo of us on Instagram, a carefully curated shot where I looked happy, radiant. "Seven years and counting with my amazing Adeline," the caption read. My relief was immense, short-lived.
Because almost immediately, the "Ethan and Keira" shipping machine went into overdrive. Their new movie, a rom-com with scorching chemistry, had just been released. The comments section of his post became a war zone. "He only posted this because Keira's dating rumors got too loud!" "Adeline looks so much older than him." "He's just being a good guy, sticking with the old girlfriend even though he clearly loves Keira."
Then Keira, the sweet, innocent ingénue, posted a photo of herself looking tearful, with a cryptic caption about "unrequited feelings" and "doing what's right for everyone." Her fans, naturally, interpreted it as her sacrificing her love for Ethan out of respect for his "long-suffering girlfriend." The cyberbullying escalated. Messages flooded my inbox. "You' re an ugly hag!" "Let him go, you selfish bitch!" "He only stays with you out of pity!"
"Did you see Keira' s post?" I' d asked Ethan, my voice tight. "Your fans are going insane. They think you're practically engaged to her."
He' d scrolled through it, a slight frown on his face. "She's just being a little dramatic, that's all. She's young, Adeline. She doesn't understand how the industry works yet." He'd defended her, minimized her actions.
"And me?" I asked, my voice barely audible. "What about me? I' m getting death threats. People are dissecting my appearance, my career, everything. She' s acting like a victim, and I' m the villain."
He looked at me with those piercing blue eyes that charmed millions. "Adeline, you're not a victim. You're my rock. She's just… a kid. You're mature enough to understand that this is all just noise. Besides, she's actually talented. You know... you should really try to get more acting classes. Your acting always felt too stiff next to mine." His voice was soft, almost tender, a dangerous caress that always softened my edges.
I wanted to scream. Stiff? He really said that about the woman who abandoned her life for him. I knew I was only two years older than Ethan, but he always managed to make those two years feel like a chasm, reminding me how "young" and "fresh" the Keiras of the world were. I was just the dusty old thing he kept around.
