Chapter 4

The next morning, I had promo shoots for our newly wrapped film. I decided to deliver the divorce papers to Julian in person.

When I walked onto the studio lot, the crew looked at me with hesitant, pitying expressions.

I unlocked my phone.

The trending topic [#JulianColeCastsChloeMiller#] was pinned right at the very top.

[Finally, someone other than Evelyn! She's played the exact same type of character for two years. She's getting too old to play the innocent damsel.]

[Chloe is raw talent! So much more refreshing than Evelyn, who's clearly coasted on director favoritism.]

[Julian finally woke up. If he kept casting Evelyn, his box office was going to tank.]

Worse, Julian had personally reposted an entertainment blog's article with a simple note: "Confirmed. Looking forward to our collaboration."

Not a single word defending me.

Down in the comments, someone wrote: "Are Director Cole and Chloe together? Their chemistry is insane!" It was voted to the top, and Julian hadn't deleted it.

Taking his silence as confirmation, trolls invaded my personal Ins account.

[Evelyn, read the room and retire. Stop dragging Julian down.]

[Have some self-respect and walk away before Julian has to fire you publicly.]

As a seasoned actress, internet trolls couldn't rattle my focus.

During the shoot, however, a stray comment from a stagehand made me pause.

"Director Cole actually let catering set up a dessert table today. Remember when Evelyn had a piece of dark chocolate and he chewed her out for ruining her cheekbones on camera?"

I followed the stagehand's gaze.

Julian was standing beside Chloe, holding a small plate with a slice of strawberry shortcake.

Chloe smiled up at him, standing on her tiptoes to whisper something in his ear.

My mind flashed back to last month. My blood sugar had crashed on set, and I pulled a piece of chocolate from my bag, only for Julian to snatch it and toss it directly into the trash.

"You're a professional actress. If you can't even manage your own body, don't talk to me about craft."

With an afternoon audition for the reality show ahead, I pulled the divorce agreement from my tote bag and walked straight up to him.

"Sign it, Julian."

My voice wasn't loud, but everyone nearby froze.

Julian scowled. "What is this, Evelyn? Throwing another jealous fit?"

"I told you last night. I'm divorcing you."

Chloe quickly interjected, her eyes wide with manufactured guilt. "Julian, it's all my fault. If I hadn't taken the lead in your next film, Evie wouldn't be doing this..."

"Evelyn, stop being so petty!" Julian snapped. "Chloe is completely new to the industry. She doesn't know any better. Are you seriously jealous of a rookie?"

Before he could finish, his assistant ran over in a panic, holding up a tablet with a pale face.

"Julian! Look at Twitter right now..."

The hashtag [#ChloeMillerHomewrecker#] was trending at number one, tagged with a bright red "Trending" badge.

Clicking inside revealed candid photos of Chloe whispering in Julian's ear by the dessert table just minutes ago, accompanied by savage commentary.

[First she snatches Evelyn's role, now she's going after her husband?]

[Feel so bad for Evelyn! The ink isn't even dry on their split rumors and the side chick is already marking her territory.]

The internet was in an uproar. Commenters were digging up all of Chloe's subtle moves since joining the production, calling her a manipulative social climber.

Julian's face turned livid as he scrolled through the backlash. He looked up, glaring at me with accusation.

"Evelyn, did you leak this?! You'd stoop this low just to get back at her?!"

"I don't have that kind of free time."

"If you want a divorce, fine, but did you have to drag Chloe through the mud?!"

He snatched the paperwork from my hands, clearly wanting to keep screaming, but Chloe cut in with a fragile whimper.

"Julian... did I ruin your reputation?"

"Don't worry," Julian comforted her instantly. "I'm right here."

I had zero interest in watching their tragic soap opera. Once I saw he had the signed papers in his hand, I turned on my heel and walked away.

By the time Julian remembered to demand that I apologize to Chloe, I was nowhere to be found.

He rushed toward the window in frustration, only to see me stepping into a sleek black SUV.

As the tinted window rolled up, I was leaning toward the person beside me, laughing freely.

It had been years since Julian had seen me smile like that.

His heart dropped. He tried to send me a text, only to receive a red alert: "You have been blocked."

An unfamiliar wave of panic began to gnaw at his chest.