Chapter 2

"Stunt double, get ready! You're up next!"

The assistant director's shout pulled me back to reality.

Despite being extremely careful, an accident happened.

The harness dropped too quickly. When I hit the ground, my face scraped hard against the rough gravel.

My forehead was badly grazed, looking bloody and horrific.

People gasped and rushed over. I forced myself up, gritting my teeth to say I was fine. Through the crowd, my gaze fell on the couple in the distance.

Chloe was playfully reading Ethan's palm, and he was gently tucking a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

I clenched my fists and lowered my gaze to hide the pain.

The next scene belonged to Chloe. Ethan walked over to me leisurely.

"Are you okay?" He pointed at my freshly bandaged forehead.

"I'm fine."

"I told you before, you don't need to do this anymore. A woman getting into fights and covered in scars—what does that look like?" He frowned, his face dark.

I remembered how he used to apply ointment to my wounds, whispering that I could do whatever I wanted because he would always protect me.

The words were still ringing in my ears, but the man who said them had long forgotten.

"Ahhh!"

Chloe's scream suddenly rang out, and Ethan rushed over immediately.

He pushed through the crowd anxiously. "Out of the way! What happened?"

Chloe looked like she was about to cry. "I'm so clumsy... It's my first time holding a sword, and I cut my finger."

Without a second thought, Ethan put her finger into his mouth to soothe it.

The crew members looked surprised, whispering and glancing at me.

Watching his instinctual reaction, my chest tightened.

Chloe looked at him with blushing cheeks. Then, as if remembering something, she looked over at me, her eyes filled with pure mockery.

It was a late-night shoot. I dragged my exhausted body to finish the day.

"Harlow."

Ethan stopped me, looking a bit uncomfortable.

I questioned him with my eyes.

"The water is freezing, and Chloe has a weak constitution. Can you do her water stunt for her?"

I let out a cold laugh. "I am the stunt double for the female lead. Am I supposed to do the supporting actress's stunts now too?"

Hearing this, Chloe tugged at Ethan's sleeve, her lips trembling as if she was about to cry.

Ethan’s gaze instantly turned cold, his voice tight with suppressed anger.

"Since when did you become so aggressive? Just tell me, what will it take for you to do it?"

"Double my pay."

He let out a sigh of relief, but my hands at my sides clenched so hard my knuckles turned white.

That water scene took a full two hours to shoot.

When I finally got out of the freezing water, shivering, Ethan seemed to have found a shred of conscience and handed me a towel.

His throat bobbed as if he wanted to say something, but I walked right past him.

That night, I swallowed two fever reducers. As I changed my bandages, I made a call.

"Serena, we can move up the schedule for that movie. I'll join the crew as soon as possible."

Serena was my first friend in the industry. Back then, she was directing indie web dramas, but now she was a highly sought-after action director in Hollywood.

Over the years, we had kept in touch. She had invited me to star in her movies several times, but I had always refused. I knew big-budget films took at least six months of shooting, and with Ethan's career rising, I couldn't bear to leave him.

But now, I finally saw clearly. I was just an option in his life. Why should I keep spinning my life around him?