Chapter 4

To be absolutely certain Sean was Shay, I needed undeniable proof.

Filming resumed.

Sean returned to the set and took off his jacket.

Around his right wrist was a red, hand-woven bracelet.

I had spent weeks making that by hand, mailing it to Shay for our one-year anniversary.

Embroidered into the cord with fine silver thread were two tiny initials: "M" and "S."

"It really was him."

Before the shock could settle, Chloe walked over holding a bucket of ice water.

"Wake up a little, Maya," she sneered, tossing the entire bucket straight into my face.

The freezing water knocked the breath out of me, leaving me shivering violently.

The crew watched from the sidelines. Not a single person stepped in.

Sean sat in his chair, watching with cold indifference.

"Stop playing the victim. It’s pathetic," he muttered, turning his gaze away in disgust.

Right at that moment, my phone buzzed incessantly in my pocket.

I pulled it out to find trending notifications blowing up Ins:

#MayaCheating

#TruthBehindMayaAndSeanBreakup

To protect Sean’s pristine image, the agency had leaked fabricated chat logs to tabloids.

They were full of explicit, flirtatious texts supposedly between me and various men while I was "dating" Sean.

The internet was in an uproar.

[Maya is disgusting! How dare she betray Sean!]

[No wonder Sean can't stand her. Blacklist this trash!]

Staring at the horrific comments, my hands shook violently.

Then, an unknown local number flashed across my screen.

It was the ICU doctor.

"Maya, your mother's vitals are crashing. We need to perform emergency surgery right now."

"Your account is empty, and we've already halted the medication."

"You must settle the $500,000 surgical fee within the hour, or you need to prepare for the worst."

The doctor's words made the world spin.

Ignoring the mud and ice dripping from my hair, I frantically dialed David.

"David, please, I'm begging you! Advance me $500,000! My mom needs emergency surgery right now!"

David scoffed over the line.

"Five hundred thousand? Are you dreaming?"

"You're radioactive right now. You owe the company millions. You're not getting a single cent."

He hung up. When I tried to call back, the line went dead. He had blocked me.

Panicking, staring around the set, my last shred of hope forced me to text Shay:

[Shay, are you there? Please, I’m begging you, save my mom.]

Suddenly, a commotion erupted by the outdoor pool.

During a challenge, Sean had lost his footing and fallen into the water.

His phone had gone in with him.

"It won't turn on! Take it to an authorized tech right now!" Sean barked, shoving the soaked phone into his assistant's hands.

My heart sank. Shay wouldn't be seeing my messages.

Desperation drove me mad. Thinking of my mother, I rushed straight toward Sean.

"Sean, please! Lend me $500,000!"

"I'll sign whatever you want! I'll be your slave, I'll work for free for the rest of my life!"

Sean shoved me away with pure revulsion.

"Maya, have you no shame?"

"Pulling lowlife stunts like this for money?"

I broke down, screaming through ragged sobs.

"Sean! It's me! I'm Minnie!"

"I'm the Minnie who spent the last two years with you online!"

"The red bracelet on your wrist—I made that for you! You called me baby every single night! Have you forgotten?!"

The entire cast and crew froze.

Sean paused for half a second before his face twisted into deep rage.

"Maya, you're out of your mind!"

"To leach off my fame, you dug into my private life and concocted this sick lie?!"

"My Minnie is gentle, kind, and sweet. She isn't a lying, cheating piece of garbage like you!"

He whipped out a voice recorder from his bag and pressed record.

"Go ahead, keep talking. I'm posting this online so everyone can see what a delusional psycho you are."

I shook my head frantically, tears streaming down my face.

"I'm not lying! You have a beauty mark on your left collarbone, and for our anniversary, you sent me—"

"Shut up! Security, get this crazy woman out of here!" Sean roared.

Half an hour later, Sean posted the recording directly to his Ins.

Caption: [Disgusting. Stay the hell away from me.]

The internet erupted. The vitriol aimed at me reached a fever pitch.

[Maya is crazy for clout! Claiming she’s his online girlfriend?!]

[Why hasn't this parasite disappeared from the face of the earth?]

Just then, my phone rang again.

It was the doctor.

"Maya... I'm so sorry. Your mother has passed."

The phone slipped from my numb fingers, landing softly in the mud.

My mom was dead.

The only tether tying me to this earth had snapped.

Like an empty shell, I stumbled toward the freezing river beside the filming lot.

This world was too vile. I couldn't do this anymore.

Meanwhile, at the premier electronics repair center downtown.

Sean slammed his hand onto the counter, pacing frantically.

"Is it fixed yet?! I'll double your fee!"

He hadn't heard from his "baby" in hours, and he was losing his mind with worry.

The technician finally handed the device back. "All done, Mr. Hayes. The logic board is fully restored."

Sean snatched the phone, powered it on, and immediately opened the app.

At the very top of his pinned chats, there were two unread messages.

The moment he read them, the ground beneath his feet crumbled.

[Shay, are you there? Please, I’m begging you, save my mom.]

[It's Maya.]