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Get Out of the Cage
Get Out of the Cage
Author: Fortune Abundant

Chapter 1

Author: Fortune Abundant
After finishing her call, Melanie Roland returned to the set and joined the crew to observe the filming. At the moment, the camera focused on her boyfriend Ken Lambert in a kissing scene with actress Jennifer Knowles.

Ken's burning passion was evident as he locked lips with Jennifer. His tender, intimate expression was something Melanie had never seen before.

Before Jennifer appeared, Ken had always avoided intimate scenes for fear of upsetting Melanie. He would never film such scenes in front of her.

As Melanie recalled the past, a heavy weight settled on her heart. She suddenly found it difficult to breathe.

"Cut! That's it for today. Great work, everyone!"

The director called it a wrap, and cheers filled the set.

Ken's assistants immediately rushed over to drape a coat over him and hand him a thermos.

Melanie watched as he walked over, laughing and chatting with Jennifer. She numbly stepped aside to let them pass.

In the past, Ken claimed he was worried about damaging his career if he got into a relationship. With that in mind, Melanie agreed to be his secret girlfriend. This relationship lasted eight years. To this day, only his manager and a few of their friends knew.

Yet, while Ken went to great lengths to keep Melanie hidden and avoid any association with her, he was openly affectionate and sweet with Jennifer.

Too often, Melanie would argue with him over Jennifer. He would always brush it off, saying it was just part of the job and that she was being unreasonable.

The producer, Jeremy, came over to gossip with Melanie. "Ken and Jennifer's kissing scene looks so natural. It's like they're a real couple! So many people in the industry are saying they're actually dating. What do you think, Melanie? Could it be true?"

"I don't know…" Melanie mumbled.

"You're so indifferent! Anyway, you should focus on being a top-tier screenwriter and steer clear of Ken. There are so many shippers online accusing you of trying to steal someone's boyfriend. Doesn't that bother you?"

How could it not?

The online hate had nearly driven Melanie to depression. She had spent countless nights crying under her blanket. She had even asked Ken to make their relationship public, but he refused.

He got annoyed and pointed angrily at her, snarling, "What's your problem? Keeping it private is for your protection! You're plain, full of flaws, overly sensitive, and dramatic. If fans knew you were really my girlfriend, they'd scrutinize you every day! Could you handle that?"

Was keeping their relationship a secret really to protect her? Was she truly as terrible as he said?

Melanie began to wonder if Ken simply didn't love her enough to acknowledge her publicly.

Yet after rebuking her so harshly, Ken would embrace her tenderly, shower her with gifts, and appear so affectionate. In the end, she felt guilty for doubting his feelings. Caught between pain and self-loathing, Melanie found herself trapped in this toxic relationship.

That was until a few days ago when Ken, drunk, accidentally revealed the truth.

All these years, he had treated Melanie as Jennifer's substitute.

Bzzz!

Melanie's phone vibrated, pulling her out of her thoughts. Ken had sent a message.

[Baby, I miss you. Come over!]

Melanie bit her lip; she hesitated for a moment, but she ultimately decided to go to him.

When she was 17, her father lost his job and her mother was diagnosed with cancer. Their family was on the verge of falling apart. Ken had stepped in, paying a million for her mother's treatment and finding a job for her father.

Before her SATs, a drunk man nearly broke her right hand, but Ken saved her life and her future.

He had always been her hero.

Unfortunately, he was never a good boyfriend.

Melanie took a deep breath, put her phone away, and headed to his trailer. As soon as she entered, Ken leaned in to kiss her.

Melanie recognized the pattern. Jennifer must have thrown a tantrum again.

Every time Jennifer gave Ken the cold shoulder, he would shower Melanie with extra affection. After all, her face and eyes bore a striking resemblance to Jennifer's.

At the thought, Melanie was overwhelmed by a wave of nausea in her stomach. She instinctively pushed him away.

"I don't want this!"

Knowing she was just a stand-in, she could no longer endure such intimacy with him.

Ken froze, but didn't push further. Instead, he hugged her and rested his head on her shoulder with a pitiful expression.

"Thank goodness I have you. You're the only one who'll never leave me."

Melanie remained silent. She was leaving in seven days—she wasn't going to stay by his side forever.

Ken didn't pay any attention to her silence. He held her hand and frowned. "Why are your hands so cold? Leo, get Melanie some mango milk to warm her up!"

Melanie was allergic to mangoes. She had told Ken this more times than she could count, but he never remembered. Yet she didn't want to reject his kindness, so she had always taken allergy medicine and drank it anyway.

It was only recently that Melanie realized that he never forgot. Rather, he did it because mango milk was Jennifer's favorite drink.

Melanie lowered her gaze, hiding her disgust. "No, thanks. I don't want it."

Ken ignored her.

Soon, Leo brought the mango milk and relayed a message. "Ken, Ms. Knowles wants to go over the intimate scene with you."

"Great! I'll be right there!"

Ken's eyes lit up. He was so eager to leave that he nearly knocked Melanie over. Her purse fell to the floor, spilling its contents.

He quickly steadied her and bent down to pick up the scattered items. When he picked up a folded pregnancy test report, he froze.

"What's this?"
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  • Get Out of the Cage   Chapter 25

    "Yes!" Melanie agreed, delighted.Two years ago, she was afraid of being hurt by another man again. But Jamie taught her, cared for her, and made her inner strength grow.She liked him, so she chose to accept him wholeheartedly. That was all—that was enough. Meanwhile, as for Ken… The first time he set eyes on Melanie, she was only sixteen.She had been much too pitiful. Her resemblance to Jennifer, especially her eyes and eyebrows, made it impossible for him to leave her.Out of sympathy, Ken helped her parents and her. At that time, he had no ulterior motives. He simply helped because he saw someone in need.After being rejected by Jennifer time and again, he was deeply hurt. And then, when eighteen-year-old Melanie looked at him, her eyes betrayed an undeniable affection.So when Jennifer rejected him for the umpteenth time and went abroad, Ken chose to confess to Melanie. At first, he never intended to make her a replacement—he just wanted to have a relationship and for

  • Get Out of the Cage   Chapter 24

    Ken's few good friends, including Wayne, were all from the industry.Before, they had been living quite comfortably by relying on Ken's company. Now that he could no longer take care of himself, their lives had only gotten worse.They tried every way they could to meet Melanie.Those who had once mocked her, calling her a country bumpkin, were now shamelessly groveling and wagging their tails like dogs."Melanie, we've met before. Not sure if you remember? I've always admired your work, especially this movie. I absolutely love it!""Yes, yes, yes! To be able to write such a masterpiece, Melanie, you're truly amazing!""At such a young age, to have this kind of talent, your future is boundless..."Melanie didn't even look up. "I don't remember sending them an invitation. Who let them in?"Security immediately entered, repeatedly apologizing and dragging the intruders out.After this incident, any industry-related event would automatically exclude Ken, Jennifer, and Wayne from t

  • Get Out of the Cage   Chapter 23

    Ken looked at her with a complicated expression. "How did you become like this? You're so unfamiliar now, I almost couldn't recognize you. You were always so gentle, considerate, and kind. You're always caring about me. You...""If being praised for being gentle, considerate, and kind means being constantly suppressed and exploited by you, then you should keep those compliments for yourself," Melanie cut him off.She now preferred to be praised for being confident, beautiful, knowledgeable, and capable, rather than being described as obedient and virtuous.Her transformation was too great, and her response was something Ken hadn't anticipated. He stared at her, momentarily speechless and unsure of what to say.Melanie didn't wait for his reply and got into the car with Jamie and the others.A group of people shamelessly showed up at her place to mooch a meal.While she was cooking, no one acted like Ken, sitting back and behaving like a king. The kitchen was large enough for ev

  • Get Out of the Cage   Chapter 22

    "Grace is better as the female lead," Jack said."No, it should be Emily!" Timothy argued.They argued so fiercely that they nearly started fighting. They both turned to Melanie and said, "Melanie, what do you think? We'll listen to you!"Melanie rarely had to make such a big decision, and she looked nervously at Jamie.He gently cupped her face and tilted it back. "Why are you looking at me? You're the creator of all the characters. When it comes to this, your choice is unquestionable!"Melanie nervously gripped her clothes. "But what if the one we choose doesn't perform well?"Jamie waved it off. "If it doesn't work, we'll replace them. What's there to be afraid of? I'm one of the investors. If anyone's unhappy and wants to withdraw their investment, I can cover it. These are non-issues!"He always exuded confidence as if nothing ever caused him doubt or fear.Melanie looked at him, and her heartbeat began to slow down."In that case, I'd like more options. The two actresses

  • Get Out of the Cage   Chapter 21

    Melanie was stunned still as she listened to Jamie.Then, suddenly, a wide smile bloomed on her face. Jamie was right. No one could trap her—only her thoughts could. She had already broken up with Ken. She shouldn't let the past control or limit her anymore.All of a sudden, she felt lighter. "How about we have barbecue at my place?" she suggested to Jamie. "I'm not really used to the food here.""Sure, what do we need to prepare? I'll help you out."Jamie wasn't just saying it. While Melanie prepared the ingredients, he helped her the whole way through.As she watched his handsome profile, for the first time, she felt her heart race. Her pulse quickened with each passing moment. She nervously shifted her gaze away.But as she turned her head, Jamie looked down and smiled.After enjoying the barbecue together, Jamie helped clean up before leaving.The smell of the barbecue lingered in her mouth. Melanie was in a good mood, thinking about how she could have barbecues more of

  • Get Out of the Cage   Chapter 20

    Jamie glanced at Melanie before speaking to Timothy and Jack. "My colleague here is a bit shy, so you two should stop acting all profound. You're scaring her!""I'm not pretending to be profound. I'm just completely captivated! My god, you really are as good as he's claimed in the past! It's been a long time since I've been this infatuated with a script!" Timothy praised loudly.Jamie tilted his chin upward. "If you had read all her scripts, you'd know she's even more impressive than you think."Jack struggled to look away from the script. Finally, he lifted his gaze. "I have a feeling that when this film is released, thousands will be mesmerized by her talent. She's like a goddess who uses her imagination to create an utterly dazzling world!"Jamie high-fived him. "That's exactly what I thought when I saw her first work. She's a genius!"Timothy clapped. "I'm going to assemble the team right now. Melanie, you're just too amazing. It's such a shame I'm only getting to know you n

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