Chapter 3

A drop landed on the back of my hand, and it hurt enough that I hissed.

Preston rushed down from upstairs, grabbed my hand, and held it under the running faucet.

"Who told you to do this?"

[Here she goes again, pretending to be an independent woman.]

[Does she think the male lead will feel sorry for her if she does this?]

[Lol. He'll just think she's being weird.]

Preston pressed me onto the couch and gently applied ointment to my hand.

"Are you still angry?"

I didn't speak.

"There's really nothing between me and her.

"If you mind that much, I'll have HR transfer her to a branch out of town."

The comments exploded.

[No! If she gets transferred, how will the romance develop?]

[Don't worry. They're the official couple. Even if she gets transferred, they'll meet again.]

[The male lead will belong to the heroine sooner or later. Villainess, stop wasting effort.]

"No need. Arrange it however you want. That's your business."

Preston looked at me, hesitating.

He told me to sit still, then went to clean up the mess in the kitchen and finish making breakfast.

During breakfast, my phone vibrated.

It was an interview invitation.

Starlight Media.

The celebrity agency I had dreamed of joining after graduation, the one that worked with nothing but A-list stars.

And among them was my idol, Lucas Rhodes.

After I accepted the interview, I couldn't help smiling.

Preston noticed immediately. "Who are you texting?"

"An interview. I don't want to be a full-time housewife anymore."

I ate with a rare appetite.

Preston opened his mouth, then swallowed his words.

Maybe he didn't want to ruin my mood.

After breakfast, Preston went to the company. I changed out of my dress and put on pants I was used to wearing.

The interview went smoothly.

But for a company like Starlight, there would be at least a second and third round before anything was finalized.

In the days that followed, Preston seemed busier and busier.

He came home later and later.

Sometimes, there was a faint perfume on him that wouldn't wash away.

I knew Bethany had not been transferred.

But since I had decided we were walking different roads, I would focus on my own.

On my first day at work, my supervisor was a sharp, capable woman in her forties named Diane Cole.

"Mara, I've seen your work. Your composition has real ideas."

"Thank you, Diane."

"New hires start by following outdoor shoots. Can you handle hardship?"

"I can."

The new-hire period was rough.

Outdoor shoots meant wind, sun, and carrying equipment all over the city.

After one week, my face was a shade darker, and my shoulders had two red strap marks cut into them.

But I liked it.

The moment the lens focused, the whole world went quiet.

There was only light and shadow.

Only what I wanted to capture.

That day, I had just turned off the camera and sat down under the shade of a tree when Preston messaged me.

Honey, I have a business dinner tonight. Don't wait up for me.

Don't push yourself too hard. You've got me.

I had just started typing a reply when the comments became active again.

[The male lead is learning to lie for the heroine.]

[It looks like a business dinner, but he's actually helping the heroine move and set up their little home together.]

[The male lead cooking is so handsome! Domestic couple vibes! They're perfect together!]

Cooking.

He had never cooked for me.

When we first got together, he was so poor he had nothing. I felt sorry for him and took over cooking.

Later, when he became rich, he hired staff, so he had even less reason to do it himself.

But for that woman, he cooked with his own hands.

My eyes suddenly stung.

I put down my phone and didn't reply.

Preston came home close to midnight.

I lay on my side in bed with my eyes closed.

He walked in and bent down, wanting to kiss my forehead.

It was that same perfume again.

I rolled over and dodged him.

"Honey?"

"I'm tired. I'm sleeping."