Chapter 3

One year, and five months later.

Ethan took a sip of his tea, enjoying the jasmine flavor of it as he made his way out of the last set.

He had just wrapped up a movie he was shooting ten minutes ago, and was feeling great about it.

His phone suddenly chimed. He looked down to find that it was his agent, telling him he just landed the role he had auditioned for months ago. A role every big shot actor was vying for.

He grinned. Just what he needed. His career has been stuck for a while after that one scandal between Jane, and him. It just started picking up after his last appearance on a series, and he wanted to keep it that way.

“Can you believe it?” Chester, the director of the movie they had just finished shooting, was speaking to one of the writers as Ethan entered.

“She’s a rising star. We need her in one of our movies.”

“Need who?” Ethan asked as he came to stand beside them.

“Laurie-Ann. Look” he pointed up at the TV.

Ethan’s stomach tightened when he heard that name. It had been a year and five months since their divorce, and this was the first time he was seeing her again.

“What’s going on?” he asked.

“Listen.” Chester said, pointing at the Tv

“Thank you, Andy.” She said in response to whatever the interviewer had asked. “I had a great time shooting the movie. You know before I got into acting, people always said Hollywood isn’t kind to women, and maybe that’s true, but I can’t relate to this sentiment. I had a great time with these big stars. They treated me like family. It made me realize that sometimes the people that claim to protect you are really just afraid of what you would become.”

Her words sounded familiar. He had been the one to tell her about it when she had been determined to pursue acting. A wave of shame washed over him. He could not believe how big she had gotten after two movies.

“Lovely to hear,” The interviewer said, and the audience clapped.

“What was the best part of this role? What made you decide to take it?”

Laurie-Ann laughed. The sound hitting him in the chest.

After all this year, he still remembered the sound of her laughter. Hollywood had not changed it.

“Um,” she stared at the camera, but Ethan felt like she was staring at him.

“It spoke to me. The concept of unrequited love is something I am very familiar with.” Her eyes glossed over for a moment as if she was recalling something.

“Also, the character Taylor Passé was such a unique perspective, I knew I had to be her. She was the other woman without realizing that she was, and she had gone crazy…crashed out when she found out about George’s affair. It was a satisfying role to play. She was an anti-hero, and in some way, I wished I had been her during my um, situation.”

“Beautiful, just beautiful, but I have to ask, do we know this man? Could it possibly be your ex-husband?”

Ethan’s ears perked up to hear this. She laughed, but it was obvious to him it was a nervous laughter. “Um, no comment on that one.”

Her words struck Ethan in the chest like a bullet.

“Did this man ever apologize for leading you on?”

“No, and I doubt he ever will, but it doesn’t matter now, I have moved on.”

“Were you by any chance pregnant like the main character was? Sorry that it's personal, but the audience is nosey.”

“NO comment.” She said, and it was like the world stopped.

Ethan’s eyes widened when he heard that, his ears ringing. It was just what she said, it was the way she had rubbed her stomach.

Had she maybe been pregnant when he had divorced her?

Ethan turned out the rest of the interview, his mind taking him back to the day he had finally given her the divorce papers. She had been so cold, and had not asked anything from him. At that time, he hadn’t cared at all, all he had wanted was to be with the love of his life, Jane, but little did he know what awaited him in the future.

“Hey, isn’t she your ex-wife?” Chester turned to him. He nodded uncomfortably.

 “You think you can get her number for me?” he asked, interrupting him.

“Um, I have to go.” Ethan muttered, dropping his cup of tea on the table, and walking out of there, his heart racing for reasons he didn’t want to admit yet.

Seeing her again after a year and a half was brutal especially since she was now a huge star.

 Her words stung too. He didn’t matter to her anymore, but that wasn’t the part that made a pit form in her stomach. It was the fact that she might have been pregnant when they had gotten divorced, and hadn't told him.

It was insane what he was about to do, but he didn’t care. This had been a long time coming.

He was going to see her. He was going to see Laurie-Ann

……

As soon as Ethan landed in LA, he made his way to Vivian Darlon’s mansion.

Vivian opened the door, dressed in her usual expensive silk suit with her dog in hand.

“What the hell are you doing here?” she spat as soon as she saw him.

“I know you don’t want me here, hell, I am not sure what I am doing here, but please can I see Laurie?”

“Over my dead body.” She spat at him, her voice carrying venom.

“Please, I just want to talk.”

“About what? You think you can eat your cake, and have it? Go back to your wife, and leave my goddaughter alone. She is thriving without you. Please let her be, and stay away from her.”

With that, she closed the door in his face, leaving Ethan feeling stupid.

He wasn’t even sure why he had come here. All he knew was that he needed to talk to her. After that interview with her, he had felt the need to apologize. The way she had stared at him through the TV had broken him. He did not realize how much damage he had done to her until today.

Just then, his phone rang, and he looked down. It was his agent.

“Hey, man, you have a meeting with the director next week. Be ready.”

“Thanks, Lee,” Ethan said and hung up.

He took one look at the mansion and made his way back home.

He thought about sharing the good news with Jane, but he could not help but wonder if it would even matter. Nothing was ever good enough for her.