LOGINLaura’s POVA few days later, I officially resumed work at Starshot Studios.The moment I stepped onto the set, the familiarity of it all slowly wrapped itself around me. The cameras, the scattered scripts, the movement of crew members rushing from one side of the studio to another, the faint smell of coffee drifting through the air, and the occasional call from someone asking for a lighting adjustment. It was strangely comforting.For a few minutes, I allowed myself to forget everything else.I moved around the set, meeting the members of my cast and getting introduced to the people I would be working with over the next few months. I met the director, the assistant director, several members of the production team, and a few other people who would be involved in making the movie come together.Today was mostly about formalities.Tomorrow, we would begin rehearsals. After that would come the pre-shooting preparations, and the following week, I would officially begin shooting the movie.
Laura’s POVWhen I woke up, the first thing I noticed was the silence.The hotel room was quiet enough that I could hear the faint hum of the air conditioner above me. For a few seconds, I simply stared at the ceiling, confused about where I was. Then I remembered yesterday.Quinn.His confession.My hands tightened around the sheets.I turned my face away and squeezed my eyes shut, but it did nothing to stop the memories from returning. His voice. His expression. The way he had looked at me when he admitted that the accident hadn't been an accident at all.I sat up slowly.The digital clock on the bedside table read 1:07 p.m.I had slept that long?Apparently, my body had decided that thinking about my life could wait until after a twelve-hour shutdown.I rubbed my face and sighed.Quinn had built an entire relationship with me on a lie I hadn't even known existed.I couldn't keep doing this.I needed somewhere of my own.A house.Not Quinn's house. Not my father's estate. Not anywh
QUINN'S POVLaura had been gone for hours.And somewhere deep inside me, I already knew she wasn't coming back tonight.The thought sat heavily in my chest, refusing to move no matter how many times I tried to distract myself. I had checked my phone more times than I could count. Every few minutes, I found myself looking toward the entrance, almost expecting to see her walk through the door with that tired expression she wore whenever she had had enough of me.But she never came.I deserved that, I deserved every second of this silence.I had spent months controlling pieces of Laura's life without her even knowing it. I had manipulated circumstances, pushed people around her, and created a marriage that had never been built on the truth.And now the truth had finally come crashing down.How could I have done this to her?I dragged both hands through my hair and leaned back against the sofa.The irony wasn't lost on me.My revenge had worked.Hemsworth's career had taken hits. His perf
Laura’s POVThe food arrived, and I hated how my mouth watered the moment the plate was placed in front of me.I stared at it for a few seconds, almost offended by my own reaction. I had just spent the better part of the last hour feeling like my entire life had been ripped apart, and somehow my stomach had decided that this was the perfect moment to remind me that I hadn't eaten properly.Anto noticed.“You look like you're about to fight the food,” he said, leaning back in his chair.He laughed quietly, when I didn't answer.I didn't see anything funny.I took the first bite. It was good. Really good.That somehow made me even more irritated.I ate another bite, keeping my eyes on the plate while Anto remained across from me. He had been unusually quiet for the last few minutes, which I appreciated. The last thing I needed was someone interrogating me about what had happened.But apparently, he couldn't stay quiet forever.“You know,” he began, “you don't have to tell me anything yo
Laura's POVI drove without thinking.The estate disappeared behind me as I pressed harder against the accelerator, the roads blurring into streaks of gray and green. My hands gripped the steering wheel so tightly that my knuckles had turned white, but I barely noticed. My chest hurt far more than my fingers ever could.Quinn's words replayed over and over in my head like a song I couldn't turn off.It wasn't an accident.He had been watching me.He had planned everything.Every single thing.I swallowed against the lump growing in my throat.How much of my life had that man been controlling before he had even introduced himself to me?The anonymous messages.My marriage to Hemsworth.The accident.The proposal.The six-month agreement.Even Elena. For all I could know. He could be capable of anything!How many moments that I believed were fate had actually been nothing more than carefully arranged pieces on a chessboard?I let out a shaky laugh that sounded more like a sob."I was su
Laura's POVMy eyebrows lifted slightly as I studied Quinn's face. He looked... different. Tired. Guilty. Almost frightened."What exactly is going on, Quinn?" I asked gently, resting my hand over his. "You know you can tell me anything, right?"A small, sad smile crossed his face before disappearing just as quickly. He took in another deep breath, as though every word sitting inside him weighed a thousand pounds."That day... after you found out Hemsworth was cheating..." he began, his voice rough. "This is really hard for me to say."I rubbed slow circles over his shoulder, waiting patiently."You deserve better than me, Laura," he said quietly, unable to meet my eyes. "You know that, right?"My brows furrowed."What do you mean?" I asked softly. "Just tell me."He swallowed hard before reaching for both of my hands and holding them tightly between his."I need to let you go."For a second, I wasn't sure I had heard him correctly."What do you mean?" I asked again, my voice calm des
LauraThe beeping of the heart monitor was the only sound in the sterile VIP suite.I stared at the white ceiling, my side burning with a dull, throbbing ache. It had been three days. Three days since the surgeons took a piece of my liver and put it into my husband’s body.The door clicked open. I
LauraThe second I stepped onto the set of The Last Ember, every single person turned to look at me.My stomach immediately tightened.The massive soundstage buzzed with controlled chaos. Crew members rushed around carrying lighting equipment. Makeup artists stood near the trailers holding coffee c
LauraThe first thing I felt was the scent. It didn't smell like the sterile, bleach-heavy air of a hospital. It smelled like expensive oud, aged whiskey, and something dangerously masculine.I blinked my eyes open. The ceiling was charcoal grey, accented with soft, recessed LED lighting."You're a
Hold still, Laura. You’re wrinkling the lapel."Hemsworth slapped my hand away from his chest. His touch, which used to send butterflies erupting in my stomach, now just left a stinging coldness."Sorry," I mumbled, stepping back.He stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling mirror of our penthouse, a







