ログインCHAPTER 14: WHAT HE DIDIvy's POVI found out by accident, the way most of the truth in this show ever reached me.Marcus mentioned it over breakfast, casual, like it was common knowledge. "Heard Callahan's been on the phone with legal for two days straight. Something about a scholarship."I set my fork down. "What?""Ethan's scholarship. The financial aid mess. Nate's the one who got it fixed. Called some board member directly, went over the producers' heads entirely." Marcus shrugged like this was nothing. "You didn't know?""No. I didn't know."I sat there a while after he wandered off, coffee going cold in front of me, turning the sentence over and over until it stopped sounding like something that could possibly be true. Nate hadn't mentioned a single word of it. Not a hint, not a lead-up, not even a moment where he'd looked like he was holding something back.I found him an hour later near the equipment tent, and I didn't bother with a greeting."You fixed Ethan's scholarship."
CHAPTER 13: THE COST OF WINNINGIvy's POVI called the financial aid office myself the next morning, and the woman on the other end read me a paragraph of legal language that took three tries before it made any sense."Wait," I said. "Say that part again. About the funding source.""Your brother's scholarship renewal is tied to a corporate sponsorship agreement," she said. "One connected to the university's media partnerships. It appears the terms were quietly restructured last month.""Restructured how?""I'm not authorized to go into detail. You'd need to speak with the sponsorship office directly."I already knew what that meant before I hung up. The show. The network. Somebody had buried Ethan's scholarship inside a contract clause, one more lever to make sure I stayed exactly where they wanted me, doing exactly what they wanted me to do.I didn't tell Nate right away. I told myself it wasn't his problem.He found me anyway, because he always did, sitting on the back steps with my
CHAPTER 12: TRUE FEELINGSIvy's POVThe stage lights were brighter than I expected. Hot, too, close enough to make my dress stick to my back before the host even opened his mouth."Live in five," someone called from off-camera. "Four. Three"Nate sat beside me, close enough that our knees almost touched, his jaw set in the way it got right before a game."You okay?" I whispered."Ask me after."The countdown hit zero. The host turned to us with a smile built for television."Ivy, Nate welcome to True Feelings. Tonight, one question each, live, no scripts. America's watching, and so is your castmate." He glanced at a card in his hand, and something in the shift of his expression told me this wasn't the question we'd rehearsed. "Ivy, let's start with you. Do you have real feelings for Nate?"The air left the room."That's that wasn't the question we prepped," I said, stalling, buying myself half a second I didn't have."Live television, Ivy. No prep tonight."I looked at Nate. He look
CHAPTER 11: OFF THE RECORDIvy's POVI found the one quiet corner backstage, a supply closet turned into a green room, and hid there for ten minutes trying to get my heartbeat under control before the segment started.The door opened. Nate slipped in and shut it behind him."You're not supposed to be in here," I said."Neither are you, technically.""I got here first.""Squatter's rights don't apply to reality TV closets."I almost laughed, but the nerves in his voice caught me off guard before the sound made it out. Nate Callahan didn't get nervous. Not visibly. Not like this, hands shoved in his pockets, shifting his weight like the floor might give out."You okay?" I asked."No." He huffed a short laugh, humorless. "Not even a little.""It's one question.""It's one question on live television in front of a few million people, about the one thing I don't actually know how to talk about.""Which is?"He looked at me like the answer was obvious, like I should already know."Ivy." He
CHAPTER 10: SHE KNOWS SOMETHINGIvy's POVCamila's words followed me all morning, sinking in deeper the harder I tried to shake them off.Ask him what he almost didn't do.I ran the sentence through my head during the group breakfast, during the outdoor challenge briefing, during a filming break where I sat by myself and stared at nothing for ten straight minutes."You're quiet," Marcus said, dropping onto the bench beside me. "Quieter than usual.""Just thinking.""About Callahan?""Why would you assume that?""Because it's always about Callahan lately." He grinned at my face and didn't push it further, thankfully, because I didn't have an answer that wouldn't have made things worse.By afternoon I still hadn't shaken it. Every time Nate looked at me, I found myself studying his expression, searching for whatever Camila thought I was too blind to see.I was still turning it over when he found me outside the mansion, two cups in hand, one held out toward me before he'd even said hello
CHAPTER 9: UNINVITEDIvy's POVThe announcement came during breakfast, delivered with the kind of forced enthusiasm producers only used when they knew a twist would blow up ratings."Please welcome our newest arrival," the host said on the monitor mounted above the kitchen. "Nate's ex, Camila Reyes."The room went quiet. I looked at Nate. His fork stopped halfway to his mouth, and every ounce of color drained out of his face."You're kidding," he said.Nobody was kidding.Camila walked in twenty minutes later, trailed by two producers and a camera crew that couldn't stop grinning. She was beautiful in the effortless way that made it impossible to hate her on sight, which somehow made it worse."Nate," she said, sweet as poison. "Long time.""What are you doing here?""I signed a contract. Same as everyone else." Her eyes slid to me, slow, assessing. "You must be Ivy. I've heard so much.""Can't say the same," I said.She smiled like that amused her.I didn't say a word for the rest of







