Chapter 2

"Hey, driver. Ms. Richmond wants you over there."

I was waiting in the car for Faith when someone suddenly called out to me.

She had come to the set to accompany Bridger. When I arrived, they were filming a scene where the male lead had to fall into the water.

It was late autumn, and the water was bitterly cold. Bridger stood by the pool with his arm around Faith, his voice soft and affected.

"Faith, I've always been weak since I was a kid—"

Faith immediately took his hand. "Don't worry. That's why I found you a stand-in."

Her eyes fell on me, and the staff turned to look as well. They all sneered without saying a word.

Only the director dared to speak up, "Ms. Richmond, I know you're worried about Bridger, but this scene is important. We can't afford to be careless. How can we just grab some help to fill in?

"We'd be better off having the older production assistant do it."

I looked down at the clothes I was wearing, washed so many times they had faded white, and had nothing to say.

Faith, however, was confident. "Just put some makeup on him."

When I came out of the makeup room, everyone was stunned.

"How can they look so alike?"

"Looks like Ms. Richmond really is crazy about Bridger. Even her driver looks like she picked him specifically to resemble him..."

The makeup covered the sickly pallor of my face, and for the first time in years, I looked a little like the young man I used to be.

They all thought Bridger and I looked alike, but no one knew that I'd known Faith for many more years than Bridger had.

"What are you waiting for? Jump. Don't keep Bridger waiting!" Faith was nestled against Bridger's chest, impatiently ordering me around.

I walked to the edge of the pool. Only then did I see how deep it was, cold mist curling off the surface. My body, already wasting away from a terminal illness, instinctively recoiled.

"I'm not feeling well, Ms. Richmond. Find a professional actor."

"You're a grown man. Why are you being so dramatic? It would take at least half an hour to find someone. Bridger needs to finish filming so he can have dinner with me."

Her gaze shifted to me, and the tenderness she'd shown Bridger turned cold in an instant. "Are you jumping or not? Do I need to find someone to push you in?"

A deep shiver ran through me. Her words alone made me feel as though I were trapped in an icebox, struggling to breathe.

I'd endured seven years of this. I could endure one last time.

Clenching my fists, I looked up at Faith. "Once I make this jump, we're even."

She frowned. "What do you mean?"

"Do you remember when we got married, and I borrowed $900,000 from you?

"For these seven years, I've been your assistant, your housekeeper, and your driver. I barely had a day off. If you add up the three salaries, you should have been paying me at least $10,000 a month!"

I pulled out the little notebook I always carried with me. Every single thing was recorded, down to the last detail.

"I'm risking my life with this jump. Charging you $3,000 isn't much. After this, the $900,000 will be completely paid off. Faith, there will be nothing between us anymore."

Before Faith could respond, I leaped straight into the pool. The icy water swallowed me instantly, numbing my consciousness and what little life remained in my failing body.

But I didn't struggle. I felt only the relief of finally being free as my body slowly sank.

Just as I was about to drown, a familiar figure wrapped her arms around me and dragged me to shore.

"August, are you insane? If we hadn't gotten to you in time, do you know you could have actually died?!"

Looking at Faith's panicked, furious face, I smiled. "You hate me so much. Wouldn't you be happy if I died?"

They didn't understand why Faith cared so much about me—just a driver—giving me CPR herself and helping me into the car.

Even Bridger looked jealous. He followed Faith with a dark expression.

"Couldn't you have someone else take him to the hospital? Faith, you promised you'd have dinner with me."