جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 50

It had been four years since Nikki and Sean broke up, and she hadn’t dated anyone since.More precisely, other than Sean, she had never even held another man’s hand.Luke’s hand was warm. His fingers were long, and his grip was gentle, neither too tight nor too loose. The moment he took Nikki’s hand, the surrounding lights came up. Two spotlights landed directly on them. The mood was perfect. The entire crew held its breath.Nikki lowered her head and looked at their joined hands. Then she suddenly frowned.“Why is your hand so warm? What’s your temperature?”Luke froze.“Probably normal?”“Your palm is sweating.” Nikki let go of his hand, turned it over, and checked his palm. Then she lightly squeezed his fingers. “That is a lot of sweat. Have you been drinking enough water? It is hot today, and excessive sweating can throw off your electrolytes.”She pulled an unopened bottle of water from her pocket and handed it to him.“Drink some water first.”Luke took the bottle and

A shout came from the entrance of the covered bridge. It rang through the entire set.Nikki’s body went rigid. She knew that voice too well. Slowly, she turned her head.Sean stood at the entrance of the bridge in a charcoal trench coat, black pants, and dress shoes. He looked completely out of place among the festival costumes and garden scenery.His eyes were bloodshot, and the look on his face was terrifying. Then he charged toward them like a man who had completely lost control.The photographer lowered the camera. The director froze with his mouth half open. The staff exchanged stunned looks.Only Nikki didn’t move. She stood there with Luke’s thumb still resting against her cheek.Sean moved so fast that before Nikki could react, he was already in front of her. The wind from his coat swept across her face.His eyes were red, like coals burning in a fire.Nikki had never seen Sean like this before. He had always been calm and controlled, the kind of man who buried ever

The slap landed with a sharp crack.Sean’s head turned to the side. A red handprint rose quickly across his face, stretching from his cheekbone to his jaw.He didn’t move, but his hand loosened. The moment Nikki had cried out in pain, he had let go almost immediately. He hadn’t meant to hurt her wrist.Nikki stared at his face. The red mark deepened before her eyes. The slap hadn’t been light. Her fingers were still stinging.But she didn’t regret it. That slap had been long overdue.“Sean Ford,” she said, “you make me sick.”Her voice trembled slightly.It carried four years of hurt and anger she had forced herself to swallow.All those sleepless nights, all those times she had buried her face in her pillow because she didn’t dare make a sound, had turned into this one burst of rage.She looked at Sean without a single tear in her eyes. There was no grief left. There wasn’t even hatred.There was only disgust.“Get out. Don’t ever come near me again.”Luke froze too. H

Luke realized he had said the wrong thing and tried to fix it.“No, that’s not what I meant. I mean—”Nikki’s expression turned cold.“You don’t need to explain. I’ll honor the contract. After this is over, we don’t need to keep in touch.”Luke’s expression froze. He stepped forward and reached for her.“No, Nikki, that’s not what I meant. You’re misunderstanding me.”“Let go of me.”The coldness in Nikki’s voice startled him, and he quickly released her.He regretted it immediately but it was already too late.Nikki didn’t tolerate this kind of thing. It was the same with everyone.The moment someone made her feel even the slightest bit uncomfortable, she cut them off without hesitation.Nikki and Luke returned to the wardrobe area.Jimmy was standing nearby with a cigarette. When he saw them come back, he blew out a stream of smoke and gave a mocking laugh.“See? I told you. Don’t throw a tantrum before you’ve made it. Once you’re famous, you can act however you want.”

Nikki lay on the ground. She could feel how close Sean was.If he moved even one finger, he would touch her but he didn’t. His entire body was tense, like a string pulled so tight it was about to snap. Was he holding himself back? Nikki forced herself not to overthink it.She reminded herself again and again that this was just a job. Actors did scenes like this all the time.They could do it. So could she.She closed her eyes and waited for Sean to kiss her.“Come on!” Jimmy shouted. “What are you waiting for? Kiss her!”Sean lowered his head.He was so close that he could see the fine texture of her skin. So close that her breath brushed against his face, warm and unsteady.His hand moved from beside her shoulder to the side of her face, blocking her from the camera. It was not in the script. He had added it himself.“I’m not going to touch you,” he said, his voice low enough that only she could hear.“The camera is on my back. It can’t see your face. Just close your e