The Act True Story

Before I could shove my wife, Cheryl Craig, into the ocean, I turned myself in. The security guard frowned. "What? Are you saying that you're going to kill someone on this cruise?" I nodded. "It's 5:05 p.m. right now. In 20 minutes, I'll push my wife off this cruise ship. You need to arrest me, now." He stared at me like I had lost my mind. "You've got to be kidding! I've never seen anyone confess before the crime." He waved me off and started to walk away, so I had no choice but to start smashing things in the lobby. Only when the cuffs snapped around my wrists did I finally breathe again. In my last life, Cheryl was pushed off this very ship and fell into the ocean. Before I could even finish arranging her funeral, the police came for me. The ship's security footage clearly showed me pushing her overboard, but at that exact time, I was in a room with my father. There was no way I could've done it. I asked my father to testify for me, but he said I had already been planning to kill Cheryl for the insurance money because my company was falling apart. In the end, I was sentenced to death for murder. Even as I faced execution, I still couldn't understand it. I didn't do it, so why did everyone insist that I had? When I opened my eyes again, I was back to before Cheryl fell into the ocean.

One cruel prank. And two boys who could ruin her heart — or her entire life. Kailee Bennett never wanted the spotlight. Being mocked for her weight was enough, thank you very much. But when the mean girls trick her into the lead role of the school play, she’s suddenly the center of attention… Just when she’s ready to quit, her infuriatingly hot new stepbrother — offers her a deal: He’ll help her transform for the role and win the heart of her longtime crush, if she pretends to date him to make his ex jealous. The rules are simple: No real feelings. No telling anyone they live under the same roof. No kissing unless it’s for “practice.” But lines blur fast when her crush starts noticing her… And her step brother stops pretending. Now Kailee’s stuck between the boy she always wanted and the one who sees the fire beneath her insecurities. WHO WILL SHE CHOOSE?? And what happens when the act becomes something real?

I've been with an award-winning actor for seven years. We've been secretly married for five of those seven years. For the sake of his career, I drink so much that I get a stomach perforation. I also allow others to trample over my pride and dignity. Yet he goes on lakeside dates with another woman and kisses her underneath the fireworks. He even has the nerve to tell me not to be unreasonable. Later, I get caught in a landslide when I'm on a business trip. I make one last call to him in fear. All I hear is him singing his lover a birthday song. I ask for a divorce after losing hope in him. That's when he suddenly begs me not to leave. He even announces our relationship to the world on the day he wins an award. Our seven-year relationship is finally public, but I don't want it anymore.

When Ian Broker's childhood friend, Zoey Berg, hears that I have severe arrhythmia, she purposefully adds a strong dose of energy drink into my water. As soon as I drink the water, I feel my heart rate elevating rapidly. Heartwrenching pain instantly floods my chest. I quickly tear open the only pack of medication I have. Alas, that's when I realize that the water in my thermos flask has gotten swapped out with potent coffee. As soon as I took a sip out of my flask, my face goes eerily pale. Coldness floods my limbs as well, causing me to crumple to the floor as though I were paralyzed. Zoey keeps laughing at me to the point she has tears running down her face. "As expected of a theater student! You really are good at acting! I've been practicing medicine for so long, and I've never seen anyone suffering this much just by drinking some coffee!" I can only kneel before Ian in distress. My gums are on the verge of bleeding because of how tightly I'm gnashing my teeth together. "Ian, call the ambulance… I'm dying…" But Ian remains unperturbed by my condition. "That's enough, Daisy. Your performance will be far too dramatic if you keep this up. No one dies just by consuming a little coffee. "Besides, Zoey is a doctor. What can possibly happen to you with her around, anyway?" I no longer beg Ian for help. Instead, I draft an SOS text message and send it to someone else.

After years of investment from my company, my boyfriend finally broke into show business. At last, he won an Oscar. True to his promise, he married me. Then, during a backstage interview, he said, "It was transactional. I had to marry her in exchange for the funding." His braindead fans came after me soon afterward. They stalked me and, one day, poured sulfuric acid over my face. The attack left me disfigured. He sent me to the hospital, but that was just another part of his scheme. Before long, the world believed I had died from complications. When I returned to life, I decided to invest in someone else. After all, he was the only person who had mourned my death and given me a proper burial.

Whenever they played Truth or Dare, my boyfriend's childhood sweetheart, Clara would deliberately dare him to pull the same prank on me, and Ronan would always willingly play along: he would pretend to propose to me. The last time, I fell for it. I joyfully held out my hand, but a mechanism inside the ring snapped shut, and I cried out in pain. Ronan and Clara doubled over with laughter, ignoring my finger, which had been pinched purple. Afterward, Ronan pinned me against the wall and swore that this year, he would give me a real proposal. So when his bodyguards brought me to the private club where we first met, I changed into an expensive white silk gown, styled my hair, and applied my most exquisite makeup. I even played the touching scene out in my head, imagining myself nodding and saying yes. But as I pushed open the door to the VIP room, my heart pounding, someone threw a full glass of deep red wine in my face. It streamed down my chin and onto my gown. A woman's laughter erupted from the crowd. "I told you Aurora would show up, didn't I? Ronan, you lose!" Ronan walked over, looking resigned. He gently dabbed at my face with a napkin, his tone as soft as ever. "Dressed up just for me? A shame to ruin a good dress." "Clara dared me to bet on whether you would have the guts to come to our turf tonight. I bet that you would. The wager was this: if you didn't, I'd propose tomorrow. If you came, we'd have to wait another year." "Sorry, baby. Since you showed up, I guess we can't get married this year." The wine trickled down my collarbone, cold and sticky. I shivered. Suddenly, the whole thing felt utterly pointless. Our anniversary meant nothing compared to one of their pranks. Just like me. I could never win against Clara, his childhood sweetheart. I unclasped the simple silver bracelet, the one I'd worn for six years, from my wrist. "This is over. We're breaking up."