“Hey,” he called softly, his eyes caressing her as she sauntered over. “You look exhausted. After we're done here, do you want to see a movie?”Rina chuckled lightly. “Maybe some other time. I'm just so exhausted that I need to drop into my bed the minute I leave here.”“What about the weekend? You said the girls don't have to come in then since they've worked hard this week. Should we see the movie then? I can book the tickets beforehand, or better still, we can stay back at my house and just catch your favorite series. What do you say?”“Er…”“You don't have to give me an answer now,” he was quick to point out, hearing the impending rejection in her voice. “The weekend is still two days away so you can think about it all you want.”“Joel, the movie sounds nice but…”“I can't take a no from you.” Although, he said it lightly, there was no disputing the fact that he meant it. She didn't want to be rude, but Rina thought there had to be a way out of this. It wasn't because she couldn'
Rina walked back onto the runway with her phone clutched in her palms and her eyes stuck between excitement and anxiety. She sat beside Joel as he rounded up his address with the girls, then appreciated them for their hard work one last time.“We will meet again tomorrow for the last time this week,” she announced to the girls when Joel was done talking. “Rest up. You don’t have to come in early, but I expect us all to be here by 6 pm. Are we fine with that?”“Yes, Powers.”“I understand that this arrangement might be keeping us from a lot of things, and I apologize for that, but the moment we have this fashion show behind us, we can take a week's break to recharge before resuming back at the fashion house. So, let’s give this our best shot for O.S.N fashion house.”The models were fine with that arrangement, ecstatic even. Their debut with the O.S.N fashion house had brought more to them than they could ever have gotten with their infrequent freelance deals and because of that, they
“What are we going to do?” Rina said, with panic in her tone. A smile played on Zayn’s lips as he interestingly watched her close her eyes and take a deep breath. She opened them a second later, set in grim determination. She’d done that thing she always did when she needed to get out a fix, employing her acting skills, which Zayn was greatly relying upon to get them through the next five years of their fake marriage.But it was way too early for her to use it, as far as Zayn was concerned, and he wasn’t going to let her go out of her way to cover up something that honestly, he was getting tired of keeping away from the world.The smile on Zayn’s face grew wider as Joel got closer. He’d already noticed Zayn’s car and was approaching them, probably to confirm if Rina was fine. Zayn counted the seconds, and Rina put her hands on the car lock. He knew she was going to pull it open when Joel came around, offering some explanation she already thought of in her head.But Zayn had a better s
Zayn didn’t go into the cottage like he always did. He leaned over to click off the seatbelt from Rina’s body, feeling her take a sharp deep breath. When he leaned away, her cheeks had turned red, and there was a sudden silence in the air.“You aren’t coming in?” Rina asked quietly when she realized he hadn’t unbuckled his belt too.“No,” he answered, shaking his head. “There’s something I have to do tonight. I’ll call you when I get home.”“Something?” She was being clingy and Rina recognized that fact. But she was unable to help it, and honestly, she wasn’t even trying not to sound or feel clingy. She was just too exhausted from either trying too hard or trying too little.But at the same time, she was certain that it was all going to be over the moment she walked into the cottage. Rina just needed to be out of Zayn’s presence to think straight. There was something about being in his presence that made every other thing melt away. She tended to forget the reason why she needed to pu
Rina stretched out on her bed, yawning noisily as her eyes slowly got accustomed to the light. She stared at the clock by her bedside, her eyes widening as she realized it was noon already. It had been a while since she’d last had her morning to herself. And Rina had to admit that it sure did feel good.Rising slowly from her bed, Rina started her day, taking as much time as she could. She walked gently from her room to the kitchen, brewing a glass of coffee to begin the day. She took it while staring out from her kitchen window, watching the sun tease nature gingerly, the rays highlighting every hidden path in the woods beyond.She was tempted to go for another cup, but Rina knew there was something called a caffeine high. So, instead, she made a quick pan of scrambled eggs and grabbed the bread she had purchased the last time she went grocery shopping, which was only about two days ago.Settling back in the living room, she turned on the TV to see a movie while munching on her break
Rina got to the fashion house exactly ten minutes before 6 pm and headed straight for the runway. The models were there already, much to Rina’s delight, looking well-rested and better than they’d looked the last time. They welcomed her with anticipation on their faces.She searched for Rita amongst the faces, smiling at her when she saw her laughing with another model, her blonde hair catching in the light. It was a great sight to behold, and it made Rina glad she had asked them to return home that day.Dropping her purse in front of the room, Rina gathered them together to remind them of all that Joel had said the previous day, as well as the areas they ought to be looking at improving on. They were going to be walking with the music now, and she expected them all to remember that they were walking in beat with it, and that would affect how long they were meant to wait for the model on the runway before they stepped into it. It needed to be uniform.Joel poked his head in and muttere
But Zayn didn’t come to pick her up. Instead, he sent William early the next morning. He bowed as she sauntered out of the building with a huge smile on her face that immediately flattened out when she realized it wasn’t Zayn.“Good morning, Ma’am,” William greeted, walking around to open the door and helping Rina get in.She waited for him to get behind the wheel before asking. “Why isn’t Zayn picking me up?”“He had to be at the office really early,” William explained. “And he said he wants to have breakfast with you before you go back to the cottage so I’m taking you to a breakfast spot.”Rina nodded, and leaned her head against the headrest, staring at the traffic as it went by. It was barely 6 am, yet the whole world seemed to be awake already, going about their activities, oblivious to the lives of others. Rina thought about oblivion and how much it could make a person insensitive to the feelings of another.It was just like when she was lied against and had all those rumors thr
Rina couldn’t breathe. No. She didn’t want to. It was hard to imagine what it felt like without this moment etched in her memory, clawed so deep that it would be hard to uproot it. She stayed that way, memorizing every bit of the moment, from the smell of his skin to the silent whispers of his clothes as it kissed hers softly.And even when her phone vibrated in her pockets, it didn’t register to Rina. Her eyes remained closed, lost in the feeling of being held, and the notion of being protected. The last few minutes had been unpredictable, and even though it was weird that she found stability here, in Zayn’s arms, she refused to think about it on the spot.Zayn pulled her impossibly closer to himself. Fear had never been an emotion he’d felt before. Even his father used to say there was nothing that scared Zayn Graham, right from his infancy. He’d always taken things head-on, only bothering about the consequences later, when he was done with it.But the minute he’d heard that William
EpilogueFive Months Later"With all the evidence presented before me, I have every reason to believe that Mr. Nathan Graham is guilty of a three-count murder charge, blackmail, money laundering, threats, and drug dealing," the judge declared.The courtroom was thick with tension. Every breath, every movement was weighed down by anticipation. Nathan sat stone-faced, but his eyes burned with malice as he glared at Rina, promising vengeance even from behind bars."I hereby sentence Mr. Nathan Graham to life imprisonment with hard labor."Gasps echoed through the room. Nathan clenched his fists as the reality of his fate sank in. His gaze flickered to his parents, searching for even a shred of sympathy. There was none. Instead, their stony expressions confirmed what he had failed to realize before—his parents had been backing Rina all along. The betrayal hit him harder than the sentence itself."I don’t think—""Counsel, please remove your client. Any further disruptions will only worsen
Four Months LaterRina's routine had become predictable—home, hospital, repeat. She had no time for idle conversations or anything that didn’t offer practical solutions.In the midst of everything, she and Mrs Graham had developed an unspoken understanding, rotating their hospital visits so they could each get some rest. Despite their initial differences, the situation had bonded them.That evening, Rina glanced at the time on her phone. She should already be home preparing dinner. Cooking had become her form of therapy—a temporary escape from the overwhelming reality she faced. Besides, her pregnancy cravings were relentless, and hunger gnawed at her stomach every now and then.Her phone rang again, and she already knew who it was."Rina, I know you're about to start cooking up a storm," her mother-in-law's warm but concerned voice came through. "Why don't you take a break? Zayn wouldn't want you overexerting yourself."Rina smiled slightly, though fatigue weighed on her bones. She a
"Rina, I think you need to pick up the phone.”Rina barely acknowledged the George’s words, lazily reaching for her ringing phone at the edge of the bed. She sighed, half-expecting it to be Nathan again.“Yes?” she answered, her voice sharp with irritation.“This is the Central Hospital. Am I speaking with Miss Rina?” a formal yet urgent voice asked.Her brows furrowed. “Yes, this is Rina.”“Mr. Zayn Graham has been involved in an accident, and we require your immediate presence before proceeding with a blood transfusion and other treatments. Can you come?”The words hit her like a freight train.Rina’s breath caught in her throat. Zayn.Never had she imagined she’d find herself in this situation—standing on the precipice of something irreversible.“I’ll be there immediately,” she said, her voice shaking.She grabbed the first set of clothes she could find and rushed out of the house, her heart pounding with dread.She arrived at the hospital in record time, barely aware of how she go
Zayn watched as Rina packed her belongings with sharp, deliberate movements. Her scowl was the only warning he needed—she wasn’t in the mood to listen. He wanted to tell her the truth, to explain everything, but he knew it wouldn’t matter right now.Instead, he pulled out his phone and dialed Igor If she wanted to leave, he wasn’t going to stop her—not like this.“Take her home safely,” he instructed, his voice void of emotion.Rina clenched her fists. He wasn’t even going to fight for her. That hurt more than the betrayal itself.She had wasted her time on him. She should have known he was like every other man.A few hours later, she was back to her cottage sitting in silence. The worst part? He hadn’t even tried to defend himself. He had just… let her go. That made it worse—worse than the rumors, worse than Nathan’s revelations, worse than the pictures she had seen online.Nathan, at least, was there to fill in the blanks. He was the only one who seemed to care enough to tell her wh
The days following Kayla Reese’s exposure were nothing short of chaotic.News outlets, social media platforms, and tabloids were flooded with updates about her arrest and the Reese family’s collapse.#JusticeForRina and #KaylaReeseExposed trended for days, while old interviews, articles, and videos surfaced—showing how Rina had suffered for years because of Kayla’s actions.Netizens Demanded JusticeIn comment sections across social media, apologies to Rina Powers poured in."I feel so ashamed. I was one of the people who dragged her. I'm so sorry, Rina.""I can’t believe we turned against her for so long. This woman went through HELL.""We owe Rina an apology. She deserves the world."But netizens weren’t just apologizing—they were also going after the young actors who had lied against Rina three years ago."So now that Kayla is exposed, WHERE are the actors who lied about Rina?""I hope those ‘up-and-coming’ actors are ready to face consequences.""We need those fake witnesses to co
Despite the man’s confession reversing his previous statement, a significant portion of Kayla’s fans and other netizens refused to believe him. The sudden shift in his stance made them skeptical.“How does a man go from accusing Rina to suddenly defending her in 24 hours?”o9“She probably paid him off. The timing is too suspicious.”“Rina has finally bought her way out of this. What’s new?”The hashtags #RinaIsAWitch, #RinaIsAManipulator, #RinaIsEvil, and #RinaIsAHeartlessFriend surged to the top of trending lists. The internet was once again divided, and Kayla’s camp felt victorious.“We’re back in control,” Damien smirked, taking a sip of his drink as he scrolled through the hate comments directed at Rina.Kayla, lounging on the sofa, smirked. “Of course, we are. People believe what they want to believe. And right now? They want to see Rina suffer.”Just as they were about to toast to their small victory, Damien’s phone buzzed with a notification. His smirk vanished instantly.Kayla
George stared at his phone for a moment, then sighed. He knew better than to question Zayn Graham’s methods. The man was always ten steps ahead of everyone else, and if he said he’d handle it, then the situation was about to take a dramatic turn.Sliding his phone back into his pocket, he turned to Rina. She was still staring at the screen, her face unreadable.“What was that about?” she asked, her voice calm but laced with suspicion.“Just a call I had to take,” George said smoothly, not daring to mention Zayn’s name. “Listen, Rina, I know things look bad right now, but we still have a shot at turning this around. We just need—”“We need proof,” Rina cut in, her gaze shifting to him, sharp and determined. “I don’t care about public opinion anymore. I want the truth out there. I want that man exposed, and I want Kayla to rot for what she’s done.”George hesitated. “Rina…”“No.” She stood, pushing back her chair. “I’ve played nice for too long. I let people walk all over me, let them d
As George stepped out of the room, Rina glanced at the clock. It was nearly time for her planned livestream. She’d decided earlier that morning to address her fans directly, to try and regain control of the narrative.She sat in front of her ring light and adjusted her camera, her heart racing. For someone used to the spotlight, this felt different. This wasn’t a red carpet or a press event—this was her, raw and vulnerable, speaking directly to the people who had the power to either support her or tear her down.After a deep breath, she hit the “Go Live” button. Within seconds, thousands of viewers flooded in, the chat scrolling rapidly with a mix of messages:“We’re with you, Rina!”“Is it true what they’re saying?”“Why didn’t you address this sooner?”“Hi, everyone,” she began, her voice steady despite the storm raging inside her. “I know there’s been a lot said about me in the past few days. I wanted to take a moment to speak to you directly, without any filters or edits.”Just as
The mornings sun was up and lovely. Rina looked outside her bedroom, wondering how her life had become this way, especially after she had reminded herself of many reasons why she shouldn't get romantically involved with any man because of what she had faced in the past. But here she was contemplating how she was going to make the most of her relationship with Zayn. She couldn't deny the passion that she felt after kissing him and knew that lying to herself was useless at this point. If she could turn back the hands of time, she probably wouldn't have taken that offer, but now she had no choice but to live with it. Pretending that they had never kissed was the coward's way out which she didn't want to take. She prided herself on being an adult who could make her decisions and stick to them but right now she didn't think she fit that category because of every emotion she felt in the last few minutes. Something was wrong with her and it was her duty to find out.Tired of hiding inside