What a sick joke. Now was the time for Thomas to jump out from behind the curtains, yelling ‘surprise!’ Lacey’s laughter had subsided. Not because she felt calm, but because she knew if she continued, she would end up crying. And Lacey only cried when she was sad. At that moment she was devastated, but she wasn’t sad. She couldn’t be sad.
Manipulate… crazy… safety… left… divorce. Thomas’ words from the press conference were stuck in Lacey’s head in fragments.
“Thomas got a divorce because I’m a cheater and a manipulator.” Lacey repeated those words over and over, thinking that if she did that, they would actually become real. Or maybe she was a cheater and just didn’t realize it. A manipulator too. Or else, why would Thomas say she was those things?
Where Lacey was on the floor, she put her head to the ground. There was nothing to do. If she called her friends, they would only try to comfort her. Maybe some of them were laughing at her situation. Scrolling through social media was out of the question. From the brief time she went on to try and contact Thomas, she saw hundreds of comments on her page, and none of them had said anything nice to say.
Fans of Thomas were calling her all sorts of vile words. Those things hurt her, but only a bit. Afterall, those people leaving the comments didn’t truly know her. But Thomas did, and he’d said these things about her.
The ground was cool against her cheek. Staying there for a few more moments wouldn’t be bad, right? Agreeing with that, Lacey remained there, cheeks pressed against the floor, and replaying Thomas’ words in her head. Not just from the press conference, but from conversations spanning back years.
The first time they met, the day he first asked her out—Lacey refused the first time because she wanted to see if Thomas would chase her—the second time he asked her out—this time, she said yes—the first time Thomas told Lacey he loved her, the first time Lacey told Thomas she loved him, the day he asked her to marry him, the day they got married, their one month anniversary, celebrating birthdays together.
Numerous conversations, even ones that felt like a memory, hadn’t carried any warning about the future betrayal she was going to face. The heartbreak that came with losing a loved one wasn’t a feeling Lacey expected to face so soon. And definitely not with Thomas.
It went to show how things didn’t always go as planned. Maybe those classmates who called her crazy for getting married so young were right.
It seemed like only a few minutes had passed when Lacey heard the passcode to her door being inputted. Abruptly sitting up, she scrambled to her feet. Thomas! It had to be him. It was a crazy dream after all.
That excitement and hope was short lived as the door opened to reveal three people, with none of them being Thomas.
“Lacey! I was scared we would meet your lifeless body. Oh, thank goodness.”
Adi was the first in the room, then Sangah, then Maddy. Lacey stood facing her three best friends, who wore similar expressions of pity.
Maybe it was seeing people who confirmed that everything up until that point had in fact been reality, and not a crazy scenario she made up, or because the tear dams in Lacey’s eyes had reached their limit and couldn’t hold back anymore. Whatever it was, as soon as the tears started flowing, nothing could stop it.
“Lacey, honey.”
After that moment, Lacey had no idea what was going on. She only felt herself being pulled in a hug and being enveloped by a flowery smelling perfume. Maddy. Someone else was patting her back. The small hand felt like Sangahs’. Adi was stroking her hair. It should have felt uncomfortable, but to Lacey, it was like being placed in a protective box, where nothing could hurt her.
“I’m fine now, guys. I won’t cry anymore.”
Amidst the trio’s protests, Lacey moved out of the protective box, and back to her former position on the floor. Her friends gathered around her.
“Tell us what happened, Lace.”
“Let her calm down first, Adi.” Maddy berated her brother.
“It’s fine, Mads.” Lacey tried to smile, but it came out as a wince. “About what happened, I wish I could say.”
Interpreting Lacey’s words as her trying to hide the truth from them, Sangha said, “Don’t try to protect that asshole, Lace.”
Shaking her head, Lacey explained, “No, it’s not like that. I really wish I could say what happened, but I have no freaking clue. For the time Thomas was gone, I didn’t hear from him at all.” Her head was bowed as she felt bad for all the lies she told them. “When I told you guys he was doing great, I only knew that because of his social media posts. He never contacted me.”
They all grew silent, until Adi asked, “Why didn’t you tell us?”
“I was embarrassed, okay? He acted weird on the day of our six month anniversary, but I wrote it off as him being tired. The next day, he was gone. That was the last time I saw or heard from him. Until today.”
“None of his accusations are true, right?”
Adi smacked Sangah’s arm lightly at her question. “Do you even have to ask? Not to be that person, but we’ve always thought that there’s something off about him.”
Lacey didn’t respond to that. Her friends have always been open about their dislike for Thomas, only putting up with him because of her.
“In that case, why don’t we expose the lying asshole on social media?” Sangah asked, already taking out her phone. Before she could proceed with her plan, Maddy grabbed the phone from her.
“Have you seen the way his fans attack anyone who remotely tries to support Lacey? They’ll devour you. Let Adi do it instead. He has more influence than any of us.”
Adi was already nodding at his sister’s suggestion.
Lacey had quietly listened to her friends’ back and forth. “I love you guys and I know you’re trying to look out for me, but can everyone leave? I want to be alone.”
“Call us if you need anything.”After one last group hug, Lacey’s friends got up and left. Sangah lingered by the door for a few seconds, even after Adi and Maddy were gone. “None of this is your fault.”Those parting words did nothing to soothe Lacey’s heartache, but she forced on a smile for her friend’s sake. With all of them gone, Lacey pulled herself up from the ground and went into hers and Thomas’ room. Well, it was just her room now. It was already 3 in the afternoon, but Lacey hadn’t had her bath yet. From when Thomas called her, up until this point, about five hours had gone by. Moving on autopilot, Lacey didn’t put in a lot of effort as she took a quick bath, nor did she pay any mind to the clothes she wore. The thought of carrying on as if her life hadn’t just been disrupted made her want to puke. It was at 3:48 that the doorbell rang. Lacey knew the specific time because she had been scrolling through her gallery, looking at pictures of her and Thomas. The sound made h
“Lace. Lace.”Lacey woke up to someone shaking her. Her eyes seemed to have been shut close. A crick in her neck caused her to groan as she opened her eyes with some effort. There was also a hint of headache.Maddy was on her knees next to her. When did she arrive? “Was going to let you sleep, but that position looks uncomfortable. Did you have a good sleep?”“Hmm.” Lacey could say it was a good sleep because she didn’t dream of anything. Looking towards the open curtains, the sky outside had darkened. “When did you get here? How long was I asleep for?” She asked, sitting upright. To the left then to the right, Lacey twisted her neck to try to shake out the crick. Maddy tapped on her phone once before answering. “Just after 9 p.m. I got here twenty minutes ago. What time did you sleep?”Although she didn’t specifically have a time for when she fell asleep, Lacey knew that Thomas and Eliza left around 4, and her manager called a few minutes later. It wouldn’t have taken her long to en
Lacey stood to the side as Adi made a mess of her wardrobe. Not really a mess, but clothes were flying left and right, while Adi made occasional commentary like, ‘Nope’ or ‘Why the hell do you have this?’As a smart choice, Lacey refrained from revealing that most of her clothes were stuff Thomas liked or bought for her. Really, she’d never had any reason or thought of impressing any man but him. As for dressing up for herself, it wasn’t something Lacey took great interest in. Her fashion taste was limited to throwing on a simple outfit of jeans and tee, and carrying on with her day. But according to Adi, that wasn’t going to cut it anymore. “Seriously.” Adi let out a fully-loaded sigh, shooting a glare at Lacey. “There’s nothing to wear.”That could be said to be a half-truth. Sure, there were tons of clothes, but a lot of the fancy ones were bought by Thomas, and if she had to wear a dress bought by him to what was meant to be a party to forget him, then Lacey would rather stay at
TWO YEARS LATER.“If anyone has any reason why these two shouldn’t be joined together in matrimony, speak now or forever—”The priest hadn’t even finished reading his part when someone in the congregation cried out, “I do!” and a woman rushed forward. Her face was hidden behind a facemask, but what people could see of her dolled-up hair and the luxurious clothes she had on, this was no ordinary woman. She’d been patiently waiting for this moment ever since the wedding began, and now, it was time for the show. “They absolutely cannot get married!” The woman yelled, her voice filling the now-quiet hall. A pin drop could be heard in the silence. “Daphne, do you recognize me?”Unexpectedly, to the surprise of the wedding guests, the bride, who was called Daphne, suddenly burst into tears. Nodding ferociously, she replied, to the hearing of everyone, “I do, but I don’t know how you found me.”The woman grabbed Daphne’s hand as she faced the congregation of guests. “Everyone, the reason Da
“And how did you feel hearing those words?”Following Adi’s revelation, Lacey closed her eyes, transporting back to her third therapy session. The first two sessions had served as a sort of introduction, and trying to get comfortable with each other. The third time was when her therapist finally asked her about Thomas. “Betrayed. I guess you could also say I was bamboozled. It was like someone yanked the rug from under my feet, making me lose my footing.”Lacey’s therapist, Diane Cross, was a woman in her early fifties. She always had a smile and the right words, and asked the right questions. Diana had scribbled on her notepad, before meeting Lacey’s gaze again calmly. “Do you blame yourself for it?”“Yes.” Lacey’s response was without hesitation. “If I had been a little more spontaneous and less rigid, if I had been easier to approach, Thomas would have been more open about his real feelings.”Diana hummed softly, writing something down. “Tell me, Lacey, do you actually believe th
Shock was a gross understatement to what Jonathan felt as he watched the unexpected scene unfold right in front of him. Maybe it was really destiny that made him make a stop at the deli, or else how would he have found out that his younger brother’s girlfriend was two-timing him?“Could it be a different person? Someone that looks exactly like the picture Mum showed me? Someone that has an uncanny resemblance to the woman from the party?”Jonathan shook the thought out of his head. Of course it was her. He was willing to bet his most priceless property that it was. The hair was a different color and length than the one she had in the picture his mother took, but wigs existed for a reason. The woman, whose name he still didn’t know, and the man were now picking out a few things from what was displayed in the deli store. Jonathan’s earlier thought that they might be siblings was also put down quickly, seeing how the two people were joined at the hips and kept laughing at what the other
Jonathan didn’t respond to the woman’s suggestion to call Steven. If his brother found out he was being cheated on, it would break his heart. Especially since Steven already introduced her to their parents. “I don’t care how you do it, but break up with my brother. This little secret,” As Jonathan spoke, he alternated between pointing at the woman and the man, “will be taken to the grave.”He didn’t wait for an answer because he didn’t need one. With a final glare directed at the woman, Jonathan got into his car. She remembered him. The sigh of relief had already left Jonathan before he could catch himself. There was nothing to be relieved or happy about. The little information he had about this woman already told him she was nothing but trouble. It didn’t matter if she was his first kiss, it was better for her to stay far away from him. And Steven too. “You’re home.” Steven was in the kitchen when Jonathan got home. Hearing the sound of the keycode, his younger brother came out. “
“A kiss for you. Then a kiss for me.”Madeleine—Maddy—Meadows bent at the knees to kiss her four-year old daughter, Lea, then turned her cheek to give Lea a chance to kiss her back. This was their ritual every morning on the days Maddy had her daughter. The arrangement with Maddy’s parents meant she had her daughter for the weekend—Friday night to Monday morning. For the rest of the week, Maddy’s parents watched Lea. After she found out she was pregnant, Maddy was reluctant about keeping the baby, since she was certain that the possibility of her meeting the father again was practically zero, given that they met on a different continent, and also then, the thought of raising a child at 20 felt daunting and not something Maddy wanted. To this day, she was grateful to her parents for offering to take care of the child if she ended up keeping the pregnancy. Maddy didn’t know what she would do without her baby girl. “Have a beautiful day, my princess,” Maddy called out to her daughter
Two whole months had passed since the day Eliza left, and so far, Lacey had heard nothing from her. Not from lack of trying though. She’d called the other woman numerous times, but there had only been silence from her end. With that, Lacey left things as they were. How was she supposed to help someone who didn’t want to be helped? The news about Thomas had also seemed to die down, although Lacey had stopped paying attention to that. At the current moment, she was out of a job, and unsure about how to move forward with her life. That was where Jamie came in. More than ever, Lacey appreciated the presence of the older woman in her life. And to think that their first meeting came about because of jealousy. With Lacey’s mind made up to leave the entertainment industry, she needed other options. Thanks to Jamie, who introduced her to online business courses, Lacey had started taking lessons. For someone who majored in acting, it was interesting to start learning about something so new a
“Jonathan?”The line was silent for a couple seconds before Jonathan’s familiar, deep voice came through. “You sound tired…Did I wake you?”Lacey pulled herself to an upright position so that her back was resting against her pillow. For some reason, hearing Jonathan’s concerned voice immediately bettered her mood. A full smile bloomed on her face. “Hearing your voice is better than sleeping.” It had been quite a day for Lacey. She thought about how she’d originally planned to call Jonathan to tell him she was free to meet and to apologize for how she acted yesterday. Then Eliza’s issue came up, and she’d pushed it out of her mind. An awkward cough was Jonathan’s response. “You sound like you’re doing okay.”“Hmm.” “I’m close to the apartment. I want to see you. Can I come over?”“Ye–” Lacey’s first reaction was to agree, then she caught herself as she remembered her visitor. For Eliza’s privacy, she couldn’t let Jonathan here. It went the other way around too. Eliza would surely r
After telling Eliza that she could stay for as long as she needed, Lacey showed her to the guest room, then gave her a change of clothes, which she now had on. Later, she started on lunch. Sandwiches, Eliza had agreed too. She was almost through with it when a noise from the living room came. “What is she doing?” After plating the meal, Lacey wiped her hand on a napkin, then carried them out. As she appeared in the doorway, the sound coming from Eliza’s phone suddenly stopped as the woman put her phone away quickly. When Lacey placed one plate in front of her and raised her head, Eliza’s attention was on something as she deliberately avoided Lacey’s eyes. “Did something happen? I heard you shout earlier.” Lacey initiated. “Thomas, did he contact you? I hope you didn’t tell him where you are.”“Lacey.” Embarrassment and shame were visible on Eliza’s face when she finally met Lacey’s gaze. “Thomas released an apology video. That’s what it’s titled, but he doesn’t so much as apologiz
Jade Reign was one of the most interesting people Jonathan had ever met. Every action of hers wasn’t without meaning, no matter how confusing it might seem to others. They had finished breakfast long ago and were now in the middle of a discussion. Except they weren’t at Liam Tirro’s restaurant, Maria, anymore. With Jada’s direction, the two of them had walked over thirty minutes to the other side of the city, a place Jonathan rarely had cause to visit, to a place Jada called ‘Her Little Paradise.’ It was the first time in a while Jonathan had walked for that distance. But he wasn’t complaining. The weather was nice out and was just the right amount of cool, so by the time they reached their destination, he wasn’t a sweaty mess. Jada’s Little Paradise turned out to be the top of a bed and breakfast, a quaint home that gave off a wealthy air. The owner appeared to be familiar with her because she didn’t bat an eyelid when Jada and Jonathan walked past her with a simple greeting. T
This was way out of Lacey’s league. Stunned, she stared at the bruises on the woman in front of her. The choking marks around Eliza’s neck was just like what Thomas did to her also. Subconsciously, her hand rose to her neck. “Thomas did this?” Lacey's tone rose with incredulity. She shouldn't have been so surprised having experienced firsthand what Thomas could do when he was pissed off. But seeing the abuse signs on Eliza was an eye-opener. It wasn’t just something he did to only her like Lacey wanted to believe. Just who exactly had Thomas become? But more importantly, what was she supposed to do in a situation like this? Call the police? Call someone? Do nothing? While in thoughts, Eliza put on her mask again, hiding under the sunglasses and scarf. “You should go to the police,” Lacey heard herself saying. After running through several options in her head, that was her conclusion. “Report him for domestic abuse.”Before she even finished giving the advice, Eliza was already shak
It must have been due to a lapse of judgment, Lacey concluded. Or else why would she agree to meet up with Eliza? In any case, she was meeting her replacement in less than two hours. Over the phone, Eliza’s voice held something that sounded a lot like distraught, which was the only reason Lacey was moved. When it came to Thomas and feeling distraught, she knew the feeling all too well. Although, if Eliza’s fears turned out to be true, she was in a much better position than Lacey had been in. For one, she wasn’t married to Thomas yet. And two, she held as much, maybe even more fame than Thomas, so if he somehow decided to pull what he did in the past and call for a press conference, Eliza would be better positioned to defend herself. “What to wear?” Lacey pondered out loud as she changed out of her indoor clothes. Something simple. The weather today was much warmer than the day before, so she settled on a light dress. At Eliza’s request, their meeting place was an art gallery. This
{This is Eliza. Thomas’ girlfriend. Let’s meet.}It was after breakfast, around noon time, when the message came in on Lacey’s phone. In the comfort of her room, Lacey stared at the device with blank eyes. Last she heard from Adi, Eliza and Thomas were still in a relationship. Not too long ago, Lacey learned from Adi that Eliza and Thomas had possibly gotten engaged. Did that have to do with why she wanted to meet? Since they were still together, did Eliza feel she had some sort of bone to pick with Lacey? And it wasn’t a request either. It read more like a command. Speaking of Adi, he and Maddy had left earlier. The two lovebirds, Sangah and Holly, were still around, but before Lacey entered her room, they seemed like they were about to be on their way out too. For a brief second, Lacey let herself read Eliza’s message again. Eliza. A total stranger other than that time when Thomas brought her over along with the divorce papers. Ever since then, there’d been no contact. Grante
Leaving her two guests in the living room, Lacey disappeared into her room to dry her hair and change out of her wet clothes. That only took about ten minutes, but the next time she came out, there were now four people in her living room. Maddy and Adi had arrived. Adi was mid-conversation with Holly when he spotted Lacey. Immediately excusing himself, he walked over to her, stretching out his arms even before he reached where she stood. With a welcoming smile, Lacey let Adi hug her. Even before she was out of Adi’s hold, Maddy was already waiting to the side, and the moment Adi moved away, she took over the hug. “Are you okay?” Maddy asked as she gently swiped the palm of her hand up and down Lacey’s freshly-washed hair. “Silly question, but me and Ads saw the post you made. A lot of people are on your side.”It was that comment that reminded Lacey that she was yet to put on her phone after turning it off earlier. Somewhere between her getting back to her apartment, washing her hai
Even though Jonathan didn’t get the chance to talk to Lacey, he wasn’t too bummed out by it after seeing that she wasn’t mad at him. She was back home safe, plus she had a friend to stay with her; those were enough for him. Upon getting back to his Penthouse, the first thing he did was go through his mails. Tomorrow, he was meeting with Director Jada Reign, and he wanted to make sure that she hadn’t sent an email canceling after the news his company was embroiled. Thankfully, there was no mail of cancellation, which meant they were still on for tomorrow. Jada had picked their meeting location; a newly opened fine dining restaurant Jonathan had never been to before called Maria. According to her, while she was in Italy, she had food made by the chef, and wanted to check out his new place. Jonathan didn’t protest. Jonathan found it a little weird that she wanted to go to a fine dining restaurant in the morning, but he kept that to himself.There were also a couple messages from his pa