(Ruby)I took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. My ears were ringing, a telltale sign that I was panicking from the inside no matter how hard I tried not to show it outwardly.I can’t believe that I was doing this.Jack didn’t know. Hell, I didn’t even tell Lydia that I had decided to do this.I thought about it and I kept thinking about it until nothing made sense except for the feeling that this was something that I should be doing.Standing in front of the mansion though, I felt like chickening out and leaving but I knew that I shouldn’t.I wanted to fight for Jack the way he was fighting for me in his own way. I knew being mad at him over something that wasn’t his idea was exactly what Margaret was trying to do.She was thinking and probably hoping that her demands drive a wedge between us naturally. Instead of that happening, I should be sticking by Jack’s side because I loved him more than any words could tell you.After visiting Margaret, I would go to Jack and make him underst
(Lydia)I got ready for the photoshoot with a heavy heart. I knew Nathan would be there. I wasn't too keen about spending time with him after what I had just learned.Still, it was my job to be at the venue in time so I got myself ready and met with Josh at the front of the hotel where a car was waiting for us.“So, you’ll be in the makeup chair for almost an hour before the photoshoot begins and we’ll go through four outfits. The base looks will be the same but in between the fit change we’ll need to do some makeup touches, just the eyeshades and lips I think,” Josh prattled on as he scrolled through his phone, then he let out a little scoff, “It’s already started.”He showed me the screen of his phone where a gossip page was open and a celebrity blind was shared. It said that an actor and his model ex-girlfriend got back together, making the actor's co-star jealous. Josh scrolled through the comments and I could see many people sharing Nathan’s and Clara’s names, however, in some of
(Jack)I was sitting in the spot mother had vacated, head in my hands as I tried to come to terms with what had just happened.I was coming back home to talk to mother.After spending last night getting drunk and then puking my guts out in the morning, I decided to take a day off to get over the hangover. However, with nothing else to do, I kept thinking about what Ruby said.If I go to mother and talk to her about how all of this was affecting me, would she give up all of this and let me be with Ruby?I thought about it so much that I made myself believe that this was the only option. Yet, when I reached the mansion, Ruby was already there.“I’m sorry you had to see that,” mother said as she sat beside me.I really didn’t know what to say to her. Yes, Ruby shouldn’t have come here to talk to her alone and by herself, but what choice did mother even give her?I hated having to tell her to leave, but I knew that wasn’t the right moment to talk about all the things that had become messe
(Lydia)“Goodbye, Mommy!!!” Mabel said, rubbing her eyes sleepily.“Mommy, bubye!” Miles mumbled, eyes already half-closed.There were sounds of murmuring coming from the other end and then a door shut close before Thomas’ tired but happy face entered the screen.“Now that the call with the kids is done, will you tell me about what’s bothering you?” Thomas asked, looking at me meaningfully through the screen.The fact that he could still read me so easily through the screen was proof that he was still the same guy I had once been married to.“How can you tell?’ I asked him, just to stall the conversation.“There’s a tightness around your mouth even as you’re smiling at the kids, which must mean something is on your mind otherwise they have your full attention and affection,” he said without any hesitation.I sighed, “There has been something bothering me lately, but I’m not so sure about it,” I bit on my lower lip as I thought about what to say. “If I have something concrete, then I’l
(Jack)After talking with mother, I spent some more time at the mansion. Actually, it was because mother wanted me to stay since I had been living at the apartment for more than a week now.According to her, I had lost a substantial amount of weight and had dark circles under my eyes. I had hoped that she would realize that it was because I worried too much and she was the cause of my worries.I had texted Ruby that I would come to visit the house and to wait for me there, but when I went there, Ruby’s Mama opened the door, a weak smile on her features.“She’s not home is she?” I had asked her with a pained smile on my face.She had shaken her head, looking like she wanted to say more but had likely held herself back because Ruby probably told her to do so.Now, sitting in the living room of my empty apartment once again, I tried calling Ruby but there was no reply. All my texts were going unread as well. I had apologized to her for sending her away so harshly, but there was still no
(Ruby)I looked at Adam sitting in front of me as he clicked the call off. I was chewing my nails out at what had just happened.Would Jack be angry at that?Well, he had no right to be.Instead of defending me in front of his mother and being on my side, he childishly sent me away.“I don’t know anymore,” I said shakily, “It feels like I’m losing my mind.”“You’re not,” Adam replied shortly, “You have the right to stand up for yourself and your relationship. If Jack doesn’t accept that and believe that, then I don’t think you guys were a good match at all.”Hearing the words felt like piercing myself with a sharp object. The thing was, I had asked Adam out as a way to escape my own thoughts and to also be realistic after I had told him about every detail.Lydia had been busy today and Mama’s fatigue made her sleep more often than not. I didn’t know who to go to so that I could rant about Jack all I wanted.Adam popped into my mind like a great option. He had been there for us during
(Lydia)It had been another testing morning and afternoon. I had given my first sets of interviews and most of them went smoothly. I got asked to talk about movies and my inspirations in acting and I was to follow through with well thought out answers.I did my homework on the interviewers as well and realized they asked a familiar set of questions with most actors they interviewed. I’m not going to lie, doing so helped me a lot even though I had to lose a few hours of sleep at night.The busy schedule had kept me thinking about anything or thinking much at all. I preferred it that way because sooner rather than later, my thoughts would make me spiral.I was noticing every single person and how they acted around me then comparing it to Nathan. There wasn’t much of a difference though, but what bugged me was that everyone else treated me uniformly, while with Nathan it felt like we were buddies one moment and then almost strangers the next.This up and down was making me feel confused
(Lydia)The ice cream tastes flavorless in my mouth. Now that I was here anyway, there was no point in trying to get out of it. The photographers had probably gotten a great shot of Nathan kissing my forehead and were well on their way now to publish whatever drivel they wanted to.I looked across from me at Nathan suspiciously.“Did you plan this?” I asked him outright. I wasn’t scared of him because I had faced a lot worse than the likes of Nathan who merely wanted attention.He looked back at me in shock. “No, how could you even say that?”“Well,” I drawled, sitting back, “You’re not exactly sad that your girlfriend did not make it here. I did instead.”Nathan scoffed, “What girlfriend?”I was taken aback. “The one at your arm for the past like three days?” I said, looking at him like he had lost his mind.“Clara is not my girlfriend,” he stated seriously, “She was just a last-minute addition.”Last minute addition? Who talked about anyone like that?Clara might be a lot but she wa