Page 48 of The Grumpy Actor

It’s a picture of Sophie and I walking along the beach. Next to the beach picture is a picture of the two of us from seven years ago.

The title of the article is: “Playboy Actor Reunites with his First Love. A Fairytale…or Nightmare?”

The write-up talks about Sophie being my first love before I broke up with her and found fame. It paints our reunion in such a skeptical light that I feel ill.

“What…how did they get hold of this information?”

“I don’t know how it happened, but the news is spreading like wildfire. The article was released in the middle of the night, so I won’t be surprised if hordes of paparazzi fill up this small town by noon.”

“Oh no!” I jump to my feet, throwing on my shirt. “I have to check on Sophie. She’ll be shocked by the article. She’s never had to deal with something like this before.”

Julian nods. “You should do that.”

I rush out of the room while buttoning up my shirt. Just as I get to the sitting room, the door opens and Sophie walks in.

For a second, something like relief hits me—until I notice her expression. I step forward and pull her into a hug, but her arms stay limp at her sides.

She doesn’t hug me as usual, which worries me. I pull away, staring into her blank face to try to decipher her emotions.

Is she mad about the article?

“I don’t know how the news got out, but trust me, I’ll handle it.”

“What news?” She looks confused, but quickly dismisses me. “I have something urgent to discuss with you.”

“What?”

From her tone, it’s obvious this is definitely important, and for some reason, it alarms me.

“I’d like to stop working as your assistant starting today.”

“Oh.” I breathe out in relief. “That’s fine. I was going to suggest that anyway. We need to prioritize your privacy—”

“Also... I think we should break up”

The words hit like a slap. “What?”

“Why?”

“You’re going back to LA next week anyway. It’s better to end this now.”

My brain scrambles for something to say---anything to stop her from walking away.

We could figure it out. We didn’t come this far to give up now.

“If this is about the scandal, I promise you, I’ll take care of it.”

“It isn’t about the scandal. I don’t even know what you’re talking about.”

She doesn’t know about the article yet.

I shake my head. “Then why do you want to end things?”

“I love you, Liam.”

What?!

That word shuts down my heart in a totally different way. Everything around me comes to a standstill as I stare back into her eyes.

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