Jumping off Reeve’s lap, I storm into the house, even though I know I’m playing right into that bitch’s hand. But I can’t stay outside because I’m liable to either break down in tears, strangle Saffron Roberts, or murder Reeve. She carefully timed that reveal to cause maximum damage, just as Reeve has to leave to film reshoots with her. I hate that woman like I have never hated anyone before in my life.
“Vivien!” Reeve races after me, and I ignore him, striding toward our bedroom as murderous rage infiltrates my veins. “Viv. Baby, stop.” Reeve grabs my arm and pushes me up against the wall, crowding me with his body.
“Let me go, you fucking asshole. I hate you!” I shout. I don’t need to ask if it’s true, because I was witness to the panicked look on his face before his costar spilled the beans.
“No. We need to talk about this. Look at me, Viv.” He grips my chin, forcing my angry gaze to meet his worried one.
“You lied! You already fucking lied after just promising me you would always be open and honest!” I shriek.
“I was going to tell you tomorrow when we got home, I swear.”
“Your words are empty, Reeve. The same as your promises.”
“I knew this would piss you off, so I was trying to find a way of breaking it to you that would cause the least amount of pain.”
I bark out a laugh. “Don’t pretend you care about my feelings. You’re more worried about upsetting that ho than you are about hurting me.”
“That is not fucking fair or true.” He slams his hand into the wall, and I’m glad I’m not the only one who is angry. “It was a condition of the contract, Viv! I told Bianca I wouldn’t sign it unless that clause was removed, but the studio refused.”
“That’s bullshit, Reeve, and you know it. You’re the star of this movie. The fans are already going crazy for you. If this movie is going to be as big as predicted, there’s no way they can recast Camden Marshall. You have leverage, Reeve. You’re the one with the power in this situation. All you had to do was tell them that clause was a deal breaker, and they would’ve conceded. I bet that bitch Bianca has been filling your head with crap because this feeds into her agenda too,” I fume.
“This is bigger than me, Viv. Fans of the series aren’t happy that Saffron has been cast as Abby.”
“I don’t disagree,” I snap.
He continues, ignoring my little outburst. “It’s an issue if they don’t get on board. While Saff has her own loyal following, the series fans could make or break this movie.”
“More bullshit,” I hiss. “This isn’t a PG-13 movie. The main target audience will be adults, and most adults don’t give a crap about stuff that’s said online. And what does some fans objecting to Saffron’s casting have to do with you agreeing to a fake relationship?”
“The studio believes the fans will come around if they think we’re in a real relationship. That it’ll cement us as Abby and Cam. Ultimately, it’s for the greater good of the movie. That’s why I agreed, and I got it modified so we only need to hint at a relationship in public. It won’t go beyond a few fake dates, some holding hands, and suggestive looks. I won’t have to kiss her. I made them take that out.”
“Well, that makes it all okay then!” I yell. I shove at his chest, but he’s a solid wall of muscle. “Get the fuck away from me. I can’t even look at you right now.” I shove him again, and I’m seconds away from beating him with my fists.
“I’m not budging until we fix this.”
I snort, balling my hands into fists at my sides. “The only way you can fix this is to get that fucking contract modified.”
“You know I can’t do that. Please, Viv.” He rests his forehead against mine. “Please don’t make a big deal out of this.”
“Are you for fucking real—”
“Oops, sorry.” Saffron tugs on Nate’s hand as she pulls him past us in the hallway. “I didn’t mean to interrupt.”
“I’m sure you didn’t,” I scoff.
“Leave us the fuck alone, Saffron,” Reeve snaps, and I’m glad he’s not hiding his anger from her. Maybe all hope isn’t lost after all.
“We’ll just be on our way,” she says, ignoring me and mouthing “sorry” at Reeve.
I stare numbly after her and Nate, watching them walk up the stairs, groping and laughing like my world isn’t crumbling around me in shattered piles. “I thought she was fucking the assistant director?” I say to Reeve.
“We broke up. He was too old and boring. Younger guys have much more stamina!” she shouts down the stairs, and I flip her the bird, even though she can’t see me.
“You mean he served his purpose and you’re chasing the next victim who can help your brand?!” I roar up the stairs at her.
Reeve can deny it all he wants, but I know she has her sights set on him. Pity he’s too fucking blind to see she’s already laying the groundwork, and I hate how much she’s coming between us. I’m so frustrated I could scream, and I’m mad at my boyfriend for sucking me into all this drama. I shove his shoulders again. “Get off me. I mean it, Reeve. If you don’t step back, I will not be responsible for my actions. Right now, I hate you. I hate you with the heat of a thousand suns.” My anger gives way to pain. “How could you agree to this?” I cry. “You didn’t even consult me about it. We used to discuss everything, and you never made decisions that impact me without my input.” I shake my head as tears stream down my face. “What happened to me grounding you, huh?”
“What happened to you supporting me?!” he shouts, eventually pulling away from me.
“I have always supported you, Reeve.”
He harrumphs, flattening his back against the wall across the hallway. “All you have done since I got this role is bitch and whine. I have never given you any reason to doubt my loyalty, yet you hurl accusations at me all the time. I can’t handle your insecurities, Viv. Do you have any idea of the stress I’m under? I don’t need this shit from you. You know it’s not real. It’s part of the industry.” He pushes off the wall. “For fuck’s sake, more than half the so-called relationships in Hollywood are fake. It means nothing, Viv. It’s part of the role, and I am getting sick of repeating myself.”
“If I’m that unsupportive, you know what to do,” I challenge, rubbing my tears away and straightening my shoulders. We stare at one another across the hallway, and there may as well be an ocean between us.
“I don’t want to break up, Viv,” he eventually says, walking toward me. He takes my hand and links our fingers together. “I love you, but you’ve got to find a way to deal with this.”
“And if I can’t?” I don’t know how to reconcile this new development with my own wants and needs.
He shrugs, looking sad, and we don’t need to articulate it.
I wrench my hands from his, briefly closing my eyes as pain lances me on all sides. “I’m calling a car to take me home,” I say after a few tense minutes of silence.
“No, Viv. Please don’t do that.”
“I can’t be around that bitch another second.”
“I’ll come with you,” he offers.
“I don’t want you to.” I eyeball him, letting him see the full extent of my devastation. “I need some space to think.”
“Don’t do this, baby. I don’t want to leave for reshoots when we’re arguing.”
“You should’ve thought of that before you lied to me again.”
I walk off, and this time, he doesn’t follow me.
“Hey.” Audrey steps into my home studio the following day, and I stop my sewing machine, setting the piece of multicolored fabric down on the table.
“You’re back.” I swivel around in my chair.
Audrey props her butt against the edge of the table. “How are you feeling today?”
I shrug. “Hurt. Scared. Confused.”
“He gave Saffron hell this morning at breakfast before we all went our separate ways.”
“It’s too little, too late. I never thought Reeve would be such a pushover, but he’s letting all these horrible people manipulate him.”