After the story about my ex-boyfriend and me went viral, the internet lost its collective mind. Everyone said we were the absolute pinnacle of tragic Hollywood romances. Then, his "first love" stepped in to debunk the rumors, claiming I was just pulling a publicity stunt. My ex-boyfriend even retweeted her post: [It's fake. Unrelated people, please respect yourselves.] Later, we ran into each other at an industry dinner. Someone accidentally brought up how I had once drank myself into the ER with stomach bleeding just to secure an audition for him. It was a role he always believed his first love had gotten for him. The color drained from his face instantly. He stared at me in sheer disbelief. People around us murmured that it wasn't worth it, asking if I regretted it. My ex-boyfriend looked at me, his eyes swimming with complex emotions. I thought about it, then gave a peaceful smile. "I don't regret it. I let it go a long time ago." 1 The internet dug up some old, bittersweet moments between me and my ex-boyfriend. It was a video from three years ago. I had just won the Best Newcomer award at the Golden Globes. During the red carpet interview, a reporter asked if I had anything I wanted to say. I was holding up my dress with my left hand and clutching my trophy in my right. I sneaked a glance at Liam Hayes, who was standing off to the side. He had just debuted back then. He was an unknown rookie, standing alone in a corner while everyone ignored him. I flashed a bright smile and whispered into the mic, "That's my boyfriend. He's incredibly talented, and one day, he's going to be an amazing actor!" Snow had started falling on the red carpet. A few white flakes caught on my eyelashes as I pressed my hands together in a pleading gesture. "Please take good care of him for me!" The video was set to a heartbreakingly beautiful soundtrack. The fans had also spliced in footage of Liam winning his Best Actor Oscar years later. He was giving his acceptance speech. "I want to thank the person who means the most to me. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't be standing here today." As he spoke, he looked emotionally into the audience, his voice thick with suppressed feeling. "Thank you for always staying by my side. I hope we can keep walking this path together for the rest of our lives." The comments section was flooded: [Omg, my heart! I want to cry!] [When Chloe Miller was having her biggest moment, she didn't promote herself, she asked everyone to look out for Liam. She loved him so much!] [It's definitely a two-way street! Liam actually became the amazing actor she said he'd be, and he even thanked her when he won his Oscar. Look at his eyes, he's so in love!] [He finally became the great man you said he would be, but he lost you... Why did they break up?! This is the most tragic romance ever. This old tea is killing me!] ... The video swept across every major platform. In an instant, Liam's and my names shot to the top three trending topics on Twitter. Honestly, the editing was masterful. The internet is full of hidden talents. Even I couldn't help but sigh. If I wasn't the main character, I probably would have been moved to tears too. But only I knew the truth: Liam's "thank you" during his speech was never meant for me. The person he was talking about was his first love. 2 I broke up with Liam on the exact day he won his Oscar. Looking back, I genuinely thought he was thanking me during his speech. I even contributed a tearful reaction shot for the cameras. After all, for his sake, I might not have walked through fire, but I definitely gave it everything I had. When he was a rookie with zero connections, I used every favor I had to get him auditions. I even split my own agent's time to manage him. Just to get him some screen time, I slashed my own asking price to secure a package deal where he could join the cast with me. Good roles are almost impossible to land in this industry. Every newcomer is fighting tooth and nail to break out. To help him secure a crucial supporting role, I was pressured by a sleazy director to drink shot after shot until my stomach started bleeding. I was rushed to the ER that same night. But I thought it was all worth it. I have to admit, Liam was incredibly talented. Plus, he was stunningly handsome. Even in an industry full of beautiful people, he stood out. That supporting role catapulted him to stardom! He became the new "It Boy." For a while, he was untouchable, drowning in script offers. His striking face, paired with his cold, untouchable aura, had young fans losing their minds. In just a few days, his followers skyrocketed past ten million. But that night, after the award ceremony ended and the after-party was winding down, I walked out of the restroom trying to clear my head from the champagne. And I saw him hugging Olivia Vance. The harsh, cold lights froze me in place. I stood perfectly still, watching them share an intimate kiss. Olivia was Liam's first love. They had been together since high school and dated for over five years. She was also an actress. Later, because her agency had a strict no-dating clause, they were forced to break up. I had always suspected that Liam only entered the entertainment industry because of her. I watched Liam. His lips carried a faint smile, his expression so tender it looked like he was melting. He looked completely satisfied as he buried his chin in the crook of Olivia's neck. I had never seen him make that face before. Around me, he was always serious and cold. In that moment, I finally understood. In love, hard work is the most useless thing in the world. Everything I had done over the years was just me making a fool of myself. His heart was entirely occupied by someone else. No matter how much I threw myself at him, it was a waste of time. Standing under the lights, they looked perfect together, like a matched set. Even I couldn't help but feel that he belonged with her. So that night, I broke up with Liam. The breakup was messy. I was young and impulsive. Love and hate existed on a razor's edge. I lost control, calling him an ungrateful bastard. I said raising a dog would have been better than raising him. I told him I was blind for ever dating him, and that looking at him made me sick! Liam fired back, accusing me of playing the martyr. He said he never needed me running around playing his manager, and that from start to finish, he had never actually liked me! In the very end, I couldn't hold back my tears. With red eyes and a trembling voice, I asked him: "So, when you won that award... who exactly were you thanking?" He clenched his jaw and turned his head away. After a long pause, he said coldly, "Olivia, obviously. Did you think it was you? "Stop flattering yourself." "I understand," I said, wiping the tears from my face, my voice quiet. "Liam, we're done." 3 That was already a year ago. I was miserable for a while back then. Not only did I feel completely unlovable, but I also felt like all my sacrifices had been fed to the dogs. I drank too much a few times and lived in a haze for weeks. But now, I felt like I had finally moved on. When I saw the viral video again, I just smiled and sighed to my agent: "Look how stupid I was back then. "Liam was standing right next to me, completely ignoring me, and I was still acting like an idiot, begging everyone to take care of him." My agent sighed. "Everyone runs into a few toxic guys when they're young—" Suddenly, her face drained of color. "Olivia just tweeted!" I hadn't caught on yet. "What did she say?" My agent's brow furrowed tightly. "She's saying you're using this for PR. She says Liam was thanking her!" I opened Twitter and saw that Olivia had quote-tweeted the viral video of Liam and me, commenting: [Wow, great editing, even I almost shipped it! But the person Liam was thanking back then was actually me lol. Not trying to take up everyone's timeline, but I really hope people stop with these shameless PR stunts!] A few minutes later, Liam quote-tweeted her post. [Shipping everything you see will only hurt you. I was always thanking Olivia. Unrelated people, please respect yourselves.] Unrelated people. My agent was standing next to me, cursing him out at the top of her lungs, but I just stared at those words until my eyes burned and stung. So, in his heart, I was always just an... unrelated person. Those whispered secrets, those late-night conversations, the laughter, and the tears. It turned out it was all just a one-woman show. "What do we do?!" I gave a bitter smile. "There's nothing we can do. What she's saying is the truth. Liam really wasn't thanking me." My agent panicked. "But now she's starting a smear campaign! She's claiming you were the other woman, that you swooped in while she and Liam were fighting. She's calling you a homewrecker!" Sure enough, coordinated troll accounts started flooding the comments. [Are people really shipping a homewrecker? Liam and Olivia have been together since college. Chloe Miller is a shameless bitch who swooped in when they were on a break!] [Right? Do people just not fact-check anymore? Homewreckers should go die, seriously.] [Chloe Miller needs to get canceled. How does she have the nerve to pull a PR stunt after ruining their relationship? Disgusting!] ... Within a few hours, massive waves of troll accounts started controlling the narrative in my comments. These accounts were all newly registered, some not even having profile pictures. They had zero proof, but they were relentlessly spamming the narrative. But the internet loves drama, and they don't care about logic. Many people actually believed I was a homewrecker. They flooded my mentions with abuse and even went to the page of my upcoming TV show, spamming the director to recast me. No matter how much I tried to explain on Twitter, no one believed me. They didn't need the truth; they just needed a target to vent their anger on. My agent was pulling her hair out in frustration. "A few brand sponsors just called me asking what's going on. I managed to stall them, but you need to call Liam right now and make him clear this up! "You two started dating a long time after they broke up! He knows the truth better than anyone!" She was right. If Liam just said one sentence, I'd be fine. But would he really help me? After hesitating for a moment, I dialed the number I hadn't called in a year. "The number you have dialed is currently powered off. Please try again later..." I froze, listening to the cold, automated voice. Liam had just tweeted a few minutes ago. How could his phone be off? A sharp, piercing pain started spreading through my chest. I offered my agent a tragic smile. "It's no use. He blocked me." 4 When it rains, it pours. The director of the TV series I was currently prepping for called. Over the phone, he stammered awkwardly: "Chloe, listen, I just feel like this role isn't the right fit for you anymore. Let's just pass on this one, and we'll definitely collaborate next time..." I stood there, holding the phone, completely stunned. This show was my biggest project of the year. I loved the lead character's arc, and I had fought incredibly hard to secure the role. To make sure I nailed the performance, I had turned down every other offer for the past six months to focus solely on studying the script at home. I panicked. "Director Reynolds, we already signed the contract! "And this isn't our first time working together. You know my work ethic. How could you recast me over some baseless internet rumors?" Besides, if they recast the lead right now, wouldn't that just solidify the rumor that I was a homewrecker? Director Reynolds sounded conflicted. "I know you're professional, Chloe. But... did you offend someone? The production studio explicitly called and told us to replace you! "You know I have no choice here! "But listen, I'm setting up a dinner tonight. You can come and try to beg them. See if they're willing to reconsider." I wiped a hand over my face. "Fine. I understand. Thank you, Director Reynolds." ... The next day, I nervously arrived at the dinner Director Reynolds had set up. But the moment I walked through the door, I froze. Sitting in the massive VIP room, at the head of the table, wasn't some fat, balding studio executive. It was someone I recognized so well I could spot his ashes in a pile of dust. Liam Hayes. He was wearing a tailored navy-blue suit, the top two buttons of his white shirt undone. Under the shimmering crystal chandelier, his flawless features looked almost unreal. He sat there like an icy, untouchable god. Director Reynolds clearly hadn't expected that the investment firm backing the show belonged to Liam either. He shot me an apologetic, awkward smile. It made sense. Liam's asking price was astronomical now. He was a brilliant actor with the face of a pop idol. Any movie with his name attached was guaranteed box-office gold. His schedule was booked solid for the next two years. He had probably made a fortune and started his own production company. I had worked with Director Reynolds multiple times and we were somewhat friendly. He was willing to do me a solid, trying to smooth things over with Liam with a smile. "Liam, this is Chloe, our former female lead. You guys are probably familiar, so I won't bother introducing you. "I brought her here today so she could properly apologize for however she offended you in the past. She's young and made mistakes. She's had a tough time these past few years, please don't hold it against her..." "Chloe." Director Reynolds waved me over. "Come on, let's offer a toast to Liam." I walked over stiffly. Director Reynolds shoved a glass of whiskey into my hand. Liam just stared at me blankly, his expression full of contempt. "Hurry up, Chloe!" Director Reynolds urged. I held the glass, standing there frozen like a statue. Humiliation crawled up my ankles like poison ivy, wrapping tightly around me. How laughable. I gripped the glass so tight my fingertips hurt. Me? Apologize? What did I have to apologize for? Was I too stupid? Was I too deeply in love, eagerly handing him the knife so he could brutally stab me until I bled? What exactly was my crime? "Chloe, what are you waiting for?!" Director Reynolds was getting anxious and gave me a slight push. Liam crossed his legs, watching me with leisurely amusement. "Ms. Miller doesn't seem to want to drink this. If you're so reluctant, why are you still standing here?" His gaze felt like a scalpel, slowly slicing me to pieces right where I stood. But I couldn't leave. I needed this role too badly. If I was recast now, not only would my last six months of work be wasted, but it would be the final nail in the coffin regarding the current PR disaster. It could genuinely ruin my entire future! If Liam added fuel to the fire and publicly confirmed I was a homewrecker, I was completely finished. After a long time, I slowly raised the glass. I could almost hear the dry friction of my joints grinding together. "I'm sorry. I was wrong in the past... Please, be the bigger person and let me go." With that, I downed the whiskey in one gulp. The hard liquor burned down my throat, slicing my insides like a razor. But Liam didn't give me an inch. He just scoffed. "You think one glass of whiskey is enough to buy a leading role? Ms. Miller thinks a bit too highly of herself." My voice started to tremble. "Then what do you want?" He put two fingers together and casually waved behind him. An assistant came forward with two bottles of whiskey, filling a row of ten shot glasses to the brim. The color drained from everyone's faces in the room, but this was Liam's turf. No one dared to speak up. He tilted his head back slightly, narrowing his eyes at me. "Ten glasses. Finish them, and the role is yours." I suddenly felt dizzy. The last time someone had said that exact sentence to me was two years ago, when I was fighting to get Liam a role. That balding producer had looked at me with predatory eyes and said, "Ten glasses. Finish them, and I'll give him the role!" And now, the person saying those words was Liam. Director Reynolds's face changed. "Liam, Chloe isn't in great health. She can't drink that much. How about—" Liam just shot him a freezing glare. "Director Reynolds, do you still want the funding for your show?" Director Reynolds immediately shut his mouth and shot me a deeply sympathetic look. I stood in silence for a moment, then tilted my head back and downed the first glass. The clear liquor carried a sharp, stinging burn, bringing tears to the corners of my eyes. My stomach began to spasm. The familiar, agonizing pain started creeping in. "One." Liam leaned back in his chair, a mocking smile playing on his lips. Glass after glass went down. My vision started to blur. I don't know why. I suddenly wanted to break down and sob. I desperately wanted to ask him: what unforgivable crime had I committed by loving him? Why did he hate me this much?! But I couldn't cry. Tears are a weapon that only works on someone who loves you. In front of him, it would only strip away my last shred of dignity. The cramps in my stomach grew more and more violent. Back then, the doctor had sternly warned me that I could never binge drink like this again. But I had no choice. By the time I reached the third glass, I couldn't tell if it was my imagination, but Liam's expression seemed to change. He looked angry, his face dark as he stared at me intently. But by the seventh glass, I finally couldn't take it anymore. I dropped the glass and stumbled out the door like a complete mess! Before I even made it to the restroom, I threw up everything right there in the hallway. The piercing pain in my stomach made it impossible to stand up straight. My vision went black for a long time before I managed to use the wall to pull myself up. My face was covered in tears from the dry heaving and the agony, but I couldn't tell if it was my stomach or my heart that hurt more. I just felt so much pain. It hurt so much I felt like I was going to die. When I finally forced myself to stumble back into the room, Liam had already stepped out. He saw my wretched state. He froze for a second, then his face returned to its icy mask. I fought through the excruciating pain, my voice shaking. "Liam... is there... is there any other way? I really can't drink anymore." Liam stood there for a moment, then suddenly let out a soft chuckle. A few seconds later, he stepped closer, whispering softly in my ear: "I suddenly find myself missing Ms. Miller's body. Why don't you spend the night with me, and the leading role is yours. What do you say?" I never imagined he would say something so vile! I gritted my teeth. "What about Olivia? Aren't you with her?" "You think you're worthy of mentioning her name?" Liam sneered. "Don't flatter yourself into thinking I want to get back together with you. I'm just bored. I just wanted to see what it feels like again." The air around me seemed intent on suffocating me. It vanished, making it impossible to breathe. I blinked my burning eyes, and finally, that humiliating tear fell. Liam looked like he had been burned. A complex expression flashed across his face. Once the floodgates opened, the tears couldn't be stopped. I didn't care anymore. I just embraced my shattered pride, looking up at him with a tear-streaked face. I choked on my words. "Liam, do you know what my biggest regret in this life is?" He froze, a trace of almost imperceptible anticipation flashing in his eyes. "What?" I enunciated every word clearly: "My biggest regret in this life is ever meeting you." 5 I didn't stick around to see Liam's expression turn murderous. I turned and stumbled away. In the long, brightly lit hallway, I let the tears fall silently. I decided that this would be the absolute last time I ever cried for him in this lifetime. ... My stomach issue flared up badly, and I spent three days in the hospital recovering. I ultimately lost the role. Liam gave it to Olivia. When the show aired, it was a massive hit just as I had predicted. Even though Olivia's performance was mediocre at best, Liam pulled strings to secure her an Emmy for Best Actress. Meanwhile, because of the "homewrecker" scandal, my career hit rock bottom. For a long time, I couldn't even book a supporting role. To get any work at all, I had to attend the industry networking dinners I used to despise. Maybe it was a twisted joke of fate, but at one of those dinners, I ran into Olivia and Liam, who were there together. Olivia was currently riding the hype of her relationship with Liam and the success of her new TV show. She was the star of the moment, and many actors and directors were hovering around her, offering compliments. "We really have to hand it to Olivia. Beautiful and talented. No wonder she won the Emmy." "Exactly! And she has such an amazing boyfriend. She's winning at life!" Most people in the room knew about the bad blood between us, and some purposely stepped on me to kiss up to her: "Unlike some people. Fighting tooth and nail and ending up with absolutely nothing. Some people don't have to fight or scheme and just have everything handed to them. There's no comparison!" Olivia's lips curled into a smug smile. "That's true. What's yours is yours. Nobody can steal it. What isn't yours... forcing it won't help. "Right, Liam?" The color drained from my face. From start to finish, Liam didn't even glance at me. He just casually nodded. "Right." "Oh, by the way, I heard that supporting role that made Liam famous back in the day was actually secured by Olivia! You two really built each other's success!" "Yeah, isn't everyone online calling it a fairy-tale romance? It's all over TikTok. Even I couldn't help but binge the edits!" ... I froze, looking up at Liam. His eyes were soft and smiling. "Yeah, I wouldn't be where I am today without Olivia." As he said it, the two of them held hands, drawing cheers and hoots from the crowd. Of everyone in the room, only my agent and I weren't smiling. She grabbed my hand tightly, forcing her voice down as she hissed furiously in my ear: "Didn't you get him that role?! How the hell did it become Olivia's doing?!" I didn't know. Watching them act so sickeningly sweet, I couldn't speak a single word. I just felt lost. I desperately wanted to run away from this room. Olivia's gaze landed on me, carrying unconcealed contempt and triumph. Right at that moment, an investor sitting nearby suddenly spoke up: "Everyone says there's no true love in Hollywood anymore, but I don't think that's true. "I remember back in the day, when Ms. Miller was trying to secure a role for her boyfriend, she drank until her stomach started bleeding and she ended up in the ER. I actually happened to be at that dinner." I vaguely remembered this investor. I think we had dinner together once back then. I heard he later left the industry to start a tech business, so he probably wasn't up to speed on all the current Hollywood drama. Liam froze for half a second, then snapped his head to look at me. The sheer disbelief on his face almost made him lose his composure. The investor, seemingly intrigued, asked, "How are things with you and your boyfriend now? Is his career doing well?" The crystal lights flickered over the crowded, noisy room. For a moment, I felt like the people around me were fading away. My world was completely silent. After a long pause, I spoke. "His career is doing great. But we're broken up." The investor looked surprised. "Why? You seemed so in love with him back then. I remember you were about to pass out, but you kept holding onto that producer, refusing to let go until he promised to give him the role!" Every single eye in the room was locked onto me. Some were shocked, some were mocking, some were just enjoying the drama. All the color vanished from Olivia's face. She forced a smile and tugged on Liam's arm. "Liam, I suddenly don't feel well. Let's go." This time, Liam didn't respond to her. He just stared dead at me. The emotions swirling in his eyes were unreadable to me, but they looked like a violent storm! His knuckles turned white from gripping his wine glass so tightly. I forced a smile, but it felt shattered, incapable of holding its shape. Those memories... having them laid bare in front of the people involved didn't give me any vengeful thrill. I just felt exhausted. It was all in the past. What was the point of dragging it up again? An actress sitting next to me, who I was on good terms with, felt bad for me and asked pointedly: "Do you regret it now? Working so hard for someone else, only to end up making the wedding dress for another bride?" The edges of Liam's eyes slowly turned red. I could feel his gaze practically burning a hole through me! I lowered my eyelashes and said softly: "There's nothing to regret. "I've let it go."
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "434853", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel