The villa looked different at night.
Gone were the laughing contestants, the crew, the forced sunlight smiles. When the cameras powered down, silence seeped into the hallways, broken only by the hum of the pool filter outside.
Sasha should've been asleep. Instead, she sat on the balcony of Bedroom Three with a blanket wrapped around her shoulders, staring at the city lights twinkling in the distance.
Her phone buzzed on the nightstand—another missed call from Gloria. Probably to congratulate her on "a flawless villain debut." Sasha couldn't stomach it.
"Enjoying your grapes?"
The voice came from behind. Smooth. Too familiar.
Her heart slammed against her ribs. She didn't need to turn to know who it was.
Still, she did. Slowly.
Ethan leaned against the balcony doorframe, arms crossed, lit only by the spill of moonlight. He wasn't smiling. He wasn't angry either. Just… unreadable.
Sasha swallowed. "Eavesdropping suits you."
"You made it hard not to hear."
Her cheeks burned. She pulled the blanket tighter, wishing it could swallow her whole. "It's a role," she muttered. "You know how this works."
"I know what I saw," he said evenly. "And what I saw looked a lot like the girl who used to take what she wanted, consequences be damned."
The words landed sharper than she expected.
Sasha bristled. "Don't act like you know me, Ethan. You don't. Not anymore."
His gaze flicked over her face, lingering just long enough to make her stomach twist. "Maybe not. But I know what it looked like when you left. No goodbye. No explanation. Just gone."
Silence thickened between them.
Sasha wanted to snap back, to brush it off with sarcasm, but the lump in her throat betrayed her. She looked away, eyes burning.
"I couldn't stay," she whispered finally. "Not then."
Ethan's jaw tightened. For a moment, she thought he'd push, demand the truth she'd buried for years. But instead, he stepped back, retreating into the shadows of the hallway.
"Then I guess some things really are scripted," he said quietly.
And with that, he left.
Sasha sat frozen on the balcony, blanket clutched to her chest, heart racing.
For the first time since she signed the contract, she wasn't afraid of the cameras.
She was afraid of him.