The villa's living room was buzzing when Sasha walked in.
Contestants lounged across the couches, some with wine glasses in hand, others scrolling through their phones. But all eyes were on the big flat-screen in the corner, where tonight's rough cut of the last challenge was being screened.
"Producers want feedback," one of the girls said casually, though her smirk told a different story.
Sasha sat on the edge of a chair, already bracing.
The footage rolled.
Her Ferris wheel date with Ethan lit up the screen, brighter and sharper than she remembered. Except it wasn't real. Not anymore. The editors had sliced and stitched until every smile of hers looked like a smirk, every hesitation like manipulation.
Her almost-confession was clipped mid-sentence. Instead, the screen cut to Ethan frowning, then Chelsea's voice-over: "She's only here for the cameras."
The room erupted in snickers.
"Wow," someone said, shaking their head. "They're really making you the snake, huh?"
Sasha forced a laugh, but her stomach knotted.
The cooking challenge played next. Every playful quip she'd made was drowned under ominous music. Chelsea's jab about Ethan looking "bored" was left intact, lingering in silence before Sasha's smirk rolled across the screen. The edit painted her as cold. Calculated.
Exactly what the producers wanted.
"Classic villain arc," another contestant muttered. "Congrats, Sasha. You're the season's drama queen."
She smiled, the mask glued on, even as her chest squeezed tighter and tighter.
The episode ended with a freeze-frame of her face, smirk sharp under dim lighting, paired with the tagline:
"She'll stop at nothing."
The room erupted in laughter.
Sasha stood abruptly, muttering something about needing air. She pushed past the others, ignoring the chorus of teasing remarks, and stumbled onto the balcony.
The night air hit her hard, but not as hard as the truth.
She hadn't just signed up for a role. She'd signed up to be destroyed.
And somewhere deep down, a darker realization twisted in her chest—
If the world hated her again, maybe this time she wouldn't survive it.