She found him by the pool after lights-out, the water shimmering blue against his face.
He looked up as she approached, surprise flickering across his expression. "Couldn't sleep?"
"Don't," she snapped.
Ethan's brows knit. "Don't what?"
Sasha's hands clenched at her sides. "Don't play dumb. I heard you."
His posture stiffened, the easy calm draining away. "What exactly did you hear?"
"In the producer's office," she said, her voice trembling with fury. "You. Bargaining for me like I'm some—some pawn in your career. You kept me here, Ethan. Not because you care. Because I'm your storyline."
For once, he didn't have an immediate comeback. He just stared at her, jaw tight.
The silence cracked something inside her.
"All this time," she went on, her voice breaking, "I thought maybe—maybe there was still something real left. That when the cameras went dark, you weren't just acting. But I should've known. Everything between us is content to you, isn't it?"
Ethan stood abruptly, water dripping from his hand where he'd skimmed the surface. "You think I did that for me?" His voice was sharp now, raw. "If I hadn't stepped in, they would've cut you. Do you have any idea how fast they'd bury you if you weren't useful to them?"
Her breath hitched.
"I didn't keep you here for ratings," he said, stepping closer, eyes burning into hers. "I kept you here because you deserve better than to be chewed up and spit out again. I wasn't going to watch them destroy you."
Sasha's chest heaved. She wanted to believe him—God, she wanted to—but the years between them, the cameras lurking in every shadow, the scripts hanging over their heads—it all screamed don't trust him.
"And what happens when I stop being useful to you?" she whispered. "When protecting me stops giving you screen time? Do I get cut then?"
Ethan's expression faltered, just for a heartbeat. A crack.
And that crack was enough.
Sasha stepped back, her voice cold now. "That's what I thought."
She turned and walked away, her heels striking hard against the stone, each step echoing louder than the last.
Behind her, Ethan didn't follow.
But when she reached the doorway, she heard him call after her—low, desperate, like he'd finally dropped the act.
"Sasha—don't make me choose."
She froze. Just for a second.
Then she walked inside without looking back.