The city was buzzing, a hive of lights, cameras, and endless chatter. Anna tried to focus on her morning coffee, but every glance at her phone made her stomach knot tighter. Social media was ablaze.
"Adrian Cross spotted cozy with Scarlet Vane! Is Anna Hale out of the picture?"
"Hollywood's hottest on-screen couple is now off-screen too!"
"Scarlet Vane + Adrian Cross: Real Romance or PR Stunt?"
Anna's fingers trembled over her phone. She wanted to smash it, to escape the headlines that seemed to mock her. Every post, every comment, every fan theory was another reminder that the world was rewriting her life without permission.
She sank into the velvet armchair in her suite, pulling her silk robe tighter around her. She hadn't even bothered looking at Adrian. She didn't want to see his face, not when it would inevitably bring a twinge of guilt, no matter how much she trusted him.
A knock at the door startled her.
"Anna, it's me." Adrian's voice, soft yet firm, broke through her anxiety. She didn't look up.
He stepped inside, his tailored blazer undone, tie loose, eyes shadowed from lack of sleep. "Have you seen the news?"
Anna's eyes narrowed. "You mean the headlines that are making me feel invisible while the world pretends you belong to someone else?"
Adrian's lips pressed into a thin line. He closed the distance and knelt in front of her, taking her hands in his. "Anna, please. Look at me. You know it's not real. None of it matters."
Her voice shook. "None of it matters? Adrian, the entire world sees you laughing with her, touching her arm, leaning in like…like there's no one else."
His thumbs brushed against her knuckles. "It's staged. It's publicity. Scarlet knows it, the studio knows it, but you—you're the only one that matters. Only you."
Anna wanted to believe him. She wanted to cling to that, to hold onto the sanctuary of his words. But her heart wrenched at the sight of Scarlet's smile plastered across every screen she passed. She felt powerless, a spectator in her own life.
Adrian's phone buzzed on the nightstand. He glanced at it and grimaced. Another headline. Another photo. Scarlet's face beaming beside his, perfectly framed for the cameras.
He sighed, sliding his arm around Anna's shoulders. "We need a plan. We can't let this spiral. I can't—I won't—let it hurt us."
Anna leaned into his warmth but couldn't stop the bitterness from creeping into her thoughts. "And what's the plan? More hiding? More pretending? Because the world doesn't care about hiding."
He cupped her face gently. "Then maybe it's time we start controlling what they see…together."
Her pulse quickened. His suggestion was daring, tempting, but dangerous. "What do you mean?"
He whispered, almost conspiratorially, "We make our own headlines. We show them what's real, but on our terms. Not staged, not rumors. Us."
Anna felt a flutter of hope. Finally, a sliver of control, a way to fight back against the narrative that sought to erase her. But fear gnawed at the edges. If they acted too soon, too boldly…would the studio push back? Would Scarlet retaliate?
Before she could respond, Adrian's phone buzzed again. Scarlet. Calling.
Anna's chest tightened. She pulled away from him slightly, her eyes wide. "Answer it," she said, the command sharper than she meant.
He froze. "Anna, don't—"
"Answer it," she repeated, voice low but unwavering. "I need to hear what she has to say. I need to know what we're up against."
Adrian swallowed hard, hesitating for a heartbeat that felt like an eternity. Then he answered.
"Scarlet," he said, voice even but guarded.
"Oh, Adrian!" Scarlet's voice poured through the speaker, sweet and dangerous. "Have you seen the fans? They're obsessed. The world is obsessed. Isn't it exciting?"
Adrian's jaw tightened. "Scarlet, this isn't a game. Stop it. This is crossing the line."
Scarlet chuckled, a soft, melodic sound that made Anna's skin prickle. "Oh, darling, don't be so serious. I'm just enjoying the attention. We make a good story, don't we? That's all Hollywood ever wants—stories."
Anna felt a flash of anger. "Stories?" she whispered. Her hand clenched the edge of the armchair. "You mean taking my life, twisting it, pretending I don't exist?"
Adrian's eyes flicked to hers. Guilt, worry, and desperation all reflected there. "It's nothing like that, Anna. Don't let her words get to you."
Scarlet continued, oblivious to Anna's presence, or perhaps deliberately ignoring it. "Everyone's talking about us. Fans are shipping us like crazy. Imagine the ratings we could pull! It's brilliant, Adrian. Just brilliant."
Then she hung up.
Silence stretched between Anna and Adrian, thick and suffocating.
"She knows we exist," Anna finally whispered, the words tasting bitter. "She knows about us. She knows there's something she can't touch…yet."
Adrian took her hands again, holding them tightly. "She doesn't know anything for sure. Don't let her scare you."
Anna shook her head, fear and anger warring inside her. "I can't just sit back anymore. I can't hide while she plays her games with you, with us."
He looked at her, a mixture of admiration and concern in his eyes. "Then we do it together. Whatever it takes. We protect what's ours."
Anna swallowed hard, her resolve hardening. She would no longer be invisible. She would no longer watch the world claim her husband without a fight.
Because love, the kind they shared, was stronger than rumors, stronger than scandal—and it was time for the world to know.