Luna's POV
The rope snapped in my hands.
I fell backward into the sand, knees scraping against rough wooden planks. Around me, other contestants scrambled through the obstacle course, shouting encouragement to their partners.
"Luna, get up!" Brittany screamed from the sidelines. She was paired with some muscle-bound guy who could probably lift a car. They were already halfway through the challenge.
I pushed myself up, spitting sand from my mouth. This was supposed to be a team challenge, but my partner hadn't shown up yet. Great. Another chance for everyone to watch me fail on national television.
"Sorry I'm late."
I spun around to find Dominic Stone jogging toward me, slightly out of breath. My heart did this weird flip thing that I definitely didn't have time for.
"Traffic?" I asked sarcastically.
He smiled, and for a second I forgot where we were. "Something like that."
Amanda Rivers bounced over with her camera crew, practically glowing with excitement. "Perfect timing! Luna and Dominic, you're a team for today's 'Trust and Triumph' challenge!"
Trust. The one thing I couldn't afford to have with anyone in this place.
"The rules are simple," Amanda continued. "Work together to complete the obstacle course. The winning couple gets a private dinner and immunity from tonight's elimination."
Elimination. Another chance for someone to disappear permanently.
"Ready?" Dominic asked, moving closer to me.
I nodded, trying to ignore how his presence made my skin tingle. This was business. Nothing more.
The course started with a rope climb that required one person to pull while the other climbed. Basic teamwork stuff.
"I'll pull, you climb," I said quickly.
"Actually," Dominic caught my arm gently, "I think you should climb. You're lighter, and I've got the upper body strength for pulling."
He was right, but admitting that felt like giving up control. In this place, control was the only thing keeping me alive.
"Fine," I muttered.
His hands wrapped around the rope below mine as I started climbing. Every time I slipped, he steadied me. Every time I struggled, he adjusted his position to help me balance.
We moved like we'd been partners forever.
"Nice work," he said when I reached the top.
The next obstacle was a puzzle that required two people to solve together. Mathematical equations that unlocked a combination lock.
"Math was never my strong subject," I admitted, staring at the numbers.
"Mine either," Dominic said. "But look - these aren't random. They're dates."
"Dates?"
"Movie release dates. See this one? That's when Casablanca came out. And this one is The Godfather."
He was right. Within minutes, we'd cracked the code and moved to the final challenge - a trust fall from a ten-foot platform.
That's where my plan kicked in.
I was supposed to cause drama. Sabotage our team. Make everyone hate me more than they already did.
As Dominic climbed the platform, I stepped away from the catching position.
"What are you doing?" he called down.
"Giving them what they want," I said loudly enough for the cameras to hear. "Sorry, partner. Every woman for herself."
The other contestants gasped. Camera operators moved closer to capture my betrayal.
But as Dominic prepared to jump, trusting that I would catch him despite my words, something inside me broke.
I couldn't do it. I couldn't let him get hurt just to play a stupid game.
I rushed back into position just as he jumped.
His warm, solid weight crashed into my arms. We both stumbled, but I held on tight, keeping him from hitting the ground.
"I've got you," I whispered.
For a heartbeat, we stayed like that - him in my arms, both of us breathing hard, staring into each other's eyes.
"You came back," he said quietly.
"Yeah, well..." I helped him stand up, trying to ignore the way my hands shook. "Don't read too much into it."
But something had shifted between us. Something dangerous and electric that made my chest feel tight.
"Luna and Dominic win!" Amanda announced.
The other contestants clapped politely, but I could see the confusion in their faces. They'd expected me to sabotage us. Instead, we'd dominated the challenge.
As we walked back toward the mansion, Dominic fell into step beside me.
"Why did you come back?" he asked softly.
"Because..." I struggled for words. "Because you trusted me to catch you."
"And that mattered to you?"
I looked at him - really looked at him. There was something in his green eyes that made me want to tell him everything. About my mother's warning. About the crew members planning to eliminate me. About how scared and alone I felt in this beautiful prison.
"More than it should," I admitted.
That evening, our prize dinner was set up on a private balcony overlooking the ocean. Candles flickered in glass holders, casting dancing shadows across the table.
"This is nice," I said, trying to fill the silence.
"It is." Dominic poured wine into both our glasses. "Though I have to ask - is this the real Luna, or are you still playing a character?"
The question hit me like a physical blow. "What makes you think I'm playing anything?"
"Because," he leaned forward, "the woman who caught me today isn't the same person who made Jessica cry yesterday."
My cheeks burned with shame. "Maybe people are more complicated than they appear on TV."
"Maybe they are." His voice got softer. "Tell me something real, Luna. Something that's not for the cameras."
I stared into my wine glass, watching the liquid swirl. Nobody had asked me to be real in so long that I'd almost forgotten how.
"I used to want to be a serious actress," I said finally. "Like Meryl Streep or Cate Blanchett. I wanted to tell stories that mattered, you know? Make people think and feel."
"What happened?"
"Hollywood happened. Bad choices happened. My mother died, and I made every mistake possible trying to deal with it." I looked up at him. "Now here I am, the villain on a dating show, and I can't even do that right."
"Good," Dominic said firmly.
"Good?"
"You're terrible at being cruel, Luna. It goes against everything you actually are." He reached across the table and touched my hand. "That's not a weakness. It's what makes you extraordinary."
The word hung in the air between us. Extraordinary. When was the last time someone had called me anything but difficult or problematic?
"Your turn," I said, trying to keep my voice steady. "Tell me something real."
Dominic was quiet for a long moment, his thumb tracing circles on my hand.
"I didn't come here for love," he said finally.
"Then why did you come?"
"Because sometimes the only way to catch a monster is to walk into its lair."
Before I could ask what that meant, he stood up and walked to the balcony railing. I followed him, drawn by the intensity in his voice.
"The stars are beautiful tonight," he said, but he wasn't looking at the sky. He was looking at me.
"Dominic..." I started to say.
"I know this is complicated," he interrupted. "I know we're supposed to be competing against each other. But Luna, what I feel when I'm with you - that's not fake. That's not for the cameras."
He stepped closer, and I could smell his cologne, feel the warmth radiating from his body.
"We shouldn't," I whispered, but I didn't step away.
"Probably not," he agreed, his hand coming up to cup my face. "But I've never been good at doing what I should."
His thumb traced my cheek, and I felt myself melting despite every warning bell in my head. This was dangerous. This was stupid. This was...
"Luna."
Vincent Torrino's voice cut through the moment like a knife.
Dominic and I jumped apart as the producer stepped onto the balcony, his cold smile making my blood freeze.
"I hate to interrupt," Vincent said, though he clearly didn't hate it at all. "But Luna and I need to have a little chat."
"Actually," Dominic said, moving protectively closer to me, "we were just-"
"Now," Vincent interrupted, his voice carrying an unmistakable threat.
The way he said it made my skin crawl. This wasn't a request from a TV producer. This was an order from someone who was used to being obeyed without question.
"It's okay," I told Dominic, even though nothing about this was okay.
Dominic's jaw tightened. "Luna-"
"I'll be fine," I lied, forcing a smile.
But as Vincent gestured for me to follow him inside, I caught the look in Dominic's eyes. It wasn't just concern. It was fear.
And if Dominic Stone - movie star, Hollywood golden boy - was afraid of what Vincent might do to me, then I was in more trouble than I'd ever imagined.
As we walked away from the balcony, leaving Dominic alone in the candlelight, one thought echoed in my mind:
What if that almost-kiss was the last real moment I'd ever have?