Chapter 4

Mia doesn't give me anything decent to wear.

The fabric is rough and shapeless, barely covering what needs to be covered. Every scar on my body, old and new, is on full display.

She calls it "authenticity." Says it matches my character in the film.

The ceremony is being held in the country garden where I loved to play as a child, and the moment I step inside, I instinctively lower my head and hunch my shoulders.

I accept the Best Actress trophy like a robot. My hands are stiff. My face is blank.

There is no applause, only screaming for Mia.

I stumble offstage. Whatever was left of my dignity shatters on the floor behind me.

Then the crowd erupts again.

Onstage, Ethan is on one knee. A diamond ring catches the light.

Mia clutches her Best New Director trophy, gasping, hand over her mouth like she's shocked.

"Mia," he says, his warm, steady voice carrying across the room, "for the rest of my life, I want to give you all the love and happiness you deserve. Will you marry me?"

She nods.

The venue erupts as an extravagant fireworks display bursts across the sky, turning the night into a fairy tale.

I thought my heart was already numb.

The dull ache in my chest steals my breath.

Nathan glances at me, smirking.

"All of this was always hers. It's just going back to its rightful owner. You really think you have the right to feel wronged?"

I stand there like a statue with no soul.

No tears left. Just emptiness.

Nathan stares at me for what feels like three full minutes, then softens his voice as if he's coaxing a child.

"Be good. Don't make a scene. Mia worked so hard to get here."

"Once the sequel wraps and she gets her Director award, I'll give you some money and send you abroad. You can disappear."

Reporters swarm me. Microphones shoved in my face.

"Claire! Your performance in Modern Castaway was extraordinary. Did Mia coach you?"

"Claire, you stole Mia's identity for years. When are you going to publicly apologize?"

"Mia repaid your cruelty with kindness and made you Best Actress. How will you show your gratitude?"

"Your ex-husband just proposed to Mia. Any well-wishes for the happy couple?"

My fists clench so hard my nails cut into my palms. I don't say a word.

Then liquid hits my face.

A crazed fan of Mia's has thrown red oil-based paint at me.

I scream and try to run on pure instinct.

But Nathan grabs my wrist. His expression is nothing but impatience.

"Relax. It's not acid this time. Just paint."

"Ethan's proposal isn't over. We're not leaving yet."

Red paint drips down my hair, my face, my body. Thick and acrid, sliding down my cheeks like blood.

I stand there, numb and helpless, without even the right to fight back.

I don't know what I look like. I don't know what headlines they'll write.

I don’t come back to myself until they drag me onto the private helicopter and I hear someone say,“Get this embarrassment back.”

Mia is admiring her engagement ring, tilting it this way and that, grinning.

I force words through my ruined throat. "You promised. Once you got your award, you'd take me to see my child. Where is he?"

Mia's hand freezes mid-pose. She looks at me like I've said something hilarious.

She leans in close. Her lips brush my ear. Her voice is pure venom.

"You actually believed that?"

Closer still. A whisper.

"Turn around. See that little mummified decoration behind you?"

"That's your child."

Something in my brain snaps.

White-hot hatred floods every cell.

My hands close around Mia's throat. I squeeze with everything I have.

"I'll kill you! You'll pay for what you did to my baby!"

Nathan explodes. He grabs a fistful of my hair and yanks.

Ethan scoops Mia into his arms and kicks me square in the chest.

They order the crew to tie me to the tail of the helicopter.

Nathan's eyes are bloodshot. "Mia gave you a Best Actress award, and THIS is how you repay her?!"

Ethan's jaw is clenched so tight it could crack. "We forgave you! Why do you keep trying to hurt her?!"

I look at their faces, twisted with rage. And I speak slowly.

"You think this is still your little island? You think you can still control everything?"

The words barely leave my mouth before a swarm of drones tears through the night sky, closing in on the helicopter.

Their phones start ringing. All at once. Frantic.

Mia glances at her screen and lets out a shriek.

"It's trending..."