Dad sacrificed Mom’s Best Actress award just to please his old flame, Sutton. The industry mocked Mom, saying she was just a plaything. Heartbroken, Mom attempted suicide by slitting her wrists. All she received from Dad was a dismissive, “It’s pathetic to attempt suicide over an award.”

That night, Mom’s eyes were swollen from crying. Exhausted, she said, “I’m tired. Adelyn, why don’t we leave all this behind together?”

As she spoke, a message from my fiancé, Creed, appeared on my phone. “It’s just a pretend marriage. Can’t you stop taking it so seriously?” I replied with a simple “okay” and immediately arranged for a staged disappearance. On our wedding day, Mom and I vanished in a country house fire.

***

When I reached the hospital, Mom lay quietly on the bed.

“Mom,” I said, taking her hand as tears streamed silently down her pale cheeks.

“Adelyn, I’m tired. Please, let’s walk away from it all.”

Before I could respond, the door flew open with a bang.

“Leighton, isn’t your drama enough on its own? Now you want to drag your daughter into it?” Dad stormed in, visibly angry. I tried to explain, but Mom stopped me with a gentle shake of her head, refusing to engage with him.

“I’ve never seen anyone as petty as you. Can’t you be more gracious like Sutton?” Dad sneered.

Mom remained silent, her lips set in a firm line, unwilling to communicate with him.

“Not jumping off bridges now, just faking your death instead?” Dad said as he yanked her up roughly by her delicate wrist, causing the old wound to bleed again.

I pushed him back urgently. “Can’t you see the wound is reopening?”

A flicker of guilt crossed Dad’s eyes, but he insisted, “You’ll have plenty of opportunities in the future, but Sutton doesn’t. She’s leaving the limelight soon. Are you really that hung up on a title?”

I looked at him, this man who only defended another woman, and said mockingly, “Hung up on a title? If losing what she’s earned and being mocked as nothing more than a toy is your idea of obsession, then maybe it’s you who doesn’t get it.”

Smack! A harsh slap landed across my face.

“How dare you speak to your father like that!” Dad shouted.

Mom pulled me back, her eyes full of concern. “Xavier, you hit Adelyn for someone else! What did she say that was so wrong?”

Guilt resurfaced in Dad’s eyes, but before he could say anything, his phone rang. The room was so quiet we could hear Sutton’s anxious and frail voice.

“Xavier, where are you? There’s so much backlash online, everyone’s accusing me of stealing. I’m really scared. Can you come here?”

Dad’s voice softened. “Don’t worry, I’ll be there soon. Just hang tight.”

His face turned stern again as he whipped back towards Mom, accusing her, “Leighton, did you spread rumors on purpose? If anything happens to Sutton, I won’t let it slide.”

With that, he stormed out.

Mom’s tears fell like a string of broken pearls, one after another.

“Your father doesn’t love me anymore. I want to leave.”

After twenty years of marriage, everything changed when Dad’s old flame returned. He started involving Sutton in everything, even giving her roles and defending her against directors who questioned her place. Some people even thought she was Mrs. Fox.

Mom tried to explain, but Dad silenced her, blaming her for interfering.

I replied softly, “Alright, we’ll leave together. I won’t marry Creed.”

Mom looked surprised, but when I showed her Creed’s recent message, her chest heaved with anger.

“How dare Creed treat you like this! He wants a pretend marriage with Dulce?”

Dulce was Sutton’s daughter, who had a congenital heart condition. Her only wish was to marry Creed. Despite my protests, it never mattered; Creed always saw me as mean-spirited and jealous.

“It’s all my fault. I’m sorry you couldn’t have a normal romance,” Mom sobbed, holding me tight.

I comforted her, but tears escaped my eyes too. “I don’t care anymore. Since his heart is elsewhere, I’ll just let go.”

“Alright.”

Without hesitation, I called to arrange the staged disappearance, setting it for the eve of Creed’s wedding.

Arriving home, I was once again faced with a scene that tore at my heart. Dulce was sprawled out on the couch, wearing the jewelry my mother had given me, while feeding spiced honey cake to Creed, who was working nearby. Even his expression seemed laced with happiness.

Seeing me return, Dulce hurried to greet me.

"Adelyn? What brings you back? How’s your mom doing?"

"Why would you care?" I snapped back. "Enjoy your blissful moment however you want, but give me back the jewelry my mom set aside for me."

Dulce stood up, tears quickly forming in her eyes. Creed stepped forward to shield her, dropping any pretense of his usual politeness.

"Dulce really loves that set of jewelry," he suggested. "Why don’t you let her have it? When we get married, I'll get you an even better set."

I replied sarcastically, "Those were a gift from my mom. Does she deserve it?"

Before he could respond, I stared coldly at Dulce, her eyes gleaming with tears.

"Dulce, you borrow my father because you don’t have one. You borrow my man because you can’t find your own. Now what? You can’t even afford your own wedding jewelry?"

"That's not it, Adelyn. Please listen to me," she pleaded.

Creed couldn't stand to see her upset and quickly stepped in to shield her again.

"Why are you being so petty? It's just a set of jewelry. Lending it to Dulce isn’t such a big deal. We're only getting married for appearances anyway."

I smirked, "A fake marriage is fitting for fake jewelry."

Suddenly, Dulce dropped to her knees before me.

"Adelyn, I know you're upset about me and Creed getting married. Once the ceremony is over, I’ll return him to you, alright?"

I had no interest in arguing with her further and turned to leave. Yet, she clung to me, and before I could shake her off, she screamed and crumpled to the floor. It became clear what she was up to when I met Creed's furious eyes.

He stormed over, grabbing me by the neck and pinning me to the cold tiles, ignoring my protests.

"I really didn't do anything."

He refused to listen.

"No wonder Xavier couldn’t stand your mother—both of you, always looking down on others, it's disgusting!"

If only you could believe me, even a little. I sat on the floor, dazed, watching their retreating figures, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. It took a while before I could suppress the aching in my chest and return to the hospital to care for my mother.

In the hospital room, Xavier was seething with anger, while Sutton attempted to thrust a trophy back into my mother's hands.

"Leighton, please, stop the online attacks. I'm returning the trophy to you."

Refusing to accept Sutton's trophy, my mother struggled, and it clattered to the floor. Sutton seized the opportunity to fall dramatically, just like her daughter. Her eyes were red with tears, and she spoke in a voice full of grievance.

"Even if you don’t want it, don’t smash it." She clutched her stomach,

"Xavier, my stomach hurts. What if something is wrong with our baby?"

Hearing this, Xavier scooped Sutton up from the floor, comforting her softly.

"Don’t worry, I'm here. I’ll protect both you and our child." With that, he left without looking back, holding Sutton tightly.

I helped my mother to her feet, her expression as blank as glass shards embedded in her palm. She seemed oblivious to the pain.

"Adelyn, did you hear? They’re having a baby."

I gently wiped her tears away. "Mom, you still have me."

Shortly after, Xavier called, his voice filled with anger.

"Leighton, you need to issue a statement clarifying that Sutton earned her award fair and square. Stop those clueless fans of yours from spreading lies about her."

"She almost miscarried because of you. Clarifying is the least you can do, as a form of compensation."

I laughed at the absurdity. "Dad, why should my mom clarify anything? If Sutton had the talent, no one would doubt her."

"Don’t think I don’t know—your mom deliberately paid people to slander her," he retorted.

Mom had no desire to argue further. "I’ll post something on the day of the wedding."

Xavier's tone softened.

"I know this has been tough on you, but I've arranged for you to star in Director King's next film. Don’t be upset anymore."

Starring in his films had been her biggest dream. Yet now, her expression remained impossibly calm, neither agreeing nor refusing.

After hanging up, we discovered that Dulce had just announced her role as the lead in Director King's new film.

["Xavier really believes in Sutton. He secured the lead role in King’s film for her."]

["Didn’t you know? Sutton is Xavier's true love, even more important than his wife."]

Seeing the comments, Mom and I quietly packed up and went home, not making a fuss over it.