Chapter 30

Zoya's POV

I sat on the edge of the bed, hugging my knees and fixating on the open laptop in front of me. Olivia's interview from yesterday kept replaying in my mind, her words "Zoya and I are good friends and amazing colleagues, and I am happy with my husband" echoing relentlessly.

She had denied our connection without hesitation, prioritizing her career over our relationship. Perhaps it was the practical thing to do, and my romantic ideals were naive.

Sebastian sat down next to me, placing a box of pizza on my lap. "You need to eat something," he said, looking at me with concern.

"I'm not very hungry," I sighed, closing the laptop and pushing it away.

"I know, but you need to eat regardless. I understand you're hurt, but Liv probably had no choice. You need to be strategic to come out on top," he said, helping himself to a slice of pizza.

"Who said I wanted to play games? I didn't sign up for this; she initiated the whole thing," I countered.

"I have to disagree. Don't act like you didn't have feelings for her or wish for things to go this way. Good things are often hard to attain. If you're not willing to wait for her and understand her situation, or if you prefer playing it safe, then maybe it's time to move on and be with someone else," he said, firmly urging me to eat a slice of pizza.

"Maybe she's the right person, but it's the wrong time," I murmured weakly.

"Many people say that to justify giving up. If you want her, be patient. But don't put the blame on her. She took a step because she likes you, but she has a lot at stake and needs time. Respect that," he advised.

"So you want me to watch her being happy with her husband?" I retorted, frustration clear in my voice.

"No, I want you to focus on your studies and the job you were so eager about a few months ago. Let her sort out her life," he advised. I knew deep down he was right, and perhaps I was expecting too much, too soon.

"What did you do with Ezra?" I asked, attempting to change the subject.

"He gave me a speech that if he found out it was me who leaked the information, he won't stop any legal actions the producers of the show choose to take," he said, shaking his head and laughing.

"Ava is convinced that it was me," I scoffed angrily.

"Well, it's her job to protect Liv, but that interview will calm things down a bit. There's also this charity event that Liv is attending with Elijah today," Sebastian said. "Do you know what happened between them?" he asked cautiously.

"Yeah, she can pretend to be the loving wife some more, great for her," I said sarcastically. "And no, we don't talk, just when we are doing our scenes," I added.

"Are you going to the charity event today too?" Sebastian asked casually. "I heard Ezra is going."

"You want me to go watch her with Elijah?" I retorted, my voice tinged with anger.

"No, Ezra asked me to tell you to accompany Cadence," he replied, raising his eyebrows.

"I'm not playing this game, Sebastian," I said firmly, shaking my head.

"It's for the best. She's going with Elijah. If you don't show up, it might raise questions," he explained.

"I don't care," I shook my head, taking a bite from my pizza, trying to swallow my pain with each mouthful.

"Last time she was pretty pissed to see you with another woman. Maybe this is the spark you need," Sebastian teased.

"So now you want me to play games and drag Cadence into it too? She's a nice girl; she doesn't deserve this," I asserted firmly, feeling guilty for involving Cadence in my personal turmoil.

"But imagine the look on Olivia's face," Sebastian chuckled mischievously.

"What happened to advising me to be patient and give her time?" I asked, grabbing the last slice of pizza.

"What happened to you not being hungry?" he quipped, observing me burying my emotions in food. I shrugged.

"Patience is important, but there's also nothing wrong with shaking things up. Show Olivia what she's missing," he suggested with a wink.

"No, Cadence is a nice girl. I won't use her like that," I replied after a moment of contemplation.

"You're right," Sebastian conceded, momentarily sounding defeated. But soon, a sly grin crossed his face.

"What now?" I rolled my eyes at him.

"Cadence is a nice girl, sure. But you know who isn't so nice and happens to be someone Olivia can't stand?" he said eagerly.

"No!" My eyes widened as I caught on to his idea.

"We are so doing this!" Sebastian squealed in excitement as he jumped onto my bed.

"I am not asking Anne out," I insisted, trying to keep him from getting carried away.

"You have to do it," he said firmly, handing me the phone, but I refused to take it, crossing my arms.

"Give me one good reason why not," he urged, slouching in disappointment.

"I hate Anne," I deadpanned.

"That's not a reason why; that's a reason why you should do it," he retorted, rolling his eyes.

"I don't feel right about toying with people's feelings like that. Anne may not be the nicest person, but I know what heartbreak feels like, and I don't want to cause that for anyone. It's not a good feeling," I explained, shrugging.

"Then just tell her you need someone to pretend to be your date. Don't give her any false hope, but manage her expectations. She'll get her moment of attention, Ezra will ease off your back, and Olivia will see you're not someone to be taken for granted," he suggested, making it sound simple when it clearly wasn't.

Oli's words from the interview replayed in my head as I stared at the phone in Sebastian's hand. Groaning, I snatched it away from him, realizing maybe it was time for me to stop sitting on the sidelines and start playing offense.

Olivia's POV

I felt as if I had died and ended up in hell over the past couple of days. It was pure torture seeing Zoya so shattered and despondent. Every fiber of my being yearned to comfort her, to hold her close, but I couldn't muster the courage to confront her. Nor could I bring myself to tell her that Elijah had refused to divorce.

Days dragged on as I waited for him to calm down so we could talk. I desperately needed a glimmer of hope to offer her, something tangible to face her with, but Elijah avoided me like the plague. He wouldn't even look at me, opting instead for the silent treatment. I knew I had shattered his heart and broken his trust, so I couldn't blame him for shutting me out. I understood he needed time to process everything.

Yet, caught between Zoya's broken heart and Elijah's wounded soul, I had little room to tend to my own emotions. The weight of it all was wearing me down. I found myself withdrawing even from conversations with Ava, feeling on the brink of a breakdown. Despite this, I had to maintain my composure. It was what everyone expected of me.

"Can you tell your friend we're late?" I heard Elijah yell downstairs, followed by Ava's indistinct reply.

Shortly after, I heard footsteps approaching up the stairs. I took a final glance at myself in the mirror, ensuring my makeup concealed the tears I'd shed.

"Liv," Ava said cautiously.

"You don't need to say anything. His shouting was loud enough," I replied, avoiding her gaze.

"I know things are tense between you two right now, but it'll get better," she tried to comfort me, but it wasn't what I needed to hear.

"Sure, whatever you say. After all, you know what I need in my life better than I do, right?" I said angrily, pushing past her and heading downstairs. I knew she was only trying to help, but in that moment, I needed my friend, not my manager.

The car ride was painfully awkward. Ava attempted to start a conversation a couple of times, but each time, either Elijah or I shut it down.

As the car stopped in front of the building, the flashes from paparazzi cameras were already blinding me. Ava exited the car first, followed by Elijah. He paused and offered me his hand to help me out of the car, wearing a charming smile. It was hard to believe this was the same man who had been shouting moments ago.

I did my best to muster a smile in return, but my body tensed when I felt his arm around my waist. He leaned in as if to kiss my cheek but instead whispered in my ear, "You act for a living, don't mess this up." My smile faltered for a moment, but I quickly composed myself, nodding politely as he took my hand and led me inside.

I felt the air escape from my lungs when I saw Zoya standing next to Ezra, clad in an emerald green dress that complemented her eyes so well they seemed to shine. Her smile was as radiant as ever, and I knew I must have looked lovesick because Ava nudged me subtly, urging me to pull myself together. Luckily, Elijah was preoccupied greeting his friends, but he soon returned to my side.

"We should go say hi to Ezra and Zoya and act natural for the cameras. We don't want another embarrassing headline about you tomorrow," Elijah said, his hand on my back pushing me forward, not waiting for my response.

"You made it," Ezra greeted us warmly. Zoya turned her head towards me, her eyes studying me briefly before she looked away. I immediately missed the warmth of her gaze on me.

"Can you at least not look like someone killed your dog?" Elijah quipped to Zoya, his smile wide as he shook her hand and pulled her in for a kiss on the cheek.

"Elijah," Ezra interjected in a warning tone. I should have said something, but I was tongue-tied, seething with anger. He was pushing my limits.

Zoya, however, seemed unfazed by Elijah's remark. Instead, she turned to Ava, greeting her warmly before flashing me one of her dazzling smiles. Instinctively, I returned it. It was a relief to see her smile again. I wondered if she was starting to understand that I needed time to sort things out between us.

I struggled to divert my gaze from Zoya, attempting to appear composed, but my eyes kept returning to her involuntarily. Trying to participate in the conversation Ezra, Elijah, and Ava were having proved futile; my attention remained fixated on her. Meanwhile, she seemed focused on Ezra, not sparing me a glance.

"There you are," someone interrupted. My heart sank as I saw Anne wrap her arm around Zoya's waist and hand her a drink.

"Thank you, I needed that," Zoya smiled, accepting the drink.

"Where's Sebastian?" Anne inquired, scanning the surroundings.

"I'm not sure, but we can go find him," Zoya replied, taking Anne's hand and walking away.

Tears welled up in my eyes as I watched them leave, hand in hand. It felt like my heart shattered into a million pieces.