The top A-list celebrity was helping me adjust my headset when, out of pure instinct, he kissed the top of my head. We both froze. Because this was a divorce reality show. And we were not in the same "couple" group. 01 Everyone assumed I would be the one clinging to Liam Sterling after the divorce. We announced our marriage right at the peak of his career. When he successfully transitioned from idol to award-winning actor, people always mentioned me with a sneer. "What did Elara do to deserve him? She’s just lucky." I didn't bring up the divorce. But he had been waiting for it for a long time. His new drama co-star, Chloe Hart, wore his clothes, used a matching phone case, and played "on-set husband and wife" with him... Meanwhile, I was still flipping through the calendar, waiting for him to come home, only to be hung up on again and again with the excuse that he was "busy." Until the day I ran into Chloe in First Class. She greeted me warmly, smiling with perfect, veneered teeth. "Did you know?" she whispered in my ear. "I swiped his card for this flight." She did it on purpose. She wanted to force my hand. I gave her what she wanted. I went home, packed my bags in thirty minutes, and left. I don't keep trash that other people have touched. Thank God we didn't have kids. Liam leaned against the doorframe, watching me. His reaction was indifferent. He only asked one thing: "What are you taking?" "Your phone." He paused, then actually handed it to me. In the years he loved me most, I accompanied him from being a nobody to a superstar. I was his only pinned contact. Now, I had been replaced. I was just on "Do Not Disturb." We signed the divorce papers. He gave me everything he had earned over the years, begging me to let him go quickly. He claimed he truly loved Chloe. I signed the NDA and left. I thought we would never speak again. Until a month later, he called me. "Let's meet." "The fans can't know I cheated. The drama is still airing," he said. I laughed. In the lounge, his manager was coaching him. "You're still a movie star after the divorce. Her? She’s just a civilian waiting to be mocked. She won't be willing to let go. Just trick her. Tell her you want to go on a divorce variety show with her. Make her think she can win you back. She’ll act desperate, the audience will hate her, and you’ll solidify your 'devoted ex-husband' image." In the conference room, Liam spun his phone in one hand. "I'll do the show," I said, cutting him off. He stared at me, pausing. "Are you... that desperate for me?" He was too confident. Easy to trick. I lowered my lashes. "No. Liam, do we still have a chance?" His gaze was cold. He turned his face away. "Depends on your performance." "But," he added, "the script isn't what you think." The show was airing while his drama with Chloe was broadcasting. To hype their on-screen romance, the concept was "Swapping Lives to See Marriage Problems." Chloe and Liam would be in one room. And I would be rooming with Chloe’s ex-husband. Silas Thorne. The genius actor who exploded onto the scene at nineteen, won the Grand Slam of awards, and then vanished from the industry to get married. Liam had picked up the scraps Silas left behind. He got famous because he looked about 70% like Silas. Rumor had it that Chloe and Silas lived apart after marriage. She loved him, but he didn't love her back. 02 A hot springs resort. Two rooms, separated by a single wall. Live broadcast. Studio commentators inside, scrolling audience comments outside. [Liam and Chloe on a divorce show? In the same room? This is wild!] [They have such insane chemistry.] [I knew Liam had no feelings for his wife. Who likes a dead weight?] [Finally! I’ve been waiting for this divorce!] The crew put heart-rate monitor watches on Liam and Chloe. "If your heart rate hits 70, you can leave the room." [It’ll break in a second, right?] Unexpectedly, both their numbers hovered at 68. In private, they had done everything. They were too familiar, afraid of slipping up. On camera, they had to pretend to be distant. [Chloe is so polite. She’s scared to get close.] [Liam, don't hold back! We support you!] Chloe sat by the door. Liam stood on the balcony for fresh air. From his angle, he could see into my room. Silas hadn't arrived yet. I sat on the edge of the bed, wearing the watch. A knock on the door. A tall figure entered. A baseball cap obscured half his face. The hair on his forehead was damp from the hot spring mist. Outside, a light rain was falling. He carried the chill of the deep night. [The White Moonlight is back!!!] [What can I say... Liam, comparison is the thief of joy.] [Silas looks intense.] "You need to put this on." I handed the other watch to Silas. Liam hated it when people said he looked like Silas. The first year of our marriage, we were walking the streets at midnight. I stopped to stare at a massive billboard of Silas for a luxury brand. Liam slammed a hat onto my head, blocking my view, and said sourly, "I knew you liked that type of face." Now, in the other room, Liam watched from the balcony. He watched clearly as Silas walked in and closed the door. He watched him put on the watch. Liam didn't care. He knew from that night that I was chasing a ghost. He was jealous of Silas to the point of death, simply because Silas was forced into a contract marriage with Chloe. Silas didn't even like Chloe. Certainly, he wouldn't like me—an ordinary, divorced woman that even Liam looked down on. Liam scoffed, full of disdain. Yet, he didn't miss an inch of my reaction. "Hello, Elara Vance." My heart rate sat at 50. I reached out my hand to Silas. "Hello, Silas Thorne." He shook it. A few seconds later, a sharp, piercing beep echoed from the watch. Silas’s numbers exploded off the charts. But his expression remained calmer than anyone's. "Watch is broken," he said. "Oh," I said. 03 They swapped the watch, and sure enough, it "normalized." Liam and Chloe played a few chemistry games, got their heart rates over 70, and left their room early. Meanwhile, in my room... Silas’s heart rate stayed at a steady 25. Pitifully low. "If it never goes up," I asked the producer, "do we have to stay in this room all night?" Silas heard me. He stood straight, broad-shouldered in a thin black hoodie, his gaze empty and distant. "Task failed," the producer said. "You can leave in an hour." Silas and I were the last to come out. [Failure. Absolute failure.] [Zero chemistry.] [Get them off screen. I only want to see Chloe and Liam.] The comments were bleak until the livestream ended. Post-show interviews. Cameras, lights, crowded hallways. Liam stood in the corner, watching Chloe give an interview, his gaze casually sweeping over me. "Excited?" he asked me, unsolicited. "Was there a moment you thought Silas might actually look at you?" I ignored him and tried to walk away. He blocked me. "What to do, Elara?" He shoved his hands in his pockets, tilting his head. "The more I think about it, the more I realize divorcing you was the best choice I ever made." Someone walked by. Liam straightened up instantly, assuming that broken, soulful look again. As if I were the one who had hurt him deeply. Chloe finished her interview. Under everyone's gaze, she walked up to me and took my hand. "Elara," she said. On her wrist was an old, frayed red string bracelet. "Cherish Liam. He really loves you." I recognized that string. Last year, on our anniversary, Liam was being stalked and got into a minor car accident. He was fine. I dragged him up the mountain to pray for his safety. I closed my eyes, my heart full of prayers for him. When I opened them, I saw he had bought a red string bracelet. I thought it was for me. He said it was for himself, to give me peace of mind. Now, it was on Chloe’s wrist. "Stop making a scene," Chloe said to the camera. "I want you two to be happy more than anyone." I didn't say a word. Liam didn't know. Chloe didn't know. I agreed to this variety show for another reason. A hidden, unspeakable reason. That day on the mountain, when I closed my eyes... Liam wasn't the one in my prayers. 04 The show filmed on weekends. The concept was "Weekend Couples." During the work week, I picked up my old career. I wanted to return to my original entertainment group as an agent. "Silas and Chloe are officially divorced," my former boss told me. "He signed a ten-year contract with Chloe's dad's company. He's finally free. He's setting up a new studio. I recommended you." I went to the photography studio address he gave me. Silas was backlit, his features sharp and rebellious. A face truly made for the silver screen. He was harder to approach than I imagined. I waited outside for a long time. Until his assistant ran out and told me, "Sorry, Ms. Vance. We can't talk today." On the way back, my car broke down. 11:00 PM. Middle of nowhere. Raining. I held an umbrella, waiting for a tow truck. Watching cars zoom past like phantoms in the night. None of them stopped for me. Then, headlights flashed. The window of a black van rolled down. Silas’s assistant said, "Ms. Vance, hop in." Silas was in the very back row, asleep with a baseball cap over his face. Shallow breathing, long legs slightly cramped in the space. The car was cluttered. Two suit jackets hung by the window. The scent of crisp pine. The smell of his hand when he shook mine. "Ms. Vance, I'm going to grab water at the gas station up ahead. Want anything?" the assistant asked. "Call me Elara. I'll go with you." "Nah," he waved his hand, hopping out. "I'll be quick." The door slammed shut. Just me and Silas. No one else. No cameras. The dashboard lights blinked. The interior was dim. Even separated by a row of seats, the sound of his breathing felt right next to my ear. I stared out the window at the neon blue lights of the gas station where the assistant was wandering the aisles. I remembered walking through a supermarket with Liam once. I saw Chloe’s ad. "She's so pretty," I had said. "She's okay," he had replied indifferently. I didn't know that "okay" meant he wouldn't come home. Later, I found out Chloe was his first love. They broke up right before he got famous. He hadn't forgotten her. But back then, in the supermarket, he just deftly changed the subject. "Baby, did you date anyone before me?" "No." At least, that’s what I told him. That’s what I told everyone. In the van, someone kicked the back of my calf. A long leg stretched out from the back row. Not accidental. But deliberate, mischievous, rhythmic tapping. I shrank my legs back, out of his reach. I didn't speak. I didn't turn around. I maintained my posture as if nothing was happening. "Elara." He spoke. Maybe he had just woken up; his voice carried a reckless, boyish rasp. "Long time no see." It had been so many years. Why did he still like calling my name like that? Just like in that cramped, humid rental apartment... Over and over, drowning me... Gentle, yet unable to hold back, unrestrained, invading my senses.
? Continue the story here ?? ? Download the "MotoNovel" app ? search for "388349", and watch the full series ✨! #MotoNovel