Dying to Divorce Him

Chapter 3

I hadn't come to see Felix in the first place, so after a few polite words, I turned to leave. But just as I stepped out, I heard a voice behind me.

"It was you, wasn't it? You're the one who got the director to replace me!"

I hadn't expected the director to act that fast.

Her voice was loud enough to draw attention. A few actors peeked out from their rooms, eavesdropping with barely disguised curiosity.

"Damn," someone whispered. "She pissed off the wrong person. One word from her, and the lead actress is out just like that."

Even Felix looked stunned. "Wait, is that true?" he asked.

I was tired of playing games. "Yeah," I said flatly. "It was me."

Zia went off, borderline hysterical. "Why? Do you have any idea how hard I fought for that role?!"

Not wanting the drama to turn into a public spectacle, I shot a look at the nearby crew. They immediately cleared the area.

Once it was just the three of us back in the room, I looked her dead in the eye.

"This is what happens when you mess with me."

Felix was clearly out of the loop. "What the hell is going on?"

I pulled out my phone and showed him the screenshots, the messages, the photos, the ones Zia had sent me.

His face darkened. "When did I ever say you were my girlfriend?" he snapped, and before I could react, he slapped her.

Then, like nothing had happened, he turned back to me and pleaded, "Emma, I hit her, okay? But we still need her for the shoot. Can't you just let this one slide?"

I said nothing. I just walked out.

By the time I got home, word had already gotten around that the crew had found a new lead actress. But Zia? She refused to leave the set.

A few days later, Felix called.

"I don't vibe with the new actress. I want Zia back."

That night, he came home.

"Emma, just let them bring her back, okay? You want me to make a hit show, don't you?"

I stared at him. "Do you actually like her?"

"What? No! I only like you."

I gave him an ultimatum. "Then you have two choices. Bring her back and go public with our relationship, or keep the new lead and continue like this."

He looked like I'd slapped him.

"Again with the going public thing? Emma, I've told you, I can't. This is the peak of my career. If we go public now, everything I've built could fall apart!"

"And what, keeping us a secret while letting rumors swirl about you and other actresses is fine?"

"I'm not dating anyone else! Those are just on-screen pairings. It's not real!"

His voice grew sharper. "I'm bringing her back. You can't stop me."

I grabbed his wrist and forced him back onto the couch, making him look at me.

His face turned red, his jaw tight. He looked humiliated.

"So now that you've made a name for yourself, you think you can go toe-to-toe with me?"

He didn't answer, just stared at me, seething.

When I finally let go, he stormed out without a word. I stood there, drained, wondering why I had ever gone to such lengths for him.

Back then, I had just lost both my parents in the span of a year. Everything felt like it was falling apart, and one night, Shirley, my best friend, dragged me out to a bar to clear my head.

That's where I saw him, Felix, being paraded around by his agent, forced to entertain clients like a trophy. He looked so pitiful.

On impulse, I pulled him out of there.

But it wasn't charity. I made him agree to be my boyfriend for three years.

At first, it was just a contract. A role we were both playing. But somewhere along the way, things got real. He even told me he'd marry me someday.

And now?

Now I couldn't even stop the tears from falling.

After returning to set, Felix did go to the director and asked for Zia back. The director called me for approval. My heart wavered, and once again, I gave in.

Production finally wrapped five and a half months later.

That's when Felix came home again. By then, I was running on fumes.

I'd been working around the clock with my executive team, laying the groundwork to hand over the reins. I had already started evaluating the next CEO I'd been grooming for the job.