Once Us, Now Dust

Chapter 8

For three straight days, social media buzzed nonstop about Christopher and Mia's passionate love story.

When Christopher finally called, I had just finished my nighttime skincare routine and was comfortably lounging in bed.

The doctor had advised me to take it easy after my first abortion, no stress, no overexertion.

His voice came through the phone, filled with urgency.

"Sophia, let me explain. I spent the past three days in the hospital sorting things out with Mia, I didn't mean to go silent on you.

"And all that trending gossip about our 'scorching romance'? Total garbage. The promise bracelet, engagement ring, secret pregnancy, it's all fake."

I frowned, confused. "What are you even talking about?"

Christopher's breath hitched slightly. Disappointment seeped into his voice.

"Wait… Sophia, haven't you been keeping up with the trending topics?"

I really hadn't. In fact, I'd uninstalled all my social media apps.

For the past three days, I'd been going to bed early, waking up early, living an incredibly peaceful and healthy life.

Calmly applying a face mask, I replied evenly, "Christopher, when are you free? Let's finalize the divorce paperwork."

Silence. Then, a sharp intake of breath before his stubborn reply.

"Sophia, I'm not getting divorced."

About half an hour later, I heard Christopher's voice outside my front door.

He was demanding answers, why wouldn't I let him in? Why had I thrown out all his belongings?

At the same time, my phone lit up with multiple messages and photos from Jack.

"Sophia, Chris got photographed outside some villa. The paparazzi are blackmailing us, demanding $10 million or they'll publish everything. What should we do?"

Jack sounded panicked, but I remained unfazed.

"Jack, some things you need to figure out yourself. If you're really lost, ask the person involved.

"I've resigned, I don't have to worry about this anymore."

There was a brief silence, then Jack responded, "Okay, I get it now, Sophia."

I hung up and had the best sleep I'd had in months.

The next morning, I woke up to hundreds of missed calls and messages.

Randomly clicking on one, I saw a text from Jack.

"Sophia… You and Chris are married?! How the hell did you keep it a secret for so long? I had no clue!"

And it wasn't just him, former entertainment reporters I used to work with, directors, actors, industry insiders, everyone was suddenly blowing up my phone.

Without thinking, I typed back to Jack:

"You're mistaken. Christopher and I don't have that kind of relationship."

Jack immediately shot back:

"Stop lying, Sophia! Chris just announced it on social media!"

My heart dropped.

I scrambled to reinstall my social media apps and flipped on the TV, switching to an entertainment news channel.

There it was. Christopher's official announcement, plastered everywhere:

"My wife @ChristopherLittleHelperSophia kicked me out. What should I do? Need advice…"

The post included two photos.

One showed Christopher sitting outside my villa, looking utterly pathetic, his luggage scattered around him.

The other? Our marriage certificate.

The comments section had exploded:

"Chris, you've got balls! First celebrity to announce it like this in history!"

"Wait… so the 'childhood sweethearts' narrative was a lie?"

"Who does this Sophia chick think she is? A 30-year-old hag is way out of Chris's league."

"She was his assistant for years, she must've seduced him!"

"Hold up… look at the date on the marriage certificate. It's from five years ago! Chris was still working as a body double back then!"

"Holy crap, so Sophia stuck with him from rock bottom to the top?! She was there before the fame and still didn't leave? Damn, I respect that."

"Not a gold digger, not a clout chaser. Okay, I'm sold. I officially ship them."

"But wait… if Sophia is Chris's legal wife… then what does that make Mia?"

"I don't buy the whole 'we're just friends' act. You can see it in their eyes."

"Nah, let's be real. Mia is the other woman here. Chris might be innocent, but Mia? She knew exactly what she was doing."

"Hey @Mia, care to explain yourself?"

And just like that… the internet turned on Mia.