Chapter 4

Alayna POV:

The Metro bus lurched, throwing me against the window. I gripped the pole, my gaze sweeping across the sea of faces glued to their phones. Most were young, fresh-faced, absorbed in a digital world I was rapidly trying to escape. I caught snippets of conversations, the ubiquitous buzz of pop culture. A group of girls in front of me were animatedly discussing the latest episode of Jarrett's show. My breath caught in my throat. I couldn't help but listen.

"Oh my God, did you see the chemistry between JarSha last night?" one girl gushed, her eyes wide. "It's insane! They just have to be together in real life."

Another chimed in, "Seriously! They're soulmates. That girlfriend of his, Alayna, is just... in the way. She's been around for too long, I heard. Like, seven years! Talk about dead weight."

"Yeah," a third girl added, scrolling through her phone. "I saw a post comparing them. Kisha is so vibrant and young, and Alayna looks so... tired. Like she's aged ten years."

My hand instinctively went to my face. Tired. The word stung. I pulled a small compact mirror from my bag, angling it to catch the dim light. My reflection stared back: pale skin, faint lines around my eyes, a shadow of the girl I used to be. The girl who was once a campus queen, turning heads wherever she went. Now, I felt invisible, overshadowed by the glaring light of Jarrett's fame.

It wasn't always like this. In the beginning, Jarrett had kept our relationship a secret. "It's just too much, Alayna," he'd pleaded, his eyes earnest. "The industry is brutal. I don't want my private life to be scrutinized. It could hurt my career." I, ever the supportive girlfriend, had agreed. I understood. Or, I thought I did.

But then I saw him at industry events, charming actresses, laughing with producers, always with the air of a single, available man. He was constantly being set up on dates, offered roles that required him to "connect" with his female leads. He was building a "single heartthrob" persona, and I was hidden in the shadows, a dirty little secret.

The rage had slowly simmered, then boiled over. "Are you ashamed of me, Jarrett?" I had demanded one night, my voice trembling with suppressed fury. "Is that it? Am I not pretty enough? Not famous enough? Do you think I'm holding you back?"

He'd recoiled, his face a mask of indignation. "Alayna, don't be ridiculous! You're the most beautiful woman I know. But this is my career! It's complicated. You just don't understand." He'd used that line so many times, it had become a mantra of dismissal.

Finally, after months of my pleas and his evasions, he made an announcement. A carefully worded post on a minor social media platform, a blurry photo of us holding hands from behind. "To the woman who's been by my side through everything," it read. "My rock. My forever."

I had cried tears of relief. Finally. Recognition. Validation. We were real.

But even that was tainted. His "official" announcement of our relationship dropped the same day as a tabloid exposé featuring him and Kisha in a series of "intimate" behind-the-scenes photos. The internet had erupted.

The fans, his fans, Kisha's fans, they were rabid. Within hours, a viral thread titled "The Tragic Love Story of JarSha" had taken over my feed. It painted Jarrett and Kisha as star-crossed lovers, destined to be together, but tragically separated by "the girlfriend." I was depicted as a conniving older woman, clinging to a man who clearly didn't love her, a "villain" in their romantic drama.

"She's just here for the money," one comment read. "Poor Jarrett, forced to stay with her out of obligation."

"Kisha deserves better," another declared. "She's pure and innocent, Alayna is just a jealous hag." Hag. The word echoed.

Then, Kisha had joined the fray. A cryptic, late-night "like" on a fan post about "true love being denied," quickly followed by an "oops, fat fingers!" and a public tag to my untouched, anonymous account. "@AlaynaDickerson - so sorry! My phone has a mind of its own, haha! We should totally grab lunch sometime, girl! XOXO"

Lunch? I didn't even know her. We'd met once, briefly, at a party, and she'd barely acknowledged my existence. It was a calculated move, a public display of false camaraderie that subtly twisted the knife. It made her look sweet, and me, by extension, cold and unapproachable.

I showed the post to Jarrett, expecting him to be outraged. Instead, he just shrugged. "She's young, Alayna. A little naive. Don't overthink it. She means well."

"Naive?" I stared at him, aghast. "She's twenty-six, Jarrett! Just two years younger than me! She knows exactly what she's doing!"

He looked at me, a soft, indulgent smile on his face. "You're just jealous, honey. Kisha's a sweetheart. Don't be so suspicious."

His patronizing tone, the way he dismissed my valid concerns as mere "jealousy," made my blood boil. It was always my fault. My emotions were always too much, too irrational. His actions, Kisha's actions, were always innocent, always justifiable.

The bus pulled up to my stop. I stepped off, the urban clamor a suffocating blanket. The chatter of the girls on the bus, the casual cruelty of their words, had burrowed deep under my skin. I walked towards my flower shop, the scent of fresh cut blooms a welcome, if fragile, comfort. Maybe in Portland, I wouldn't have to constantly shrink myself to fit into someone else's narrative. Maybe there, I could finally breathe. And maybe, just maybe, I could find someone who saw me, truly saw me, without filters, without judgment, and without the shadow of another woman.