Page 102 of Cast to be Mine

No. I didn’t believe that. I couldn’t believe that. What Micah and I had was real. I felt it in every kiss and every quiet moment we’d stolen together. He cared about me. I knew he did. But knowing something in your heart and proving it to the world were two very different things.

A knock on the trailer door made me jump.

“Grace?” Patty’s voice, hesitant. “They need you on set in ten minutes.”

Ten minutes. I had ten minutes to pull myself together, to transform from a sobbing mess into Elena, a woman fighting for her life against impossible odds.

“Ditto, girl,” I murmured.

I looked at myself in the small mirror above the vanity. My eyes were red and puffy, my nose running, my face blotchy from crying. I looked like I’d been through a war.

“I’ll be right there,” I called back.

I splashed cold water on my face. Took deep breaths. Reminded myself that I was a professional. I’d gotten through worse than this. The best thing I could do for myself, Micah, and everyone who’d worked so hard on this movie, was to deliver the performance of my life.

The scandal would fade eventually. They always did. I just had to ride it out.

When I finally emerged from the trailer and headed for makeup, the artist took one look at my face and immediately understood.

“Sit,” she said, guiding me to her chair. “I’ve got you.”

She worked quickly and efficiently, dabbing concealer under my eyes, adding drops that made the redness disappear, brushing powder across my cheeks to even out my skin tone. Her hands were gentle, her voice low and soothing.

“This happens more than you’d think,” she murmured as she worked. “Lot of drama on these sets. I’ve seen leading ladies have full breakdowns between takes and still nail the scene. You’re going to be fine.”

“Thank you,” I managed.

“Just focus on the work. Everything is just noise.”

When she finished, I looked almost normal. A little tired, maybe, but nothing that couldn’t be explained away by the grueling schedule. The magic of movie makeup.

I walked to set with my head held high, ignoring the glances and whispers that followed me. I could feel everyone watching, waiting to see how I’d handle this. Whether I’d crumble or rise to the occasion.

I chose to rise.

Micah was near the monitors when I arrived, reviewing something on the screen with the DP. He looked up as I approached. I saw the concern flash across his face. The urge to come to me and ask if I was okay. I knew his instinct was to fix whatever was wrong.

But he didn’t. He stayed where he was, maintaining the professional distance we both knew was necessary. The distance that might have saved us if we’d maintained it from the beginning. Our eyes met for just a moment. I gave him the smallest nod, trying to communicate everything I couldn’t say out loud. I’m okay. I’ll get through this. We’ll figure it out.

He nodded back and turned back to the monitor.

I walked to my mark and waited for the scene to begin. It was one of the downsides of trying to make it as an actress. Everyone had an opinion about everything you did. No matter how personal. No matter how private. Your life became public property the moment you stepped in front of a camera.

But I hadn’t come this far to let gossip break me. I hadn’t fought this hard to give up now.

“Quiet on set!” the AD called out.

I closed my eyes and found Elena.

The final scene of the Hawaii shoot was deceptively simple. Elena on the beach at sunset, her ex-boyfriend making his last desperate plea for reconciliation. Jack’s character would pour his heart out, beg for another chance, try to convince her that what they had was worth fighting for.

My job was to stand there and react. To let the audience see Elena’s internal struggle play out across my face. The words she couldn’t say. The feelings she couldn’t admit.

It should have been easy. I’d done reaction work a thousand times. But standing there with the sun sinking toward the horizon, knowing Micah was watching from behind the monitors and our relationship had just become international news made it so much harder.

“First positions,” the AD called.

I walked to my mark, the sand still warm beneath my bare feet. Jack positioned himself a few feet away, running through his lines under his breath. For once, he actually looked focused. Maybe even nervous.