by Liwen Ho
Evan gritted his teeth so hard, his jaw hurt. This couldn’t be true. Emma wouldn’t cheat on him. He rose to his feet and began pacing the room, from the large window on one end to the door on the other, and back again. At the window, he paused to look out at the view of the setting sun. From his vantage point on the fourth floor, the convention center across the street looked like a toy building standing against an orange-streaked sky. The sight was beautiful to behold, despite the turmoil he felt inside. He wished he could rewind time and go back to the night before when he was looking at another sunset with Emma by his side. How had things turned upside down within a matter of twenty-four hours?
Two arms suddenly came up around his waist, wrapping him in a tight embrace. His body stiffened as Margot ran her hands along the planes of his chest and she laid her cheek on his back. He clasped her hands and brought them down in one swift motion. “Margot, please stop.”
She held onto one of his hands as she stepped forward to stand by his side. In a sultry voice, she cooed, “It’s okay, Evan. I know you’re hurting, but I can help you feel better.”
Evan balked. What had he been thinking, letting Margot into his room? He should’ve known better than to be alone with her. He shook off her hand and took a big step away from her. “We’re not filming a scene, Margot. This is not happening. I’m only saying this one more time. There is nothing going on between us. I’m with Emma. She’s the only woman I love. You need to leave. Now.”
Her expression hardened as if she had turned to stone. She scoffed, her chin lifted high and eyes narrowed. “As you wish. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Evan rolled his eyes. He’d had enough of her threats. He strode to the door, deciding it would be faster if he ushered her out. “Let me show you out.”
She skulked across the room until she reached his side. With a glint in her eyes, she poked a finger at his torso. “You’re so tense, Evan. You need to loosen up a bit, have some fun. Don’t forget, you’re America’s sexiest heartthrob. Own up to your title.” With those last words, she quickly undid a button along the front of his shirt, then leaned in to press her mouth on his cheek.
Evan turned his head to the side, cutting off their contact. He was now beyond eager for Margot to leave. He quickly swung open the door and said a curt, “Goodbye”.
She walked out slowly, tousling her hair as she went. After a few steps forward, she turned and blew him a kiss.
He was about to shut the door when the echo of male voices resounding in the dimly lit hall drew his attention.
“Evan!” Margot yelled.
The hair on the back of his neck stood on end. Was Margot okay? He rushed out of his room, ready to help her. That’s when he came face-to-face with a small crowd gathered outside his door. Bright flashes of light assaulted his senses, temporarily blinding him.
“Evan, look over here! This way, please!” The photographers interspersed their demands with more flashes of light. “What’s going on with you and Margot?”
Holding up a hand to shield his eyes, he looked around for Margot, but she was nowhere to be seen. He couldn’t believe it. She’d called the paparazzi and left him as bait.
“Looks like you guys are still together,” the man nearest him remarked. “I guess there are no bad feelings after her dad fired you from Edenvale. Or are you using her to get back on the show?”
A wave of nausea rolled over him, leaving a bitter taste in his mouth. Fired? He had to have heard them wrong. Mr. Everly would never fire him. He was one of the main actors on the show. This had to be one of Margot’s lies …
He turned on his heels to reenter his hotel room, but soon realized he’d locked himself out. Could this day get any worse? He spotted a red exit sign at the other end of the hall. With the paparazzi closing in, he made a mad dash for the door that led to the staircase. Bounding down the stairs, he reached the ground floor in a matter of minutes. He caught his breath as he entered the hotel lobby, then ducked into the closest men’s room near the registration counter.
Once inside, Evan locked himself into a stall and released a heavy breath. He couldn’t believe he’d run away like that. Normally, he’d be the first guy to chat up the paparazzi and try to befriend them. He’d been able to talk himself out of a hairy situation like that before. What was different this time?
He shivered, his body as cold as the metal door holding him up. He knew what was different. He was different. Without Emma by his side or his leading man role to hold onto, he was lost. Vulnerable and insecure. He hadn’t felt this way since childhood when he was trying to emerge from the shadow of his brothers’ reputations. He thought he’d gotten past his insecurities, but they had suddenly reemerged, larger than before. The stakes were higher now; there was more to lose.
How had he gotten to this point? He was merely a pawn to the paparazzi chasing him. The TV show that had given him his claim to fame had dropped him. And the one woman he had ever loved had possibly traded him in for someone new. He didn’t want to believe the latter, but he was too beaten down to think otherwise.
The reality of the situation weighed down on him, forcing his knees to buckle. He slid down and collapsed onto the tile floor. He had never felt as hopeless as he did now.
Chapter Sixteen
Emma
Emma was desperate. She sat up in bed and grabbed her phone off the nightstand. She clutched it tightly, scrolling through her list of contacts. It was past midnight and she’d had enough of waiting. Evan still hadn’t called or texted her back, even after she’d left a dozen messages for him. This wasn’t like him at all. What if he had gotten hurt or sick? Her heart raced as every fearful possibility flooded her mind. She said another prayer, pleading with God to watch over Evan. Knowing the Lord loved him so much more than she did gave her some comfort.
Emma searched through the S’s until she found Colin Spark’s number. Evan had told her she could call any of his brothers if she ever needed help, big or small. She figured Colin was likely still up. He was also the easiest one to talk to with his fun-loving nature. She fiddled with the hem of her cotton pajama top as she waited for him to answer.
“Hello?”
Hearing the cheerful voice greet her over the line made Emma smile for the first time that evening. “Colin, hi, it’s Emma. I’m sorry to be calling so late, but I didn’t know what else to do.”
“Emma, hey. Slow down there. What’s going on? Are you okay?”
“I-I’m fine,” She stammered, knowing full well she wasn’t. The day’s events were finally taking a toll on her. But now wasn’t the time to dwell on the crazy things that had happened, from her showdown with the paparazzi, to the posts she’d seen on the Comic Con’s Instagram account. Not until they found Evan. She wiped away the hot tears flooding her eyes and took a shaky breath. “Have you heard from Evan today? I can’t reach him. He said he was going to call me, but that was this morning when he landed in San Jose. I haven’t heard from him since.”
“No, sorry, I haven’t. The last time he texted was in our group chat last night when he told us he was coming up. We’re supposed to meet up tomorrow—I mean, today. Maybe he just got busy at the convention, then crashed for the night? Those events can be really long and exhausting.”
Emma considered this for a moment. She imagined being around Margot all day could wear a person down. Especially when they had to pretend to be dating. And kissing. She shuddered, remembering the photo she saw of Evan and Margot online. She was sure Margot had taken advantage of the situation at Comic Con—of them doing the panel session in character—and claimed a kiss from Evan. That woman would do anything to be near him. Now that Emma was familiar with Margot’s M.O., there was little she could do to shock her. Still, she had quickly closed her phone the moment she saw the photo. There was no point in lingering on it and giving doubt a chance to settle in.
“Emma, you still there?”
“Yes, I’m here.” She raked one hand through her hair as she waited fo
r an ambulance and its wailing siren outside her apartment building to pass. “I just wish there was some way to check on Evan, like maybe visit his hotel room—oh! I should try calling the hotel. Why didn’t I think of that before? Maybe the staff could send someone to his room to make sure he’s okay.”
“Uh, Emma …” Colin paused, the sound of tapping computer keys filling the silence. “I think I know where he is. Or at least where he was a few hours ago.”
She shot up straight in her bed, nearly bumping into the wall shelf hanging above her head. She wished she had thought of Googling Evan. Evan had long ago warned her against believing anything the media said about him though, so she’d gotten used to avoiding the internet. “Where? Where is he?”
“At the hotel. There’s a photo of him outside a room. Let me read the article that goes with it.”
Emma didn’t have the patience to wait. She turned on the speakerphone, then opened up a browser. Putting in Evan’s name resulted in several top news stories, along with the links to his official website, Wikipedia page, and social media platforms. She skimmed the headlines, her jaw dropping lower with every word she read. But it was the picture attached to the news stories that made her gasp. There was Evan with his shirt unbuttoned, emerging from his hotel room with a bright red lipstick stain on his cheek.
“Uh, I take it you’re looking at the same photo that I’m looking at.” Colin’s voice boomed, concern lacing every syllable. “I know it looks bad, Emma, but I’m sure there’s a perfectly good explanation for this. I know my brother; he’s crazy about you. This is probably some kind of publicity stunt. There’s no way he’d do anything shady, especially not with Margot. He can’t stand her.”
Her mouth was so dry, Emma had a hard time swallowing. She’d been wrong. Margot still had surprises up her sleeve. Emma clutched the edge of her blanket as she reminded herself to breathe. Colin was right—there had to be an explanation for why Evan looked the way he did; she just didn’t know if there was a good enough explanation. Could this have been staged by the show? Or had Margot blackmailed Evan into— Emma shook her head. She didn’t want to go there. Her head told her to trust Evan and to believe in their love.
If only her aching heart felt the same.
“Emma,” Colin spoke up, “it says here that Evan got fired from Edenvale. Do you know anything about that?”
“What? How is that possible?” She scrolled through the search results until she came upon the article that Colin must have found. “Evan Spark fired due to creative differences,” she read aloud. “I have no idea what’s going on, Colin. Just yesterday everything was fine. The posts on the Comic Con’s Instagram page looked normal this morning and afternoon, too. What do you think—oh no!”
“What is it?”
Emma knew exactly what had happened. She had happened. She had gotten Evan fired. A fresh wave of hot tears trickled down her face. “I know why Evan got fired. It was my fault, Colin. I went to the paparazzi and told them all the underhanded things that Margot’s been doing. She must’ve heard about it and done this as payback.”
Colin scoffed. “You went to the paps?”
“Yes,” she admitted softly. “I just wanted to tell the truth and stop her from messing with our lives even more.”
“That’s awesome!” Colin chuckled, the happy sound a stark contrast to Emma’s mood. “I didn’t know you had it in you, Emma. Way to go. Someone had to tell the truth.”
“But I should’ve known there would be consequences. I don’t understand why they fired Evan. He’s the star of the show. They should be firing me instead!”
“Well, I’m guessing they didn’t make the decision based on logic. Someone wanted to send a message—loud and clear—that telling on the executive producer’s daughter is a big no-no. And they did it in a way that would hurt the most. It’s as simple as that.”
“I-I feel horrible. I can’t believe I got Evan fired.”
“Hey, don’t sweat it. It’s not your fault the show did what they did. I bet they’re regretting their decision already, especially since the fans have started an online petition to get him back. It’s at—” he paused for a moment “—over half a million signatures. Hashtag bring Evan back is trending on Twitter. Anyway, he’s been thinking of leaving the show. This could be a good thing for him.”
“Good? How is this good?”
“Hey, it’s like Joseph from the Bible. There’s that verse from his story about how what man intended for evil, God intended for good. I know this isn’t the same kind of life or death situation, but I know there’s a reason for everything that happens. Even a choice we didn’t plan on making could end up being a game-changer. It’s okay, Emma. We just need to trust God. You know, one thing I’ve been learning is that faith is an every day thing, not just for special occasions. Things’ll work out, you’ll see.”
Emma sighed. She wiped her cheeks as she chewed her lower lip, digesting what Colin had said. She knew he was right, and what he spoke was truth. But it was so hard not to be swayed in her faith. Hollywood—with its glitz and gossip—had a way of chipping away at a person and everything they believed in. “Thanks, Colin. Thanks for listening and helping me find out where Evan is. I’ll let you get some sleep. Sorry I called so late.”
“No problem at all. I was up experimenting with a new ice cream flavor for the wedding. Just trying to figure out what kind of candy goes best with pistachio.”
“I hope you figure it out soon.”
“Thanks. I’ll tell Evan to call you when I meet up with him later, but I’m pretty sure you’ll hear from him before me.”
“Uh, yeah, thanks. Bye, Colin.”
Emma hung up with a sigh. Despite how hopeful Colin sounded, Emma knew better. She finally understood why Evan hadn’t returned her calls or texts. And she didn’t blame him. He had every right to be upset at the person who cost him his job.
She fell back onto her bed and shut her eyes. If only she could rewind time and not have made the decision she had to confront the paparazzi. She replayed the scene in her mind, feeling the same surge of adrenaline rush through her veins as it had earlier that day. She still didn’t know what had compelled her to march out of the cafe directly toward the crowd gathered outside. It had felt like a showdown between her and the paparazzi, straight out of a western movie. They’d faced her with their long-range camera lenses, while she’d met them with her chin lifted high and her purse clutched tightly to her chest.
The men had immediately quieted down, some even lowering their cameras in surprise. With a quiver in her voice, she’d announced her deal: She’d give them inside information about Margot Everly if they didn’t sell their photos of her and Zach. It’d been a long shot—and she didn’t expect everyone to follow through—but she figured it was worth a try. After some brief conversation with about half of the paparazzi, she’d gone home, feeling somewhat victorious. She’d stood up for herself and stopped Margot from getting her way.
Except that Margot was still getting the last word.
Her phone suddenly lit up with an incoming call. To her disappointment, it wasn’t Evan, but her sister. Still, Emma was happy to hear from Abby. There was never a time when she needed her advice more. “Abby, I’m so glad you called!”
“What are you doing up? I was planning to leave you a voicemail.”
Emma sniffled when she heard her sister’s loud, no-nonsense voice. Oh, how she wished Abby could fight her battles for her like she used to. “I-I couldn’t sleep. It’s been a long and stressful day.”
“Okay, who hurt you and where do I find them?” Abby’s volume rose. “I knew I should never have let you run off to Hollywood!” she added, her tone part angry and part regretful. “What’s going on with you, Em?”
Emma choked back a sob. The sad truth was that this was all her own doing. She’d chosen this line of work. She’d fallen victim to Margot’s schemes. And she’d ruined Evan’s career. The more she thought about the situation, the more upset she
became. Only when she overheard Abby tell Aiden that they were making a stop in So Cal, did she force herself to calm down. “No, Abs, you guys don’t have to come. I’m okay.”
“You clearly don’t sound okay.”
“I’m just tired and confused.” She put up a brave front, hoping to convince her sister she had everything under control. The lie was easier to hold onto because the truth was too much to bear. Admittedly, she was scared. Scared of what Abby might do if she found out about the mess she’d made. She didn’t want to get an “I told you so” speech. She tried her best to sound calm. “I got a new contract for Edenvale. They’re promoting me to a series regular. But I don’t know if I should sign it.”
“Series regular? That’s fantastic! This is what you wanted. So, what’s the problem?”
“I have to give up my ‘no kissing clause’. They want me to kiss my on-screen boyfriend.”
“Well, as long as your off-screen boyfriend is okay with it, I say go for it. Let’s face it, Em, you couldn’t have gotten away with that clause forever.”
“I know.”
“What did Evan say? Is he rethinking your guys’ ‘no kissing rule’ now, too? I bet he’ll want to kiss you before any other guy on set does.”
“Oh, uh, we actually decided not to wait anymore. We’ve already kissed.”
“You did?” Abby squealed. “Well then, that’s even better. Just sign the contract, Em. This is a great opportunity.”
“I … I guess I will.”
“Good.” Pausing for a beat, Abby asked, “Is that the only thing on your mind, Em? You can tell me.”
She hated keeping things from Abby, but she was an adult. She needed to learn how to stand on her own two feet. “Yeah. I was worried about the contract, but talking to you helps.”
