The next morning, Jack was already gone. I woke up to the buzzing of my phone, flooded with notifications from Twitter's trending topics.

Opening my phone, I was stunned.

[#Jack At The Bar#]

[#Jack Seen With A Woman#]

I immediately clicked on the first trending topic and saw photos of Jack at a bar last night, clearly taken by a paparazzo.

His face was fully visible, and the photos were exceptionally flattering.

No wonder he was the Best Actor.

The comments section was split, with half criticizing Jack.

One top comment read: [Is it possible that the woman Jack was with is his wife?]

The replies to this comment were mostly: [You're overthinking it.]

[No way.]

[Jack married? Seriously?]

I thought to myself, Actually, it could be true.

I clicked on another trending topic and found photos of me being dragged into the car by Jack. Thankfully, my face wasn't visible, but the pictures made it look like I was being arrested.

I closed Twitter and tried to call Jack.

But another trending topic popped up, making my heart race once more.

[#Jack Replies To Comments#]

[#Jack's Family Discipline#]

I clicked to find Jack's recent tweet: [My wife's family discipline isn't great, so I had to take her home for some correction.]

The comments went wild.

[Is this really you?] Jack replied: [Yes, it is.]

[Best Actor, you're married!?!] Jack replied: [Yes.]

The comments quickly shifted tone.

[Wow, Best Actor is so doting!]

[I'm in awe!]

I started to doubt whether it was really him posting.

What happens to our secret marriage!?

Terrified of being exposed as the woman in question, I shakily dialed Jack's number.

"What's going on..." I asked, my voice trembling.

"What's wrong?" Jack's voice was calm, "Is something the matter?"

How could I even dare to complain?

"Not exactly..." I said hesitantly.

The main thing is, I'm terrified of being exposed, you know!

"Well, as long as you're okay with it," he replied.

I was Charlize Collins, a barely known actress. If it got out that I was secretly married to the Best Actor, I couldn't even imagine the fallout. At this point, I could only take it one step at a time.

I ended the call, staring at Jack's name, which was still topping Twitter's trending list. I felt a chill run through me.

After getting up and getting ready, I settled in at home, trying to take it easy. About an hour later, Jack's agent called me.

"Charlize! Hey, you need to come over right away. Jack's got a fever, and he won't go to the hospital!"

I was taken aback.

"Where is he?" I asked, quickly grabbing my things and heading out.

"On the set of 'New Era'."

I rushed over and was greeted by Jack's agent, who led me inside.

Seeing Jack slumped in a chair, I was both worried and frustrated. I immediately grabbed his hand, trying to get him up. "To the hospital."

"No," Jack mumbled, "I don't want to go..."

What is wrong with this guy?

Since he was sick, I had to coax him. "Alright, fine. If you won't go to the hospital, at least come home with me."

Jack murmured, "No, I want my wife to come."

My jaw nearly dropped. Really testing my patience.

"I am your wife. Let's go home."

His face was flushed, and after giving me a look, he finally agreed, "Okay, honey."

I helped him into the car and took the driver's seat, heading home. Since he refused the hospital, I had to manage his fever myself.

Once we got home, I half-carried him to the bedroom and laid him down on the bed.

I grabbed a damp cloth and some medicine.

By the time I finished, it was already afternoon, and I was finally able to take a breath.

Just as I was about to leave, Jack reached out and grabbed my hand, his eyes looking pitiful.

"Don't leave. Stay with me."

I sighed, resigning myself to the situation. I sat down on the edge of the bed.

"I need to rest," I tried to reason with him.

Jack said, "Then sleep with me."

Seriously?

"Can't we? Aren't we married?" Jack asked, his voice sleepy but his grip firm.

"Alright, fine."

I lay down, and before I knew it, this human furnace had wrapped his arms around my waist.

"Let go of me," I struggled to say.

But Jack only held on tighter.

The next morning, I woke up to find Jack sitting on the bed with a look of hurt in his eyes.

The moment I looked up, I met his sad gaze.

"What did you do to me?" he asked, pointing to some marks on his collarbone.

They were clearly teeth marks, probably from when I was restless in my sleep.

…Are you serious?

I was momentarily speechless. What else could I have done?

I shot back, "What do you mean? You had a fever yesterday. Maybe it scrambled your brain a bit. I was just taking care of you."

Jack said, "Is this what your 'care' looks like?"

He gestured to the bite marks again.

I threw up my hands and said, "So what if I did something to you? We're married, it's legal!"

To my surprise, Jack simply smiled. "Yep, it's legal."

Before I could react, he pinned me down on the bed and pressed his lips to mine. I didn't dare open my eyes; my mind was spinning, and I could smell a faint, pleasant scent I couldn't quite place.

After a moment, he pulled back, looked down at me, and said with a grin, "It's legal, so a kiss isn't too much to ask, right?"

I didn't answer, but my brain was on fire. Since our secret marriage, we'd been very reserved with each other—hardly any hugs, let alone kisses.

Jack continued, "You've got to be responsible."

…Well, at least he knows what responsibility means.

After Jack got up and went back to the set, I was left alone. As a minor actress, I didn't have much going on. Still, I couldn't shake the strange feeling from yesterday's events.

I called Julia.

"What?! You slept with him?" Julia exclaimed on the other end of the line.

"Is that the point here?" I asked, bewildered.

Julia analyzed the situation for me. "Come on, you slept with the Best Actor! That's huge!"

"What's huge about it? We just shared a bed," I groaned.

"Okay, but you could make it real?" Julia suggested with a chuckle.

"No way, you're totally unreliable!"

And she really was unreliable. After all, who else would post photos of herself at a bar with gigolos on Twitter, claiming to have taken me along for the ride?

After hanging up, I went back to scrolling through Twitter.

Suddenly, a new trending topic caught my eye

[#Minor Star Charlize Bedding BestActor#]

I panicked.

Clicking on the hashtag, I saw photos taken the day before when I picked up Jack from the set. The shots were taken from an angle that made it look like I was clinging to Jack's waist as I helped him into the car.

The angle was deliberately misleading, suggesting that I was pursuing him while he was reluctant.