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.

I kept scrolling through the comments:

[Who is this actress? Doesn't she know her place?]

[Clinging on and playing tricks…]

[Doesn't she know Jack is already married?!]

I couldn't deny it stung a bit. No one likes getting trashed online.

Julia texted me: [Charlize, are you okay? Do you need me to come over?]

I forced myself to shake off the discomfort and replied: [It's nothing. I'm fine.]

Then, I went back to checking Twitter. The comments were relentless.

[An unknown actress trying to ride on the Best Actor's coattails?]

[A total homewrecker, so shameless!]

[Disgusting.]

The insults kept pouring in. Julia sent a voice message. "Those people are so idle. Let me go back at them!"

And then she vanished, probably off to take on her online trolls.

I noticed a flood of new comments, and sure enough, Julia had jumped into the fray.

It was oddly comforting to see someone stand up for me.

I continued scrolling, and then I saw a tweet from a well-known actress, Louisa, who shared the most popular post about me: [Homewreckers are truly despicable.]

Louisa's tweet made her look like a saint, and her popularity soared in response.

[Louisa is so righteous!]

[Compared to that little mistress, she's a breath of fresh air.]

Many people began tagging me in their comments, and the vitriol in my mentions grew even worse.

I sighed.

Louisa Lane was a hot star who had acted with Jack in a film with a tragic ending, which had sparked a massive fanbase for their on-screen chemistry.

Now, it seemed the fans were even more invested in their fantasy.

[This is what true love looks like!]

[From a tragic ending in the show to a perfect reality!]

Soon after, Jack's manager called. "Ms. Collins, how are you holding up?"

I paused, then replied simply, "I'm fine."

And hung up. I just didn't have the energy to deal with these well-meaning but intrusive inquiries.

Then, out of nowhere, Jack tweeted: [Stop spreading rumors. My wife gets jealous. Here's a little introduction: this is my wife. Picking me up from the set is not illegal. Keep talking, and you'll see.]

I couldn't believe it.

Jack even posted our marriage license.

Sure enough, the tweet rocketed to the top of trending topics.

Twitter crashed for half an hour.

I was left in shock.

Is Jack out of his mind?