Chapter 1
I was Lily Kay, the number-one fan-girl of Julian Crawford, Academy Award winner.
I had chased him for eight years, until he actually proposed to me. Our wedding made headlines everywhere.
I became the envy of every female fan in the industry.
But three years into the marriage, I decided to call it quits.
Because I found out that the one my husband truly loved was my half-sister.
I was thrilled to finally marry the star I'd fangirled over for years.
But married life turned out to be a rude awakening.
Julian was a method actor and a workaholic.
I flew across the country for his birthday, waiting all day until midnight, but he never spared me a glance—too busy hyping his new drama live from the set.
I lay critically ill in the hospital with a stack of twelve critical notices, but he was too busy doing reality shows to answer a single call.
Night after night, I forced myself to feel grateful just for having married the star I adored.
After all, Julian had a reputation in the industry for being utterly indifferent to women. He never even did kissing scenes.
He was cold by nature. He didn't warm up to me, but he didn't warm up to other women either.
He loved his work, he loved acting. I needed to be understanding.
I had resigned myself to a lifetime of that sexless existence—until a month ago, when my brother forced Julian to take a full week off just for me.
In three years of marriage, we'd slept together exactly twice.
The first time was our wedding night. He was too big, I was too tight, and we'd gone at it all night without either of us getting anywhere near satisfied.
The second time was just a month ago.
Maybe it was because he'd been pent-up for too long, or maybe he'd picked up some new moves—either way, this time Julian came prepared.
For seven straight days, I could barely get out of bed.
After Julian went back to the set, I found out not long after that I was pregnant.
I was just about to share the news with Julian when I walked right into him locking lips with Gia Kay, my half-sister.
I froze in shock.
My composure shattered. I stumbled over and croaked, "What the hell are you two doing?"
But Julian instantly stepped in front of Gia, shielding her with his body.
"We were kissing. It's for a script."
He'd grown out his hair and slicked it back for the role, all sharp angles and icy restraint. Those almond-shaped eyes were the very thing I'd fallen for all those years ago.
But the wariness in his gaze cut me deeper than any knife.
My eyes burned red. I stared at him, hurt and raw.
"Liar! I've been your fan for eleven years. You've never had a single scandal, never done a single on-screen kiss.
So why the hell is Gia the exception?"
Julian barely glanced at me. His brow creased with irritation.
"If you don't believe me, you're welcome to stay and watch."
With that, he ushered Gia away.
I swallowed the bitterness rising in my throat and stayed.
And what I saw was Julian treating Gia like she was made of glass.
When Gia said she'd twisted her ankle, Julian crouched down right there on set and massaged her foot with his own hands.
When Gia pointed out a stray kitten and called it cute, Julian scooped it up and placed it right in her arms for her to pet.
When Gia got cramps from her period, Julian stopped right in the middle of the scene to run and warm a heating pad for her himself.
Julian had never once indulged me like that.
I'd once told him I wanted a cat. He said he was allergic to pet fur and that if I got one, we'd have to live separately.
I once called him during a period so bad I could barely stand, just hoping for a few kind words. He said, "If it hurts that much, go see a doctor. I'm busy filming. Don't bother me with small stuff like this in the future."
Winter snow drifted down and landed on my scarf, but the chill went straight into my chest.
Even standing right there on set, my eyes fixed on Julian the whole time... He never once looked back at me.
I couldn't fool myself anymore. There was no way that special treatment was just "acting".
In the end, it was his agent who noticed how pale I'd become and urged me to go rest.
He tried to smooth things over for Julian. "Lily, you know Julian—he's a total acting junkie. Once he's in a role, he dives all the way in. He doesn't mean to neglect you. If you got hurt, both Julian and the boss would worry."
The "boss" he mentioned was my brother, Victor Kay.
Julian was signed under my brother's agency.
And just as he brought up Victor, my phone buzzed with a text from him.
Victor: Lily, you said you had good news to tell me?
Bring Julian home for dinner tonight. I want to hear you two announce it together.
That was when I realized I hadn't even told Julian I was pregnant yet.
The joy I'd felt about the baby suddenly felt heavy and strange.
I went back to the trailer to rest and dozed off.
I was jolted awake by my phone ringing off the hook.
When I opened my eyes, it was already dark outside. The whole crew had packed up and left—and no one had bothered to wake me.
It was Julian's agent on the line. I answered, still groggy and restless.
What he told me made my blood run cold.
"Oh no! Julian got busted at a club trying to pay for s*x—cops hauled him down to the station! They want next of kin to post bail. Please get over there now. If this blows up, it'll ruin his career!"
