My mind went blank.
Mark.
He walked towards me, his eyes darkening as
he took in my bikini top and sarong, dusted
with sand.
He shrugged off his jacket, wrapping it
The sillyyeu 011 1is jaunel, wrapping i
around me.
“Jenna, come home with me.
“”
His voice was strained, holding back a torrent
of emotion.
I tossed his jacket to the ground.
“I don’t need a jacket.”
“Mark, I don’t know how you found me, but
it’s over. Go away.”
The desert wind whipped around us.
I could have sworn I saw tears in his eyes.
“Jenna, I miss your hangover soup.
“9
Г
The arrogant Mark Green, begging.
I turned and walked away.
That night, Ethan returned to our makeshift
camp.
“Heard my dear brother paid you a visit.”
I rolled my eyes.
“Spit it out, Ethan. I need to sleep.”
He sat cross–legged, grinning.
Apparently, on the day Mark and I were
supposed to get married, despite my
insistence on a divorce, Mark, believing it was
just a tantrum, hadn’t canceled the wedding.
He’d even had Sarah stand in as a
bridesmaid, letting her choose a lavish white
gown, complete with a veil.
The guests, oblivious, gushed about how
perfect they looked together.
Mark, however, spent the day glancing at the
door, waiting for someone who never arrived.
He’d called repeatedly, but my phone had no
signal in the desert.
Finally, he’d canceled the whole thing.
I was surprised.
I’d expected him to marry Sarah right then
and there.
Maybe he didn’t love her as much as I
thought.
But it didn’t matter anymore.
“Desert Bloom” was a hit.
I became a star overnight, attending
premieres, my net worth skyrocketing.
The film’s domestic release brought Ethan
and me back to the States for a press tour.
“We might run into Mark,” Ethan said
casually.
“He’s not doing so well these days.”
Г
“You won’t go soft on him, will you?”
I was baffled.
Why would I? There was nothing left between
- us.
During one interview, a reporter brought up
my past with Mark.
Jenna, six months ago, you were labeled the
other woman in Mark and Sarah’s
relationship. Did you go overseas because
your career here was over?”
“Now that you’re back with a successful film,
are you concerned about the message this
sends to young people?”
く
The questions were pointed, aggressive, not
part of the pre–approved list.
Ethan reached for the microphone, trying to
deflect.
I saw Sarah in the corner, her face a mask of
rage.
“I’ll make sure you never get what you want!”
I read her lips, even from across the room.
Mark’s wedding had been private, so the
public only knew it had happened, not that it
had fallen apart. They didn’t know who the
bride was supposed to be.
I took the microphone.
“Six months ago, I divorced Mark Green. We
have no relationship.”
The reporters swarmed.
“So you’re saying you weren’t the other
woman?”
“But Mark’s married now. Are you really
saying you’re his ex–wife?”
I stood up, pointed at Sarah.
“Maybe you should ask Sarah those
questions. And while you’re at it, ask her
about her methods. Why hasn’t Mark signed
the divorce papers yet?”
The reporters descended on Sarah like
く
vultures.
She escaped with her bodyguards, but the
damage was done.
The interview went viral.
I was accused of exploiting a scandal for
publicity, of being the real homewrecker
because “the one who isn’t loved is always
the mistress.”
Sarah released another statement, this time a
tearful video of her in a simple white t–shirt,
no makeup.
“I don’t understand why Jenna’s attacking
- me. Mark and I are just childhood friends. I
even asked him to help her with her career
when she was starting out.”
く
Suddenly, I was the ungrateful backstabber,
stealing my best friend’s man.
People started boycotting “Desert Bloom.”
I was heckled at events, had water bottles
thrown at me.
I felt like that eighteen–year–old girl again,
alone in the pouring rain.
Ethan called, offering help.
I declined.
I was ready to fight back. I’d gathered all the
evidence of my relationship with Mark.
Ten years. I wasn’t that naive girl anymore.
Г
Just as the online hate reached a fever pitch,
before I could unleash my evidence, Mark
spoke up.
“Jenna Hayes is my only wife. We were
married, but before the wedding, I hurt her
deeply, and she left me.”
“I’m trying to win her back. Please direct your
anger at me, not at Jenna.”
The narrative shifted instantly.
The internet turned on Sarah, branding Mark
a cheater.
The internet has a long memory. They
remembered Mark liking Sarah’s earlier
statement.
Г
I thought Mark’s “pursuit” was just for show.
I was wrong.
Ethan drove me home one night.
Mark was waiting outside my door.
He looked disheveled, exhausted, a shadow of
his former arrogant self.
“Jenna…”
His eyes were pleading. Then he saw Ethan
behind me, and his expression turned to fury.
“Jenna, why is he bringing you home?”
Luan yinneu.
“Long time no see, brother.”
Mark exploded.
“Jenna, was it Ethan? Did he convince you to
run? Did he tell you to leave me?”
He grabbed my hand.
“Jenna, come back. I’ll forgive everything.”
“I didn’t realize how much you meant to me
until you were gone.
وو
“Please come back. I can’t live without you.”
“I’ll tell everyone, I’ll give you the wedding
you deserve, a real wedding, for the whole
world to sec
“”
L
world to see.
وو
Ethan grabbed my other hand.
“Brother, let go. She’s my leading lady.”
Mark’s eyes turned red.
He punched Ethan in the face.
“You’re nothing but a bastard! You have no
right!”
Ethan wiped the blood from his lip, lunged at
Mark.
They grappled, a tangle of limbs and fury.
I found a brick, swung it hard, connecting
with Mark’s head.
Г
He stared at me, disbelief etched on his face.
“Jenna, you hurt me… for him?”
I stood protectively in front of Ethan.
“Mark, take your crazy somewhere else.”
Mark’s face was a mess of cuts and bruises.
Blood trickled from the gash on his forehead.
He looked like a vengeful ghost.
“This is my house. You’re not welcome here.
Leave.
وو
He stood frozen, watching as I helped Ethan
inside.
Г
I cleaned Ethan’s wounds.
He looked out the window at Mark, still
standing motionless in the street.
“Jenna, why don’t you just be with me? Look,
my dear brother’s lost his mind.”
I pressed the antiseptic wipe harder against
his cut.
“Shut up.”
Mark was gone the next morning.
After “Desert Bloom,” I had my pick of
<
scripts.
I chose “Bubbles,” a complex drama, with
one condition: no Mark Green.
Then Mark bought the rights to the film.
His condition? Me, as the lead.
“Mark, why?”
“We’re divorced. This is your chance to be
with Sarah.”
I was desperate to do “Bubbles,” desperate
enough to meet him at his office.
The familiar hallways felt different now.
Before, the staff had looked down on me,
く
Now they smiled, eager to tell me they were
fans, that they loved “Desert Bloom.”
It was unsettling.
Mark even invited me into his private office.
Once, that had been Sarah’s privilege.
Speaking of Sarah, Mark’s face twisted with
disgust.
