I type the message to Luke as fast as I can.
Me: Jude is here. He's doing another photoshoot and interview. But everything's good. No need to worry.
I take a deep breath. This should be enough, right? What else do I need to say to him?
But then I decide to shoot another text.
Me: You believe me, don't you?
Glancing at my wristwatch, I notice that it's almost evening, but there's a high chance that Luke is working overtime—he might not see my message right away because he might still be busy.
Surprisingly, his reply comes.
Luke: I'll pick you up.
???
While I'm doing my cover photoshoot, I can feel Jude's intense gaze on me as he watches in front of the set, but then the staff pull him away for an interview.
After that, while I do my interview, Jude does his photoshoot for the article. In short, we don't have any spare time to hang out.
It's a relief that my photoshoot and interview with the magazine are done pretty well and go smoothly. After finishing all the activities, I sit in the dressing room, staring into the mirror, a soft smile touching my lips as I flip my hair to one side.
Now, I just have to wait for Luke to arrive.
The sound of the door being opened startles me, and when I snap my head toward it, my eyes widen in shock.
It's Jude.
What is he doing here? He's supposed to be in the other dressing room, not here. I regret that I let Mike wait outside the studio because we're now alone in this room.
And I'm not ready to face Jude's unexpected bold move.
Jude closes the door and strides toward me. I stand up from the dresser bench.
"Jude, what are you doing here?" I ask, but my voice isn't bitter—I still maintain a friendly tone.
He scoffs. "Can't I see you again?" he throws me a rhetorical question. "We didn't have a chance to hang out earlier, even when we were with Jamie."
I just stare at him, not knowing how to respond to his words.
"You seem to be just fine with that, though," he says, and I can hear slight pain in his voice. "You act like we're strangers."
I'm at a loss for words. I can't say that he's wrong, though. I do act like we're strangers. But then, we did break up in a bad way, and I wish that he would appreciate my decision to keep my distance from him after what he has done to me. After all his lies. His betrayal.
Still not hearing anything from me, he scoffs again.
"Is it about that man? Is it about Luke?" There's anger in his voice. "He seems like an over-possessive husband."
"He is," I finally say, telling the truth, letting Jude know what's waiting for him if he dares to cross the line.
"So we can't be friends anymore?" he asks, searching my eyes as if trying to read my feelings.
"Why do you even care about that, Jude?" I ask. "You clearly didn't even care if we were together when you cheated on me." I hate to bring this up again, but he keeps pushing me.
His jaw tightens. "Don't say that."
I frown. What is he trying to say?
