“Do you think it’s possible you’ll find love this season? Do you think I—or anyone—can architect that for you?”
She smirked. “It will take a miracle.”
Jazzy spat out a laugh and an “Oh, this is going to be good” that would definitely need to be edited out.
I had a feeling it was going to be anything but good. Little did Jazzy know, we had a divine disaster in the making on our hands.
“I hope to prove you wrong, Demi.”
I had to. My own happiness hung in the balance here.
“I’m not holding my breath,” she quipped.
Neither was I. Neither was I.
Chapter X
Demi
“Howbadisit?”
I peeked over Cassie’s shoulder early the next morning, eyes half shut like that might soften the blow of the press’s reaction and the fallout from last night’s interview. I’d basically handed the world a front-row seat to what was probably going to be my undoing.
Jazzy had informed me yesterday that they would waste no time editing said interview and releasing snippets of it. The most awkward interview of my life, mind you.
“Hold on.” Cassie tapped on her contraband phone.
We weren’t supposed to have any electronics or means of contacting the outside world. No news, no social media, no talking to family or friends. Cassie and I weren’t even supposed to be together. But she’d snuck over to my “isolation” cabin last night after her arrival.
Apparently, each cast member had one on the vast resort property. Mine was cute and cozy. It had a whole wilderness theme going for it—exposed logs and wood beams, a wood-burning stove, textural rugs, leather and plaid furniture. It was homey, unlike my penthouse that it was possible I would never see again. And it would be my home—morelike my prison—for the summer. TheLove Unscriptedcrew basically owned me. I couldn’t leave without their permission or interact with anyone unless they approved it.
Yeah, that didn’t work for me.
Hence, Cassie was staying with me.
It’s always good to have a hex-wielding friend by your side.
Cassie had thrown her brand of magic around the place like she was sprinkling fairy dust to make sure no one would be the wiser to our rebellion.
I was so on edge, I started pacing, even though I shouldn’t have had the energy. I’d hardly slept the night before as I’d recounted every second of the interview to Cassie. We’d discussed Roman’s odd behavior ad nauseam. I wanted to know why he’d gone easy on me. Not to say his questions weren’t invasive, but it could have been much worse. He could have been worse. Honestly, he should have been.
I’d laughed at his ridiculous title. In my defense, I had tried not to. But really? Architect of Love? It was so cheesy and cliché.
More than that though, he could have wrecked me because he knew. He knew what I’d done to my heart. What a fool’s errand this was. His dang powers had gone straight to my secret. Thankfully, the lock prevented him from reading my heart or he might have found himself written on part of it. The goddess inside me wouldn’t erase him from it. I couldn’t fathom why.
Even yesterday, she’d been screaming at me when Roman and I had shaken hands. After all these years, it was our first touch. And did my goddess side ever have things to say about it. The same things she told me when I saw him for thefirst time when I was sixteen. She’d told me he was not only who my heart belonged with but a soulmate—a rare thing for humans or gods. She’d lied. And she continued to do so.
Yet, Roman’s and my connection the previous day had felt oddly familiar, like we’d touched before. But in all the years we’d known each other, we hadn’t. Truth be told, between Junie and Roman, it was the first time in a long time my heart had shown signs of real life. It was a comfort to know it was still there. Not comforting was that it had reacted to Roman and his daughter, of all people.
The goddess part of me was obviously confusing my heart. I wished I knew why she was still so adamant that we were meant to be together. She’d been there during our first meeting, where it had been so painfully obvious that he abhorred me. I didn’t want to think about it. I’d heard everything I needed to hear that day. All the words he hadn’t spoken. But I’d felt them all the same.
But she was relentless in her lie. She’d held firm to it even after he’d gotten married. Granted, she was right when she’d told me it wouldn’t last. But to believe that Roman was my soulmate and true love was laughable. If that were the case, wouldn’t he already have unlocked my heart?
“Ooh. Okay. Social media and all the major news outlets are blowing up over you,” Cassie sang.
I froze, cringing inside. “Blowing up good or bad?” Not that any of this was good. Regardless, I’d played my part last night in the name of self-preservation. I knew I couldn’t come off as a closed-hearted psycho. Nor did I want to play the victim. I just wanted to control the narrative. Give people somewhat of an understanding of why I’d disappeared.I couldn’t tell them the entire truth, but I’d shared what I could. Or at least what I was semi-comfortable with.
Not that any of this was comfortable.
