“Hmm. So when you said you were keeping your name—”
“I wasn’t being dishonest.”
“That was quite the move.” Samantha slowed a step. “And what about the wedding?”
The wedding. I thought I’d made it clear it was over. But now with both the request for a food tasting and thinking of Leila’sin light ofeverything that’s going onreference, I had to wonder if Wells had kept the wedding date as-is. Maybe Leila was worried because she’d seen this article, not because she’d seen what was happening with my new job. “It’s complicated?”
“Well. I strongly suggest you find a way to uncomplicate it. The special...”
“Is still technically on,” I said. “I emailed Yvonne to talk, but she’s away.” I reached up to tuck a strand of hair behind my ear, which was how I realized I was trembling. Assuming Wells had taken care of things was a huge error on my part, but in the middle of the mess my life had become, that ticking clock of a ball-drop nuptial was so far away. It had felt like something I could ignore until it was too late, like early red flags in relationships, unexplained weight loss, and ice caps melting. And while it wasn’t right, it was easier to let everyone make assumptions, because that meant I could figure out how to earn an amount of money that would allow me to breathe easier. To save a little bit every month for stability’s sake. Besides, the right people knew the truth—my parents, Natalie, Wells.
But still. The truth was that I was scared of the looming humiliation for when I had to explain to everyone in my life that we weren’t getting married.
“Olivia,” came a voice from one of the doorways. “Marta Jenkins, PR. I’m going to suggest a statement of some sort regarding your relationship with Wells Stratton.”
Samantha glanced between us. “How bad is it?”
“It’s trending,” Marta said. “With your engagement picture from theNew York Times. You look like modern-day Kennedys.”
I frowned. “There already are modern-day Kennedys.”
“You know what I mean.” Marta’s eyes flitted to my left hand, and a thin line beside her mouth deepened. “No ring,” she pointed out to Samantha.
“Olivia’s a big girl.” Samantha glanced at me and lowered her chin, the telltale sign she was about to drop her brusque. “But the network will want you to take a position here. It’s good press—for the network, for Per Diem, for you.” Her eyes narrowed. “ForFrom Yes to I Do.”
There it was: the tiniest scrape. A crumble of my new foundation.You are only as valuable as what you bring in.I supposed that was true for everything, but it was stark at this level. “Look. Iget it,” I said. “I do. I swear. I understand I’m a public figure now.” My fingernails bit cashew-shaped divots into the flesh of my palms. “This is a private matter.”
Marta crossed her arms. “What would you like me to say?”
“Easy. ‘There will be no comment at this time.’?”
The break room was blissfully empty. I sank into one of the plastic chairs, my vision dotting, my breath coming short and fast. Before I lost my nerve, I pulled up the article.
The engagement photo was framed in my old apartment. It was the more casual of the two edited versions. Wells’s mother preferred the other one. My mouth was parted in faux laughter, Wells’s dimples devilish and charming. At the time, I’d thought it made us look real, but now, we just appeared posed. I steeled myself and read.
Trouble in Paradise? New media darling Olivia Jane Adler recently shot to fame after her viral real-time soulmate reveal video and subsequent Per Diem debut, so it’s no surprise there would be intense interest surrounding Adler’s own love life. And not so different from many of us, it’s not all rainbows and butterflies.
Instagram photos dated as early as 2019 picture Adler with Wall Street finance expert Wells Stratton, the son of the longstanding Hamptons Stratton family. Their engagement website was created in January, which promised a society-studded event this New Year’s Eve.
A source close to the couple tellsPeoplethat when Stratton opened hisSoulmail, he didn’t read Adler’s name. “She was devastated,” the source reports. “Dress was bought, Amica Georges secured, save-the-dates already sent.”
As of the daySoulmailslaunched—nearly one month ago—Adler herself reported she had yet to open herSoulmail. Since then, she has answered a fan’s comment on Instagram confirming the same.
“He doesn’t want to hurt her, and thought about going through with the wedding anyway,” the source reports. “They’ll always support each other.”
Neither Adler nor Stratton have posted a photo with each other since July 4.
As of press time, their engagement site has been archived, but the cached files can be foundhere. The Stratton family attorney declined to comment. Adler’s team has not immediately responded toPeople’s requests for comment.
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I swore. With my index finger, I traced the soft tender spot at the base of my thumb. I was a person on the earth the same as other people were people on earth, and somehow, everyone felt entitled to muse over who my soulmate was, where I came from, and everything else about me, from my dress size to how much work I’d had done on my face or body.
A pang seized my neck. I snagged a bottle of water, cracked its cap, chugged. Liquid sloshed in my stomach, sitting heavy on a very specific worry.
