Spicing Life Up With Some Agony

In the middle of the night, after Conrad drifted off with his arms around me, I couldn't help but slip out to the study.

The way he used to whisper Jenny's name in bed, along with the photo albums and love letters I found on his computer, shattered whatever hope I still had.

Still, our seven years together meant something. We'd shared too many sweet moments for me to just walk away.

I stepped up to the small safe on the desk. It felt like Pandora's box, full of mystery and danger.

Back when Conrad and I were tangled up together in the study, I'd asked him more than once what he kept inside that meant so much to him.

But he always avoided answering, never giving me the code. Instead, he'd just tease me to guess.

I tried my birthday, his birthday, even our anniversary, but nothing worked. My hands shook as I entered Jenny's birthday, praying for the first time that I'd gotten it wrong.

The safe clicked open.

My heart sank into the abyss. Inside, there was a pair of matching rings, their inner bands engraved with "Conrad & Jenny".

They were old-fashioned but looked brand new, clearly cherished and carefully preserved by their owner.

I felt like every bit of strength left my body, and my heart might as well have been ripped out. Even someone as clueless as I should get it by now.

Conrad never loved me, not even for a second.

…

The next day, for once, I didn't cave to Conrad's demands and decided to go to the industry party.

His expression darkened slightly, but he didn't try to stop me. Instead, he said, "Fine, we'll go. But you'll need to stay close to me. With how gorgeous you are, and your 'sister' lurking around, I need to be able to watch your back."

He acted like some overprotective guard dog, but I knew he was afraid I'd slip out of his grip and steal Jenny's spotlight.

As if I cared.

I was about to fake my death and vanish for good. All I wanted was to say goodbye to the directors and screenwriters who'd helped me over the years.

All eyes snapped to Jenny and me the second we arrived.

"Jean's obviously Gideon's next leading lady. She's got Conrad's support, and her acting's in a league of its own."

Jenny's face darkened. She marched over and cut into the conversation. "What makes you say that? That role is mine!"

The crowd sneered, their lips curling in contempt.

"You're still not as experienced as Jean, are you? Don't get ahead of yourself."

"Exactly. You might be Mrs. Gleason now, but see those Lennons over there? Come on, we all know who's getting that."

"Oh, please, you won one measly Best Actress award. How about a little humility for once?"

Jenny stomped her feet in frustration. "Just you wait! You'll all be eating your words soon enough!"

She shot me a venomous glare. "Enjoy your little victory while it lasts. We'll see who's laughing when you're crawling in shame!"

She spat in disgust, stepped right up to me, and shoved me hard.

I staggered, lost my balance, and banged my knee hard against the corner of the table. Sharp pain shot through me, bringing tears to my eyes.

But Conrad, who'd promised to protect me, just looked the other way and let her do whatever she wanted.

I looked down, trying to push back the ache building in my chest.

Suddenly, the lights in the banquet hall went dark, unveiling the film's true leading lady.

"Let's hear it for… Jenny Swisher! And a special shout-out to Jeremy Landon, our top screenwriter with over 10 billion dollars in box office earnings. This time, he didn't take a single penny for the script.

"In fact, he put in 300 million dollars just to get Jenny as his star in his new film. Because she's his one and only leading lady, his muse!"

Jenny stepped onto the stage, grabbed the microphone, and mocked, "Jean, you still can't beat me at anything after all these years. You loser!"

Standing on the center stage under the spotlight, Jenny soaked up the attention, reveling in her victory.

I looked up at Conrad beside me. He held my hand, yet his eyes shone with nothing but joy for Jenny. He finally saw her get everything she'd ever wanted.

My eyes darkened, and a bitter laugh welled up inside me.

The day before, I had come across Jeremy's script in the study at the Lennon residence. The title page said, "For my one and only leading lady, Jenny Swisher."