Scarred Soul (Nemi)

Part 10

Later that evening, Demi went home with so many thoughts running through her mind. After the conversation she had with Selena, she couldn't stop thinking about Nick. A part of her was sorry for him for what he had gone through, while another part of her felt like he deserved it. Dealing with a divorce wasn't easy, whether the couple was happily married or otherwise. But marrying someone for publicity? That was deceitful. But, come to think of it, the lives of celebrities were already out in the open, so if they chose to secretly live a fake life and acted like it was normal, who was she to judge them for doing that?

As someone who grew up with divorced parents, she saw firsthand how love and affection could fade, leading to a marriage crumbling. But, honestly, she never thought she would meet someone who chose to marry for money. As crazy as the information might seem to her, it was the truth she had to digest.

After she freshened up, she lied in bed, feeling a little exhausted from the bicycle ride. At that moment, she heard the voices of her mother and her best friend from downstairs. She looked at the time on her phone and noticed it was already 8pm. They must've had a good time at the event, she thought. She stretched her body to ease the soreness she was feeling and then dragged herself out of bed to go downstairs. She was hungry anyway.

As Demi reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw her mother and Sirah in the living room. Sirah was about to leave.

Noticing her best friend, Sirah asked, "Where have you been all day? I thought you were going to come to the church and help us."

"How was the fund-raising event?" Demi asked, randomly directing the question to either of the women to answer. She was actually trying to avoid answering Sirah's question in front of her mother. She did, however, intend to tell Sirah about her encounter with Selena later.

"It was fun. We sold all the pastries and muffins, and I made new friends as well." Dianna smiled, clearly pleased with the experience. "Sirah and I will join the event again in the future to raise more funds for the charity and-"

"And also to promote my café and pastries." Sirah interjected, smiling proudly. Today's event was a success, and she was happy to do something good while also improving her business. "Well, it's getting late, so I must leave. Thanks for the help, Dianna." Sirah hugged Dianna. They exchanged a smile before Sirah left the living room.

"I'll walk you out." Demi said to Sirah, and she walked with her friend to the front door. As they walked closer to Sirah's car, Demi said, "I met Selena this afternoon."

"What?" Sirah swiftly turned around to face her best friend. "Selena, as in Selena Gomez the designer and Nick's friend who you met at your school's Career Day?"

Demi nodded, confirming. "I went out to get something to eat, and I planned to meet you and my mom at the church afterward. But then Selena walked into the coffee shop, and we talked for a bit."

"What did you two talked about? Was she Nick's ex?" Sirah asked.

"No." Demi shook her head. "She and Nick were friends and business partners, until he did something that caused their friendship and partnership to fall apart."

"What did he do?" Sirah's voice turned investigative. "Wait, let me guess – he slept with Selena's best friend, got her pregnant, dumped her, and then threatened to sell the sex tape?"

Demi's face contorted in response to the guess. It was a baffling and dramatic guess. Sirah chuckled softly as she shrugged. "It's just a guess. They are celebrities, so the situation might be pretty much the same as what you see on TV."

"You've been watching too many soap operas, Sirah." Demi then sighed as she softly shook her head again. "Because you spend so much of your free time scrolling through trending news, you've probably read about Nick online; about his marriage and divorce."