▌𝘔𝘈𝘚𝘖𝘕 𝘛𝘏𝘈𝘔𝘌𝘚
❛ do you know how 𝘪𝘯𝘴𝘢𝘯𝘦𝘭𝘺 frustrating it is? ❜ he cut her off. ❛ to have to 𝘸𝘢𝘵𝘤𝘩 you? to pretend like i don't feel 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 when i look at you?❜
starr's breath caught in her throat.
❛ because i do...
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chapter THIRTY THREE back to square one .
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the once-vibrant streets of chicago felt like a distant memory. the night of their carefree date was replaced by the harsh reality of the next morning. mason and starr sat across from each other in a dimly lit hotel room, both glued to their phones as the chaos of the leaked photo unraveled.
news outlets, blogs, gossip sites—all of them had picked up the story within hours. it wasn't just a headline anymore; it was a media storm. the words "secret romance,""cheating scandal," and "affair" were plastered across every screen they scrolled through. their names were everywhere, and there was no escaping it.
starr tossed her phone onto the bed, running her hands through her hair in frustration. "this is a mess, mason. like... this is bad."
mason, sitting across from her with his phone in his lap, stared blankly at the wall, his jaw tight. he hadn't said much since they got back to the hotel after dinner the night before. his silence was suffocating, and starr didn't know whether to press him or let him be.
"what's your pr team saying?" she asked after a beat, trying to make sense of the endless messages flooding in. "is there a plan?"
he blinked, finally looking over at her, his eyes clouded with frustration. "they're freaking out," he said flatly. "ahliya's team wants to do damage control asap. they're all planning some big statement."
starr's heart dropped. a statement?
"what kind of statement?" her voice wavered as she sat up straighter, trying to make sense of his words.
mason hesitated, biting the inside of his cheek. "they want to make it clear there's nothing going on between us."
the words hung in the air like a knife slicing through whatever fragile hope starr had left. her chest tightened as she processed what he was saying. they weren't just going to deny it—they were going to wipe away everything, pretend like the picture was just another rumour. like she was just another rumour.
