𝗜𝗡 𝗕𝗘𝗧𝗪𝗘𝗘𝗡, m thames ✓.

thirty nine

chapter THIRTY NINE

i trusted him .

the night ahliya had been waiting for finally arrived. seated cross-legged in her lavish penthouse suite, she sipped on a glass of wine while her phone lay on the coffee table in front of her, the infamous video cued up and ready.

the plan had been in place for days. after their meeting, dylan had been adamant: this would be the final nail in mason's coffin. but the execution had to be perfect. ahliya had waited for the right moment, knowing that timing was everything.

she'd stolen mason's phone during the chaos of their breakup, just for long enough to send herself the damning video she'd recorded. he hadn't even noticed—it was too easy.

tonight, she decided, was the moment. she poured herself another glass and uploaded the clip to mason's instagram story.

the caption she added was simple but pointed: "the truth always comes out."

with a smirk, she hit post.

"how did you even get into my phone?" mason had asked her during one of their last arguments, clueless as to the implications of her snooping. she'd laughed it off, telling him it was just to check the time when she couldn't find her own phone.

now, as the video gained traction online, she leaned back into her plush sofa, satisfied. her phone buzzed with notifications—first from friends, then from her PR team.

"guess they're loving the drama," she mused aloud to herself.

—— 🎬 ——

in his hotel room across the city, mason had no idea what was unfolding. he'd fallen asleep at his desk, exhausted from rehearsing how he was going to apologise to starr. his phone, left charging on the nightstand, began to buzz relentlessly.

but across the hall, starr was wide awake, her world slowly crumbling as the video began circulating.

starr hadn't seen it immediately. she'd been avoiding instagram all day, trying to keep her mind off mason. dylan, ever-present, had whisked her away for a day out, filled with museums and coffee shops, carefully keeping her distracted.

it wasn't until they returned to her hotel room that she picked up her phone and saw the notifications.

"what the hell?" starr whispered, her screen flooded with messages.

"what's up?" dylan asked, lounging on the couch.

"something's going on. my phone's blowing up."

starr hesitated before opening instagram. the top notification was a story from mason's account. with trembling fingers, she tapped it.

the video started playing instantly. mason's face filled the screen, his voice booming through the phone's speakers.

"you have no idea what i've sacrificed for you!"

starr's blood ran cold.

"what is this?" she said aloud, her voice shaky. she replayed the clip, trying to make sense of it. the raw anger on mason's face, the frustration in his voice—it was all too familiar.

"oh no."

"what is it?" dylan leaned forward, pretending he didn't already know.

"it's mason," she said, her voice breaking. "he posted... he posted our fight."

she turned the phone to dylan, showing him the story. dylan's brows furrowed, playing his part perfectly. "wow. seriously? he actually put that out there?"

"why would he do this?" starr's voice cracked. "this was private. this was—he's just... exposing me like this?"

"hey, hey," dylan said, getting up to put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "don't let him get to you. he's probably just spiralling or something. trying to make himself look better at your expense."

starr shook her head, tears brimming in her eyes. "i trusted him. even after everything, i thought... i thought maybe he still cared."

dylan gently guided her to sit down. "listen to me. you don't deserve this, okay? you're better than this, better than him."

but inside, dylan was relishing the moment. everything was falling into place.

meanwhile, mason's phone finally buzzed him awake. groggy, he fumbled for it, squinting at the screen as notifications poured in. messages from his manager, ahliya, even his sister.

but one stood out: a text from starr.

- what is wrong with you?

panic surged through him as he opened instagram and saw the story on his account. his heart dropped. the video was there, live, and rapidly gaining views.

"no," mason whispered, his hands trembling. "no, no, no."

he yanked up his phone to call starr, but it went straight to voicemail.

in that moment, the weight of everything crushed him. ahliya, starr, the public—all of it had spiralled beyond his control. and now, he feared he'd lost starr for good.

naya's notes

oh hes defo hit rock bottom now lol !!!!