Chapter 8

Chapter 8

After the snow stopped, Ethan left. The world slowly returned to its usual calm. When winter passed, I left, too, searching for my next haven.

Asher stopped sending people to look for me. Occasionally, I’d catch glimpses of updates about him on my phone. His career was thriving even more than before.

On the other hand, Ethan went through a rough patch after returning, but he gradually pulled himself back together.

Although Serena was caught in a trap laid by Asher and Ethan together, she had the Hayes family backing her.

Still, she was effectively blacklisted. Anthony’s movie, which she was supposed to star in, was shelved indefinitely. He shifted focus to working with a fresh–faced ingénue, launching the filming of a new project.

Ethan suggested I get a dog because they were loyal and protective and would always be by my side. A companion who would never betray me.

I thought about it for a long time but eventually declined. Dogs were said to be a person’s best friend, and a good friend shouldn’t bear the weight of my loneliness. I had nothing to offer a dog, and I didn’t feel worthy of having one.

But my face, so distinct in any crowd, betrayed me. A former fan took a video of me performing at a bar and posted it.

It was supposed to be a no–recording zone, but once the video leaked, it spread like wildfire.

“Lila Faked Her Death” instantly shot to the top of the trending topics.

Everyone was tagging Asher, urging him to come find me. Those who had once fervently shipped me and Asher as a couple seemed to have lost their minds, desperately wanting us to reunite.

But soon, the rational voices silenced the chaos.

[Just one last meeting, for my sake! My memories of you two are haunting me!]

[Are you all crazy? After all that drama and the outrageous cheating scandal, why should Lila have to put up with that?]

[Exactly! Lila’s such a good person. Why should she settle for someone as rotten as that?]

[Hold on, stop spreading rumors! Serena’s leaked chat logs never confirmed anything beyond normal interactions, okay?]

[Even if he’s not rotten to the core, his morals are. Cheating once or countless times, it’s all the same. Lila deserves better! Strong women don’t need to settle for trash!]

[Look, whatever the case, Asher clearly isn’t chasing after Lila. Sure, she’s gorgeous and talented, but Asher’s the heir of the Whitman family. He can have anyone he wants. Why would he lower himself to grovel for her?]

Before long, the Whitman family stepped to manage the public narrative. Every video of me was scrubbed from the internet. Accounts making negative comments about me were swiftly reported and taken down.

[No way, I just said Lila shouldn’t get too full of herself, and my account got banned? Asher is way too obsessed…]

[Oh, my! Is this the beginning of the crown prince’s groveling–for–love saga?]

[Please, no! Leave my Lila out of this. She is not interested.]

If this had been the Asher from those seven clingy years, he would’ve been at that bar the moment he knew where I was. But this time, he didn’t. I stayed at the bar for a week, half–hoping he might show up. But he didn’t.

I figured maybe Asher learned to let go before I did. If that was the case, then I shouldn’t keep standing still, either. It was time I tried moving forward, too. Maybe I should take a chance with someone new.