My Secret Boyfriend Just Went Public

My boyfriend was an award-winning actor. We’d been together for two years, but I’d never agreed to go public. Then, after the millionth rumor linking me to a rising young star, he suddenly announced our relationship. Instagram nearly crashed that day, and thanks to him, I didn’t get a wink of sleep that night. “It was in your bag. What possible excuse could you have?” I rolled my eyes. She was only making a scene because she knew a certain award-winning actor was visiting the set today and wanted his attention. Unfortunately, she’d picked the wrong target. “Hannah, I wouldn’t want that necklace even if you gave it to me,” I said bluntly. Hannah Hayes was our show’s female lead, and she had a vicious temper. Maybe it was because I was prettier than her, but she spent every day dreaming up new ways to make my life miserable. Hannah acted as if I’d told the funniest joke. “You wouldn’t want it? You’re a nobody. What gives you the right to say that?” I couldn’t be bothered to argue. That menace of a boyfriend had kept me up all night, and I’d already filmed several scenes today. “I know I didn’t do it,” I said, turning to leave. “Wait.” A familiar male voice stopped me. I looked over. Oh. The menace’s assistant. The moment I saw him, I knew I wasn’t going anywhere. I found an empty seat and settled in to enjoy the show. Just when I thought Ethan hadn’t come, he walked in and sat beside me. Hannah’s eyes lit up at the sight of Ethan Reed. “Mr. Reed.” He didn’t even glance at her. I couldn’t help snickering. When Hannah shot me a look, I toned it down a little. The menace beside me sat there looking perfectly respectable. Who would guess what an animal he was behind closed doors? I watched Hannah. She had to be thrilled right now, convinced she finally had the upper hand. I shook my head at her. What an idiot. At last, Owen spoke. “I have a video here. Once you watch it, you’ll know who the thief is.” His announcement didn’t surprise me at all. His boss was my boyfriend, after all. Hannah, on the other hand, went from smug to sick. Everyone crowded around him. Only Ethan and I stayed where we were. “Isn’t that Hannah’s assistant?” “I told you Chloe wouldn’t do something like that.” “Exactly. She’s always so nice to us.” “So Hannah framed her, then accused her of stealing?” Everyone who’d kept their mouths shut before was suddenly on my side. I rubbed my forehead, irritated by all the noise. What a bunch of flip-floppers. I hadn’t planned on defending myself anyway. Now there was even less reason to stay. If I lingered, they’d definitely corner me for gossip. I signaled to my assistant. She took out her phone to contact our driver, and we prepared to leave. Still surrounded by the crowd, Owen suddenly called after me. “Chloe, let me drive you home.”I waved him off, glanced at Ethan, grabbed my things, and practically dragged my assistant away. Near the exit, I sent her to buy me a bottle of water, then took out my phone to message Ethan. Me: I’m going back to my place tonight. Don’t want the paparazzi catching us. Ethan and I had been together for two years, but I’d never let him announce it. Sneaking around every day was actually pretty exciting. Besides, he’d worn me out so badly last night that there was no way I was going to his place again tonight. Sensing he might be unhappy, I quickly sent another message. Me: I’ll be waiting for you at home. Kisses! Love you~ With that sent, I felt completely at ease. I spotted a car waiting outside and climbed in. Once I’d found a comfortable position, I started scrolling through Instagram. My entire feed was full of people gushing over how handsome Ethan was. There were also pictures of his abs. I couldn’t help swallowing. Honestly, there was a reason he was so famous. Gorgeous face, incredible body, and a pretty good temperament. Except for his jealous streak. But only I knew about that. I glanced outside, wondering what was taking my assistant so long, and spotted someone unexpected: rising star Liam Parker. He kept looking at me. Were those rumors true? Did he actually like me? Too bad I had a boyfriend. Otherwise, he wasn’t a bad option. I gave him a polite smile. He nodded, and I went back to my phone. But he kept staring. I couldn’t ignore it, especially since he was one of the men I’d been romantically linked to. I couldn’t focus on my screen anymore. Then I heard my assistant call, “Chloe, did you get into the wrong car?” My eyes widened. I looked at Liam, who gave me a faint, perfectly innocent smile. “I’m so sorry! I just got in without checking.” I wanted the ground to swallow me whole. “No problem, Chloe. Is your car not here yet? I can give you a ride.” I’d been about to get out, but his offer stopped me. Actually, that wasn’t a bad idea. Seeing my hesitation, my assistant called our driver, then told me, “He’s stuck in traffic. It’ll probably be another fifteen minutes.” I was tired and didn’t want to wait. I accepted the ride without another thought. So what if I had no shame? Rest was more important. “Thank you.” After thanking him, I collapsed against the seat. All I could think was that Liam had stood there watching without saying a word. Seriously? How embarrassing. And why hadn’t his driver questioned the stranger climbing into his car? I wanted to cry. I kept my eyes shut for over ten minutes but couldn’t fall asleep. Giving up, I looked outside. We were probably still twenty minutes from home. The awkward silence in the car finally got to me. “What’s coming up for you workwise?” Liam looked up from his phone and thought for a moment before answering. “A few commercials, a show that’s almost finished filming, and a reality show next month.”I nodded blankly. So much work. Unlike me, currently between projects. Well, technically, my schedule had never really been full. Suddenly curious, I asked why he’d offered to take me home. I regretted it as soon as the words left my mouth. “Because you’re my girlfriend.” I stared at him in shock. I couldn’t believe he’d said that to my face. A month ago, Ethan and I had gone to a movie together. Something came up, and he had to leave early. After the movie, I happened to run into Liam. We’d met before, so we chatted briefly and went our separate ways. Who could have guessed we’d be trending that night? #RisingStarTakesGirlfriendToTheMovies #LiamParkersGirlfriendRevealed A few photos of Liam and me talking had turned into that ridiculous story, courtesy of those gossip accounts. Thanks to them, Ethan had kept me awake all night. Remembering that, I gave an awkward laugh. “Let’s not get carried away.” We’d just reached the entrance to my gated community. I was about to get out when the car drove straight through. Only residents’ vehicles were allowed inside. I glanced at Liam. Apparently, he lived here too. When the car stopped, Liam told me his reality show still had an opening and suggested I audition. I thanked him, then went home with my assistant. The second I got home, I flopped onto my bed and checked my phone. Ethan had replied. Ethan: Okay. Get home safely. I tossed my phone aside and fell fast asleep. I was sleeping soundly when my assistant dragged me awake. Still bleary-eyed, I heard her say, “Chloe, wake up. You—you’re trending again.” My sleepiness vanished. Terrified it was about Ethan and me, I grabbed her phone. #LiamParkerAndChloeBennettLivingTogether #LiamParkerTakesGirlfriendHome #ChloeBennettPregnantWithLiamParkersBaby … My nerves settled as soon as I saw the headlines. I checked the comments. They were all insults. “Can this desperate woman stay away from him?” “Shameless. Stop using our Liam for clout.” “Addicted to riding his fame, huh?” “Get Chloe Bennett out of the industry.” I handed the phone back and lay down to keep sleeping. My assistant looked frantic. “Chloe, aren’t you going to explain?” “They won’t listen anyway,” I said drowsily. “It’s not true. Whatever.” With that, I went back to sleep. Some time later, my assistant burst in again, shouting, “Oh my God, Chloe! You and Ethan are trending!”I jumped out of bed, grabbed my phone, and opened Instagram. It crashed. After several failed attempts, I simply took my assistant’s phone. #AwardWinningActorRevealsGirlfriend That headline alone told me I was done for. #EthanReedAndChloeBennett #EthanAndChloeDatingForTwoYears #EthanRevealsGirlfriendOnLivestream #TheCluesToEthanAndChloesRelationshipWereAlwaysThere My legs went weak. Before long, I couldn’t stand anymore and sank onto the bed. I picked up my phone and called Ethan. “Hello?” Before I could say anything else, he interrupted. “Chloe, come open the door for me.” Help. Who could resist Ethan when he lowered his voice like that? Certainly not me. I tried to get up and let him in, but my legs were too shaky. I had to send my assistant. After showing Ethan in, she wisely shut the door and left. I looked up at the man standing before me. Usually so cool and aloof, he actually looked a little wounded. I cleared my throat. “Have you had dinner?” He nodded, then shook his head. “Not enough.” I was about to suggest ordering takeout when he leaned over and pressed me down. Only then did I understand. I thumped his chest, then tried to push him away, but he caught my hand. “Pregnant? Living together? Going home together?” he murmured against my ear. My legs grew even weaker. “The gossip accounts made it up,” I whispered. “But you did go home together.” Before I could explain, his mouth covered mine, swallowing my words. What followed was a long, relentless night. Even after I drifted into an exhausted sleep, it still wasn’t over. After waking me more times than I could count, he finally stopped and carried me to the bathroom—only to start again! I cried and begged for mercy for ages before he truly stopped. Once he’d washed me and put me to bed, I could finally sleep in peace. Before drifting off, I mentally cursed every last one of those gossip accounts. The next day, hunger woke me. I hadn’t eaten dinner last night. Luckily, I was used to that by now. I checked the time. It was already afternoon. Thank goodness I had no scenes today. Beside me were warm dishes and a note: I have a commercial shoot in the next city today. Call me when you wake up. Remember to eat. Well, I wasn’t calling him! Let him suffer! Then I remembered my agency. After everything that had happened yesterday, they hadn’t called me once. Miraculous. I called my assistant, and she came in shortly afterward. “What is it, Chloe?” “What did the agency say?” For years, I’d only had one assistant. I wasn’t popular enough for my manager to bother with me. “Ethan already spoke to the agency. Everything’s fine. They’ve also lined up some work for you.” She handed me a schedule and left. I skimmed it, then put it aside. Time to eat. God, I was starving. So that menace had planned everything in advance without even discussing it with me. I scrolled through Instagram while eating. The first thing I saw was a post Ethan had made in the early hours of the morning. I love her more than anything. Please wish us well. The photo showed me sleeping, with my back to the camera. Had he seriously taken that last night and posted it right away? What an unflattering picture! I kept reading the comments. Maybe Ethan’s words had worked, because most people were wishing us well, though there were still a few nasty remarks. Some said I wasn’t good enough for him. Others said we made a perfect couple. Everyone had an opinion. In the entertainment industry, sure, I wasn’t in his league. Outside it? That was another story.