The Real Story Begins
Scarlett's POV
The ambulance doors slammed shut, taking Luna away. I stood in the driveway watching the red lights disappear, my hands still shaking.
"She said someone pushed her," I repeated for the third time to the police officer taking my statement. "Luna said 'he pushed me' before she passed out."
"Did she say who?" The officer's pen hovered over his notepad.
"No. She lost consciousness before she could tell me."
The officer looked skeptical. "Maybe she was confused. Drowning victims often experience disorientation—"
"She wasn't confused!" I shouted. "Someone tried to kill her!"
Kai put his hand on my shoulder. "Officer, Luna was fully clothed when she went into the pool. Why would she jump in wearing jeans and a sweater?"
"People do irrational things," the officer said, but he made a note anyway. "We'll investigate. In the meantime, nobody leaves the property."
After the police finished questioning everyone, the mansion felt like a tomb. Contestants whispered in corners. Crew members packed equipment with nervous glances. Jake had disappeared into his office and locked the door.
I found Kai on the back patio, staring at the pool like it might give him answers.
"She's going to be okay," he said without looking at me. "The paramedics said she'd probably make a full recovery."
"Someone tried to murder her, Kai." I sat beside him. "And it has to be connected to what we exposed today."
"The contract." Kai ran his hand through his hair. "We showed everyone the manipulation. Maybe someone wanted Luna silenced before she could reveal more."
"But what more could she reveal? She's just my assistant."
"Is she?" Kai turned to face me. "Think about it. Luna's been with you for how long?"
"Five years. Since right after I left you."
"And she never once encouraged you to contact me? Never suggested you might have made a mistake?"
The question hit me like a slap. "What are you saying?"
"I'm saying maybe Luna knows more than we think. Maybe she's been protecting secrets this whole time."
Before I could respond, Madison burst through the patio door. "We have a problem. A big one."
"What now?" I asked.
"The footage from today. The contract reveal. The manager's confession." Madison's face was pale. "It's gone viral. Millions of views in the last hour. People are going crazy."
She showed us her phone. Social media was exploding with our story. Hashtags trending. News sites picking it up. Everyone talking about reality TV manipulation.
"That's good, right?" Kai asked. "That's what we wanted."
"It would be if Jake wasn't planning his counterattack." Madison scrolled through her phone. "He's already released a statement saying we staged the whole thing. That the contract was fake. That we're the manipulators, not him."
"That's a lie!" I grabbed the phone, reading Jake's statement. He called us "desperate attention-seekers willing to fabricate evidence." Said Luna's accident was "a tragic distraction from their betrayal."
"He's turning this around on us," Kai said quietly. "Making us the villains."
"And people are believing him." Madison showed us the comments. Some supported us, but others called us liars and frauds. "We need proof the contract is real. Something undeniable."
"Luna has proof," I said suddenly. "That's why she was here today. She must have found something. Evidence Jake or the manager didn't want exposed."
"But she's unconscious in the hospital," Madison pointed out. "We can't ask her."
"No, but we can search her belongings." I stood up. "She must have brought whatever evidence she found with her."
We searched Luna's car in the parking lot. Nothing in the front. Nothing in the back. Then Kai opened the trunk.
"Scarlett." His voice was strange. "You need to see this."
Inside the trunk were files. Dozens of them. All labeled with names I recognized. Contestants from previous seasons. Crew members. And at the bottom, a thick file labeled "Scarlett Rose - Confidential."
I grabbed my file with shaking hands. Inside were documents I'd never seen before. Contracts I didn't remember signing. Emails between Jake and people I didn't know.
And one letter that made my blood run cold.
It was from Kai's manager to Jake, dated six years ago. Before the show. Before I'd even heard of "Love Island Dreams."
"Dear Jake," it read. "Thank you for your help in removing the Scarlett problem. The payment has been transferred to your account as discussed. Kai's career is back on track now that she's gone. Let's hope she stays gone."
The words blurred as tears filled my eyes. "Jake was paid to keep me away from you."
Kai read over my shoulder, his face going white. "Six years ago. That's right after you left me."
"The manager paid Jake to make sure we never reconnected." The betrayal felt like drowning. "That's why Jake was so eager to cast me as the villain. He wanted to destroy any chance of us getting back together."
"But why would my manager care after five years?" Kai asked. "We were already broken up. What did it matter if—"
He stopped mid-sentence, understanding flooding his face.
"Unless he knew you'd try to find me," I whispered. "Unless he knew you never stopped looking."
"I told him a year ago that I was going to hire a private investigator," Kai said. "To track you down. To finally get answers about why you left."
"And he couldn't let that happen." Madison had been reading other files. "Because if you found Scarlett and learned the truth about his manipulation, his career would be over."
"So he paid Jake to cast me on this show," I continued, the pieces falling into place. "Where he could control the narrative. Where he could script our reunion to end in public humiliation instead of reconciliation."
"And Luna found out." Kai held up another document. "Look at this. It's an email from Luna to Jake, dated yesterday. She's threatening to expose everything unless he releases you from your contract."
That's why someone pushed Luna. She'd discovered the truth and threatened to reveal it.
"We need to get these files to the police," Madison said. "This is proof of conspiracy. Maybe even attempted murder."
We were gathering the files when footsteps crunched on gravel behind us.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you."
We spun around. Jake stood there with two security guards, both looking uncomfortable but determined.
"Those files are property of the production company," Jake said calmly. "You're stealing."
"We're exposing the truth," I shot back.
"You're destroying evidence in an active investigation." Jake pulled out his phone. "Officer, this is Jake Morrison from Love Island Dreams. I'd like to report a theft in progress."
"You can't be serious," Kai said.
"Oh, I'm very serious." Jake's smile was back. "You three have caused enough damage. Time to face the consequences."
The police arrived within minutes. We tried to explain about the files, about the evidence of conspiracy, but Jake had his story ready. The files were confidential production documents. We were trespassing in Luna's vehicle. We were attempting to steal proprietary information.
"They can press charges if they want," the officer said. "Or you can return the files and leave the property."
"We're not leaving," I said.
"Then you'll be arrested for theft and trespassing."
We had no choice. We handed over the files and watched Jake lock them in his office.
"This isn't over," Kai told him.
"Oh, it's very over." Jake's eyes gleamed. "Your rebellion failed. Your evidence is locked away. And by tomorrow, America will believe you're the villains, not me."
That night, I couldn't sleep. Couldn't stop thinking about Luna in the hospital, about the files we'd lost, about how Jake had won again.
Around midnight, I heard shouting from outside. Then splashing. Then screaming.
I ran to my window. The pool lights were on. Someone was in the water, flailing wildly.
I raced downstairs with Kai right behind me. Other contestants were already there, pointing and yelling.
Ryan was in the pool, going under, coming up, going under again. But this time it wasn't mysterious. We could all see he was drunk, his movements uncoordinated and desperate.
Kai dove in and pulled Ryan to the edge. He was conscious but barely, coughing up water and mumbling incoherently.
"What happened?" Marcus demanded.
"He was drinking alone by the pool," David said. "I told him to go to bed, but he said he wanted to swim."
"You let a drunk person swim alone?" Madison's voice was sharp.
Paramedics arrived for the second time that day. They loaded Ryan onto a stretcher, checking his vitals and asking questions.
Jake appeared in the doorway of the house, his phone out and recording.
"This is terrible," he said, but his voice held barely contained excitement. "Two accidents in one day. How tragic."
"It wasn't an accident," Kai said. "Ryan was drunk."
"Was he?" Jake moved closer to the pool. "Or was he pushed? Just like Luna was pushed?"
"Nobody pushed Ryan," I said. "We all saw him jump in."
"Did you?" Jake's smile was predatory. "Or did you see what you wanted to see? Because from where I'm standing, this looks like a pattern. Two people nearly drowning in one day. And both times, you three were nearby."
The accusation hung in the air like poison.
"You can't be suggesting—" Madison started.
"I'm not suggesting anything. I'm just pointing out facts." Jake addressed the remaining contestants and crew. "Two drowning incidents. Both when Scarlett, Kai, and Madison were present. Makes you wonder, doesn't it?"
"You're insane," Kai said.
"Am I? Or am I the only one willing to consider that maybe the real villains aren't who we thought they were?"
As the paramedics drove away with Ryan, I saw the calculation in Jake's eyes. He was going to use this. Going to twist it into proof that we were dangerous.
"This is bad," Madison whispered. "Really bad."
She was right. We'd exposed Jake's manipulation, but now he was turning it around. Making us look like the dangerous ones.
And worst of all, I had no idea how to stop him.
The police returned an hour later with new questions. Where were we when Ryan went in the pool? Had we been drinking? Had we argued with Ryan recently?
"We think there might be a connection between the two incidents," the officer said. "Someone targeting contestants. We need everyone to stay on the property until we sort this out."
We were trapped. Again. But this time with suspicion hanging over our heads like a guillotine.
As dawn broke, my phone buzzed with a text from a number I didn't recognize.
"Stop digging or Ryan won't be the last one to take a swim."
My hands shook as I showed it to Kai.
"Someone's threatening us," I whispered.
"Or warning us." Kai's face was grim. "The question is, who?"
Before I could answer, Madison burst into my room, her face white with terror.
"It's Luna," she gasped. "The hospital just called. She's awake. And she's asking for you. Says she needs to tell you who pushed her before it's too late."