Chapter 28: Behind the Mask
Chapter 28: Behind the Mask
Tessa as Elena’s POV
“Elena, are you okay?” Emris asked, concerned.
I nodded gently, then looked up and saw Bella smiling at her screen, completely lost in whatever message she was reading.
I still couldn’t wrap my head around how she was in a relationship with Lucien when it was so obvious Emris had been in love with her for ages. Even though I’d only been here a short while, it was glaring—painfully so. Anyone with eyes could see it.
“I’ll go first,” Bella said suddenly, slinging her designer bag over her shoulder and walking out of the room happily, her phone still clutched in her hand like it was something precious.
As the door closed behind her, I glanced at Emris. His shoulders sagged a little, and the usual spark in his eyes was gone.
“When are you going to tell her, Emris?” I asked softly, even though I already knew the answer. He was trying so hard to act normal, but it was written all over his face.
He gave a short, dry laugh as we both stood up. “What do you mean?” he said with that familiar fake surprise I was starting to recognize.
I rolled my eyes playfully. “Oh, please. You love Bella, and it’s obvious.”
He sighed, running a hand through his hair, his smirk fading. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, El.”
“Okay then,” I replied, not pushing it further. I had enough on my plate without getting involved in their complicated situation.
But part of me ached for him—because I knew what it felt like to want someone who never truly saw you.
I stepped out of the black Cadillac Escalade—the kind celebrities usually rode in, with Ayla and the manager beside me. The rest of the team arrived in another vehicle.
The set was buzzing with activity—staff running around, lights being adjusted, actors rehearsing, and assistants shouting into walkie-talkies like something urgent was happening.
Ayla walked ahead and guided me toward a small private room tucked away at the far end of the lot. It was quiet, just far enough from the chaos.
Inside the room, a white vanity stood in front of a large round mirror surrounded by warm bulbs, and a soft beige couch sat beside a sleek glass table. Bottles of water, snacks, and a bouquet of fresh roses sat neatly in the corner.
Just then, Mr. Edward, Elena’s manager, stepped into the room.
“She only has about forty minutes to prepare,” he said quickly, addressing the three stylists who were already setting up their tools. “Please make it snappy.” Then he turned to me with a smile that looked too rehearsed.
“Do you need anything before we start, Elena?”
I shook my head gently, offering a polite smile. “I’m fine, Mr. Edward. Thank you.”
He gave a small nod. “Alright then.”
He didn’t leave though—he just stood by the door like a timekeeper.
Soon after, Ayla walked in with a rolled-up script in her hand. She handed it to me without saying a word, and I knew this was it—the first scene of the movie. I had read the plot before, but there hadn’t been enough time to truly sit with it.
I sat on the couch and flipped open to the first page.
Scene One - Evening Collide
Location: College Hallway, Evening after lectures.
Character: Rae—a quiet, reserved transfer student with a dark past.
Scene: Rae is rushing down the hallway, lost in thought, when she bumps into Noah, the school’s golden boy, and accidentally drops a book. He picks it up, their hands touch, and for a moment, their eyes meet.
I stared at the words. My fingers hovered over the lines I was supposed to memorize, but the more I tried, the less they made sense. It was like my mind refused to cooperate. I read the first line three times:
“I’m sorry, I didn’t see you,” Rae mutters, bending to pick up the book before Noah could reach it.
I repeated it under my breath, but it felt dry. Like I was borrowing someone else's voice.
I shut the script softly and sighed, feeling the weight of everything pressing in.
By 8PM, I was standing on the rooftop of Blackstone Quarry, a distant, eerie place buried far from the city.
I’d managed to let the crew go, telling them I had something personal to pick up. I said I’d be home by 8:30 PM and ordered a designated driver.
I had ridden nearly forty minutes through narrow, winding roads before finally arriving here.
The building beneath me was old—once a control tower for the quarry workers—but now it stood hollow and abandoned, its rooftop cracked, weeds growing through the concrete.
I knew what I was doing was reckless. Maybe even dangerous. But I needed answers. And whoever had been sending those anonymous texts promised to give them.
Still, instinct kicked in—and I knew I needed someone to know where I was. Without thinking too much, I pulled out my phone and dialed Zane.
He picked up on the second ring.
“Zane,” I said quietly.
I was still pretending, still holding up the mask of being a doting girlfriend.
“Hey, babe,” he said in his deep, husky voice, and for a second, I felt a strange warmth in my chest. Not really affection—just the comfort of someone being there.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you earlier,” I began, exhaling deeply. “But the person who sent those anonymous messages, she texted me again and gave me a location. I’m here now.”
“What?!” His voice shot through the phone like a slap. “Where are you right now?”
I looked around, my eyes catching on the jagged cliff edges and the silence surrounding me. “A place called… Blackstone Quarry.”
There was a pause.
“Put on your location, I’m on my way,” he said quickly.
“You don’t have to—” but he’d already ended the call.
I let out a small sigh and slipped my phone back into my bag, the silence of the quarry creeping back in like a shadow. Just then, a figure stepped out from the shadows—a bit tall and slim … definitely a girl. But it was too dark to see her clearly.
The light from the moon barely traced the edges of her frame. My heart pounded in my chest, loud enough I was sure she could hear it.
“Who… who are you?” I asked, getting scared.
The girl didn’t answer. She took another step forward.
And finally spoke—but it wasn’t her voice that chilled me.
It was what she said that made my blood run cold.