Almost

Almost
Scarlett's POV

I stared at Jake's phone, reading the message over and over until the words burned into my brain.

"His manager is coming here?" My voice came out strangled. "The same man who told me to leave five years ago?"

"The very same." Jake looked thrilled. "Apparently, he saw the footage of you and Kai trending online. Fans are shipping you two hard. And he's not happy about it."

"Shipping?"

"Wanting you together. Rooting for your relationship." Jake scrolled through his phone. "There are hashtags. Fan videos. Think pieces about second-chance romance. You're the most talked-about couple on reality TV right now."

My head spun. "That doesn't make sense. I'm supposed to be the villain."

"You were. But somewhere along the way, America fell in love with your love story." He showed me his phone screen filled with comments. "'Team Scarlai forever!' 'If they don't end up together I'll riot!' 'The way he looks at her breaks my heart!'"

"This is insane."

"This is viral." Jake pocketed his phone. "And Kai's manager sees you as a threat to his golden boy's career. Again. So he's coming to eliminate that threat. Again."

The words hit like a punch. "He wants Kai to choose."

"Just like last time. Except now it's happening on camera for the whole world to see." Jake's eyes gleamed. "This is going to be the most-watched episode in reality TV history."

"I won't let you turn our pain into entertainment anymore."

"You don't have a choice. Neither does Kai. The manager will arrive tomorrow morning." Jake headed for the door. "I suggest you both prepare for the fight of your lives."

After he left, I stood frozen in the hallway. History was repeating itself. The same choice. The same ultimatum. The same ending where I lost Kai all over again.

Unless I left first.

I ran to my room and started packing. Clothes thrown into a suitcase, toiletries grabbed from the bathroom. I'd pay the penalty fee somehow. Work three jobs, live in my car, sell everything I owned. Anything was better than watching Kai choose his career over me again.

Because he would choose his career. Of course he would. That's what I'd wanted five years ago—for him to have the success he deserved. Why would anything be different now?

A knock on my door made me jump.

"Scarlett? Can we talk?"

Madison. I'd forgotten about her seeing the footage, about the hurt in her eyes.

I opened the door. She stood there still in her sling, looking small and tired.

"I'm sorry," I said immediately. "For everything. For sabotaging you, for lying to you, for—"

"Stop." Madison walked into my room and saw the suitcase. "You're leaving?"

"I have to."

"Because of Kai's manager?"

I stared at her. "How do you know about that?"

"Jake told everyone. He wants maximum drama when the manager arrives." She sat on my bed. "He's going to make Kai choose in front of all of us. On camera."

"Then I need to be gone before that happens."

"Why?"

"Because I can't watch him pick his career over me again!" The words burst out. "I can't sit there while some man in a suit tells Kai I'm not worth loving. That I'm a distraction. A mistake. A problem to be eliminated."

"What if he picks you?"

The question stopped me cold. "He won't."

"How do you know?"

"Because he didn't last time."

"He never got the chance." Madison's voice was gentle but firm. "You made the choice for him. You walked away before he could fight for you."

"I was protecting him—"

"You were protecting yourself." She stood up and closed my suitcase. "And you're doing it again. Running away before you can get hurt."

"That's not true."

"Isn't it?" Madison faced me. "Kai caught you today. Told you maybe you're not too broken to fix. Almost kissed you. And now his manager is coming to test whether you two are strong enough to fight for each other. And what do you do? Pack a bag and run."

Her words sliced through my defenses. "What else am I supposed to do?"

"Stay. Fight. Choose him for once instead of choosing fear."

"You don't understand what it's like—"

"I understand perfectly." Madison's eyes filled with tears. "My ex chose his career over me. Chose fame and success and everything else but me. And you know what I learned? It's not about whether someone chooses you. It's about whether you believe you're worth choosing."

"I'm not worth—"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence." She grabbed my shoulders. "You are worth choosing. You are worth fighting for. But you have to believe it first."

After Madison left, I sat on my bed staring at my packed suitcase. Was she right? Was I running away out of fear rather than nobility?

My phone buzzed. A text from Luna: Saw the clips online. Holy shit, Scarlett. You still love him. Does he know?

I typed back: He knows. But it doesn't matter. His manager is coming tomorrow to make him choose.

Luna's response came immediately: So fight for him! Don't let some suit destroy you twice!

But I'd spent five years learning to live without Kai. Learning to function with half a heart. Could I really risk putting myself back together just to watch him shatter me again?

Another knock. This time I knew who it was before opening the door.

Kai stood in the hallway, his face drawn with exhaustion.

"Jake told me," he said simply. "About my manager."

"I know."

"Can I come in?"

I stepped aside. He entered and saw my suitcase.

"You're leaving." Not a question.

"I think it's for the best."

"For who?" Kai's voice was sharp. "For me? For you? Or for that scared girl who's so terrified of being happy she destroys it before it can destroy her?"

"That's not fair."

"None of this is fair!" He grabbed my suitcase and threw it across the room. Clothes exploded everywhere. "You think I want my manager coming here? You think I want to be forced to choose on camera?"

"Then leave with me," I said desperately. "We'll both walk away. Forget the show, forget the money, forget everything."

"And what? Run away together?" Kai laughed bitterly. "That's your solution? The same thing you did five years ago?"

"At least we'd be together."

"We'd be broke, blacklisted, and drowning in penalty fees." He moved closer. "Is that the life you want? Running from our problems instead of facing them?"

"I just want us to be happy."

"Then stay." He took my hands. "Stay and watch me tell my manager exactly where he can shove his ultimatum. Stay and let me choose you in front of everyone. Stay and give us a real chance."

"What if you regret it?"

"What if I don't?" He cupped my face. "What if choosing you is the best decision I ever make?"

Before I could answer, voices erupted from downstairs. Shouting. Crying. Something was happening.

We ran to the hallway and looked over the railing. The living room was chaos. Ryan and Marcus were yelling at each other. David was trying to separate them. And Madison stood in the middle, tears streaming down her face.

"What's going on?" Kai called down.

Everyone looked up at us. Madison's eyes were red and furious.

"You two need to get down here. Right now."

We descended the stairs together. The tension was thick enough to cut.

"Madison, what happened?" I asked.

"What happened?" She laughed, but it wasn't a happy sound. "What happened is I'm done being lied to. By everyone. By this show. By you two."

"We didn't lie—"

"You said there was nothing between you anymore!" Madison's voice cracked. "You said you were just old friends! But I've been watching footage all night. Reading old interviews. Digging through social media. And you want to know what I found?"

My blood turned to ice.

"I found engagement photos." Madison pulled out her phone and showed us. There we were, young and in love, Kai on one knee with a ring. "I found wedding invitations that never got used. Save-the-date cards. A whole life you two were supposed to have together."

"Madison—" Kai started.

"Don't." She held up her hand. "I don't want excuses. I don't want explanations. I want the truth. Right now. In front of everyone."

The other contestants had gathered, all watching our humiliation unfold. Cameras surrounded us from every angle. Jake stood in the corner with his shark smile, getting exactly what he wanted.

"Tell them," Madison demanded. "Tell everyone what you two really are to each other."

Kai looked at me. I looked at him. Years of secrets and lies hung between us.

"We're exes," I said weakly. "We told you that."

"Exes?" Madison's voice rose. "Exes don't look at each other like you two do. Exes don't almost kiss in kitchens. Exes don't confess they never stopped loving each other!"

"You don't understand—"

"Then make me understand!" Madison's tears fell faster now. "Because from where I'm standing, you two have been playing everyone this whole time. Playing me. And I'm done being the fool."

She turned to address everyone else. "Did you all know? That they were more than just exes? That there's this whole history we weren't told about?"

Ryan and Marcus shook their heads. David looked confused. Everyone was staring at us now, waiting for answers.

"If someone doesn't tell me the truth in the next ten seconds," Madison said, her voice deadly calm, "I'm calling my lawyers. I'll have you both removed from this show. Sued for emotional manipulation. Blacklisted from every network. I have the power to destroy you both. And I will use it."

"Madison, please—" I begged.

"Ten. Nine. Eight."

She was counting down. Actually counting down to our destruction.

"Seven. Six. Five."

Kai grabbed my hand, squeezing tight. Support or goodbye, I couldn't tell.

"Four. Three. Two."

"Fine!" The word exploded out of me before I could stop it. "You want the truth? We were engaged. We were three weeks away from getting married when I left him. Is that what you wanted to hear?"

The room went dead silent.

Madison stared at me like I'd slapped her. "Engaged."

"Yes."

"And you left him three weeks before the wedding."

"Yes."

"Why?" Her voice broke on the word. "Why would you do that to someone you loved?"

I opened my mouth but couldn't find the words. How could I explain five years of regret in a single sentence?

Madison looked between us, and something shifted in her expression. Understanding mixed with fury.

"His manager," she said slowly. "The one coming tomorrow. He's the reason you left, isn't he?"

My silence was answer enough.

"Oh my God." Madison laughed, but it sounded like crying. "This whole time, you've been protecting him from the same choice that destroyed you. And tomorrow, he's going to have to make it anyway."

She turned and walked toward the stairs.

"Where are you going?" Jake called after her.

Madison paused on the bottom step and looked back at Kai and me.

"I'm going to make sure everyone knows the truth before his manager arrives tomorrow. Every detail. Every secret. Everything." Her smile was sad and sharp. "Because if you two are going down, you're doing it honestly. No more lies. No more running. Tomorrow, the whole world watches Kai choose between Scarlett and his career. And this time, nobody gets to make the choice for him."