“Miss Rose,” a familiar voice said coldly. "Mr. Monroe has instructed you to do your job properly. Don’t use discomfort as an excuse. Otherwise, we might have to revisit your... history."
It was Asher’s assistant, David Morgan. David had always been Asher’s lackey, covering up his secret meetings with Nora. Once, he’d even laid hands on me in front of Asher and Asher had watched with cold eyes, not saying a word.
Maybe that’s when I realized the man who once vowed to protect me no longer existed.
In the past, when I was on my period, Asher would insist I rest, worried I’d harm my health. Now, he was forcing me into an ice-cold lake for a scene to please Nora.
I let out a bitter laugh. "I will do the scene. As long as a line passes and I am leaving."
It was more than ten degrees below zero and I shot underwater many times. My body tensed with each take, but the director was never satisfied.
“Once more!” he shouted.
I dove back in, my limbs trembling uncontrollably. The cold seeped into my bones and each breath felt like a battle. I struggled to climb out, but someone pushed me back into the water every time.
The laughter around me grew louder.
"Look at Lily Rose flailing in the water like a toad. It is too funny!"
"And she had the audacity to mock Nora’s acting? Just quit already—she’s disgusting."
Their taunts rang in my ears, growing sharper until my vision blurred. The world spun and I felt my strength leave me.
The last thing I heard was the splash of water before everything went dark. The director and the others then panicked and rushed to have someone scoop me up.
Asher entered the room, his expression unreadable. David stood quietly behind him, no longer wearing the smug grin he always had.
"Why didn’t you tell me you were on your period?" Asher’s first words were accusatory, his tone sharp.
I let out a weak laugh, bitter and hollow. "Would it have mattered? Would you have stopped them from making me do the scene if I'd told you?"
Asher frowned, his hand reaching out to hold mine.
But Nora was quicker, grabbing his arm first and pouting. “It is all my fault! I didn’t know Miss Rose was on her period. I shouldn’t have asked her to shoot the underwater scene.”
She turned to me, feigning innocence. “Miss Rose, the next scene is where you fall in the fire. Can you handle that one?”