She had always loved photography. As a child, she didn’t have the means to capture moments, but in college, she’d saved up from her writing income to buy a camera. Most of her photos were of Rico, frozen in candid moments like sitting by the dining room window, sunlight highlighting his features as he ate breakfast. Not only that, he was also lying on the balcony, a cigarette dangling lazily from his fingers, curling up on the sofa after a night of drinking, his expression soft in sleep, wearing an apron in the kitchen, brushing soap suds off a plate, and smiling reluctantly in a goofy birthday hat, his eyes shut tight as he made a wish.
Each photo had once made Maddie’s heart flutter. Now, they only deepened her ache.
Gripping a pair of scissors, Maddie prepared to cut the photos into pieces, but her phone buzzed, interrupting her.
***
Her best friend’s voice came through the line, frantic. “Maddie, have you seen your phone? You’re trending.”
“Trending?” Maddie asked, her brows knitting in confusion.
“Yes, someone uploaded a video of you standing outside Rico’s hotel yesterday, holding flowers and crying. Jane’s fans are all over it.” Lucy’s tone softened, worried. “They’re saying awful things. Don’t take it to heart, okay? You know how those fans are—they’ll attack anything that moves.”
Lucy had been Maddie’s college roommate and the only person who knew about her connection to Rico.
“I’ll take a look,” Maddie said quietly, slipping on her headphones as she opened the app.
The top trending hashtag blazed across the screen: #JaneHarperRicoHughesSoSweet. Below it, another topic hovered ominously: #RicoHughesSponsoredOrphan.
Her stomach dropped as she clicked the second tag.
Photos flooded her screen: A shot of her crying outside the hotel, flowers clutched tightly in her hands. Besides, there were images of her entering and leaving Rico’s apartment complex and a rare picture of her and Rico together as children at the orphanage.
The accompanying comments were cruel, each one like a dagger aimed at her heart:
“Who does she think she is? Rico took pity on her and paid for her education and now she’s clinging to him like a leech!”
“Does she seriously think she has a chance with him? What a delusional toad trying to eat a swan!”
“Rico belongs with Jane! This shameless woman needs to leave and stop embarrassing herself.”