The Comments Said He Loved Me But He Never Did Chapter 01
For the 99th time, rumors were swirling about Zane Sterling, the A-list actor, and the new It Girl, Bianca Blake.
As his girlfriend and manager, I called Zane. Through the receiver, I could hear Bianca’s soft, breathy sounds.
Before I could even speak, he was already snapping at me impatiently.
“Everyone in this industry uses fake relationships to stay relevant. Eden, you’ve been in the game this long. Why are you still coming at me like some rookie?”
The line went dead before I could respond.
Then came the usual flood of live comments in front of my eyes.
[The male lead is feeling insecure again. He just wants to make the female lead jealous so she’ll care more.]
[He’s a messy, stubborn puppy who needs a love who won’t leave. Don’t be mad, sweetheart. He only has eyes for you.]
[Exactly! He won’t even touch another woman off-camera. Post a statement already. Don’t let that fake sweetheart ride on his coattails.]
But this time, I didn’t listen to the posts.
I didn’t rush to deny it.
Instead, I had the studio release a statement confirming our relationship.
Twitter blew up. And I submitted my resignation letter to the agency.
I’m only human. I’ve been walking on eggshells around him for years. I’m tired. I’ve had enough. I’m done.
***
When I handed in my resignation, Harrison Vance was already losing it in his office over the trending news. A coffee mug shattered at my feet.
He pointed at me, his hand shaking, his lips quivering. After a long pause, he finally managed three words.
“Are you insane?”
I knew what he meant. No one at the agency knew about me and Zane except him.
Back in the day, Zane had too many solo stans and fans who treated him like a fantasy boyfriend. If we went public back then, a lot of them would have turned against him. And he was still climbing.
For his own good, I was the one who suggested we keep it quiet. Zane was furious with me about it.
We hid it for five years.
By the time his fanbase shifted to career-focused fans and stabilized, I tested the waters about going public again. Zane’s response was a cold laugh.
“Eden, back then I was just a small-time actor who didn’t deserve to stand next to a top-tier manager like you. Now, what makes you think you deserve to go public with an A-lister?”
His words cut deep. I felt my face flush. I was about to say something, but the flood of live reaction posts cut me off.
[The male lead is finally letting out five years of hidden hurt. She refused to go public back then, and even though he knew it was for his own good, he still cried about it alone. He felt like he wasn’t good enough.]
[Don’t be mad, sweetheart. When you asked, he was actually over the moon. If he had a tail, it would’ve been spinning like a propeller. He just has no sense of security. He said those things to hurt you because he’s scared you don’t actually want to go public.]
[Just ask him a few more times. He’ll say yes.]
[He’s already secretly Googling relationship announcement captions. He’s planning a huge romantic gesture. He’s going to make her the happiest woman in the world.]
I looked at Zane—his forced coldness, the way his lashes fluttered with barely hidden nerves—and the fire in my chest fizzled out. I really had done him wrong back then.
Even if it was for his own good, I never asked him how he felt.
When I spoke again, my voice came out soft and apologetic.
“Zane, I’m sorry. Please forgive me.”
He swatted my hand away and asked coldly, “You really want to go public that badly?”
[This stubborn and full of contradictions man. Who else would put up with you, sweetheart?]
[Say yes, say yes! Otherwise he’ll be crying into his pillow again at three in the morning.]
I let out a silent sigh and did what the posts said. I talked the most stubborn man off the ledge in the world.
“Zane, I really do love you. I chose wrong back then. I hurt you without meaning to. I know I was wrong. Please. Let everyone know about us. Okay?”
The corner of his mouth twitched up, just barely. But he still wouldn’t give in.
“Fine. You’re begging so pathetically. Wait until I’m not angry anymore. Then we’ll talk about going public.”
So I waited. For the huge romantic gesture the posts promised. For Zane to finally feel safe with me again. I waited and waited. Three more years down the drain.
I never got what I wanted. All I got were Zane and a long line of other actresses, rumor after rumor after rumor.
On the night of our anniversary—which I had booked a month in advance so we could have a nice dinner together—he walked in with his co-star’s waist under his arm and called me “Manager Mercer.”
“Manager Mercer, that steakhouse reservation you made for me and Nova was perfect. We’ve got a night shoot after we eat, so you can head out now.”
I had pulled three all-nighters just to clear his schedule so we could have one meal together on our anniversary. And he threw it all away like it was nothing.
My eyes stung. I felt my throat tighten. I couldn’t stop myself from saying his name.
“Zane… please don’t…”
“‘Zane’? Who said you could call him that?”
The woman in his arms shot me a cutting look, her eyes raking up and down my body.
“Honey, look at yourself. You’re not exactly young anymore. Just stick to being a manager, okay? Stop trying to come on to him. ‘Top-tier manager’? What a joke. Fake credentials, right?”
