MELISSA’S POV

Life had a rhythm again. Work, meetings, shoots, time with Xavier—it all blended together into something that felt oddly familiar yet new at the same time. This wasn’t my first big break, not the first contract I had ever signed, and certainly not the first time I had tasted fame. I’d walked red carpets before, faced flashing cameras, even had my name trending more than once. But this one… this was different.

The morning I went to sign the deal, I knew it carried ...