Chapter 6: The Ship That Sailed

To explain Ryan and Lillian’s connection, you have to start with the drama that made Ryan famous.

By the time he turned twenty-four, Ryan was everywhere—billboards, talk shows, even late-night monologues. He shot to fame as the tragic second male lead in director Caleb Jenkins’s hit fantasy series, “Ascendant.”

It’s no exaggeration to say his career skyrocketed.

The next year, he and Lillian—the popular actress who’d played the female lead—worked together again. Their sweet on-screen romance quickly grew a massive fanbase of shippers.

Fan edits of their on-screen kisses racked up millions of views on TikTok, and every time they so much as stood next to each other at an awards show, #SunsetAndRain would trend. Cosplayers would show up to conventions dressed as their characters. Sometimes, I’d see fanart of Lillian and Ryan, their cartoon faces glowing with Hollywood-perfect love.

Lillian’s company, Skyline Pictures, offered Ryan a contract, on the condition that he hype up their couple image.

Ryan refused. At the peak of the “Sunset & Rain” couple craze with Lillian, he publicly announced me—a non-celebrity—as his girlfriend.

He was a responsible man, and at that time, he really loved me.

Even after the announcement, when Skyline deliberately suppressed him and he went nearly a year without work—losing all the buzz from “Ascendant”—he just pulled me into his arms when I felt guilty.

“Don’t apologize, Natalie. I love you. I won’t let you suffer for my choices. This was my own decision—you don’t need to feel guilty.”

I felt my nose sting.

At twenty-seven, Ryan accepted Lillian’s invitation, and they worked together a third time on the film “Morning Light.”

At twenty-eight, during reshoots, a paparazzi video of me and director Caleb Jenkins entering and leaving a hotel together was leaked. I was blacklisted online, and my breakup with Ryan was anything but amicable.

The tabloids had a field day—"C-list Actress Destroys America’s Sweetheart Couple!" I remember the headline still, bold and relentless. My inbox filled with threats, and overnight, I was the villain of every story.

At twenty-nine, he and Lillian won Best Actor and Actress at that year’s Golden River Awards for “Morning Light,” making a stunning comeback. Ryan announced his relationship with Lillian at the ceremony.

Fans were ecstatic. Even solo fans tolerated the new girlfriend—after all, compared to me, Lillian was clearly a better choice.

After that, their careers and relationship flourished. He became a triple Best Actor, and she was on her way to becoming a top-tier actress.

They dated for five years, but there was never any talk of marriage.

Rumors of a breakup would surface now and then, but fans always shut them down fiercely.

This time, the fans were obviously celebrating again.

[Clowns! Anyone shipping him and Natalie Cross is just a clown. See? Our “Sunset & Rain” couple is going strong—they’ll be married soon. Those who pity a certain cheating slut, hang onto your marriage certificate. There’s only one—don’t end up losing even that.]

[So happy! Leopard and Cat (their couple nickname), you must stay together forever. Let us handle the trash that pops up.]

Soon, the video of me and Director Jenkins from five years ago was dug up and “flogged” again—meaning people were once more dragging up old scandals to insult me.

My homepage was flooded with abuse, no less than back then.

My thumb hovered over the screen. I felt the old ache in my chest, but this time, I didn’t look away.

I didn’t care much, just felt lucky that Director Jenkins and his wife never used Instagram and wouldn’t see the filth.

I turned off my phone and kept working as usual.

In a few days, I had a tough battle ahead.

Sometimes I’d remind myself that everyone loves a comeback, and maybe—if I kept my head down—people would eventually forget. Or maybe, in America, infamy just gets recycled, one viral moment at a time.