Chapter 836
Finnian tapped on the second trending topic first. The comments section was flooded with sympathy for Liliana, lamenting her tragic fall and tearing into the production team of the fantasy epic for their gross negligence.
He then switched to the top trending hashtag. The pinned post was from one of the major gossip tabloids. It claimed that the moment Liliana was hospitalized, Finnian rushed to her side, painting him as a deeply devoted and loyal lover.
Attached to the post was a photo-a clear shot of his back as he walked into the hospital.
Reading through the comments, Finnian’s expression darkened into a stormy scowl.
He cared absolutely nothing for Liliana’s health anymore. In fact, because her theft of Amara’s credit had delayed his chances with Amara, he had actively grown to resent her.
If Jenny had called him simply to say Liliana was injured, he never would have shown up.
The only reason he went was because her new injury had perfectly reopened the old scar she got from saving his life. It was a twisted play on his guilt, and that was the sole reason he had gone.
He never expected to be secretly photographed and plastered all over the internet.
Did Amara see this? What would she think of him if she did?
Finnian immediately ordered Will to have the trending topics pulled down and to scrub Twitter of any posts connecting him to Liliana.
But suppressing trends and deleting comments took time. Even then, it was impossible to wipe the slate completely clean. With millions of comments scattered across the web, the best they could do was eliminate the most visible, high- engagement posts. Consequently, it didn’t take long for Amara to see the news.
When she read about Liliana falling from the stunt harness, she felt nothing. She didn’t care about Liliana anymore; whether the woman lived or died was none of her business.
But when she saw the headline claiming Finnian rushed to the hospital the moment he found out, a sharp ache seized her chest.
Moments later, Elysia Moon texted her, asking if she had seen the trending topics, making sure she was okay and offering her place Amara needed company. Already craving someone to talk to, Amara headed straight to Elysia’s apartment.
“Ely, I saw the trends.”
Amara sat on the sofa, staring blankly out the window. Her expression was perfectly composed, but a deep sorrow lingered in her eyes.
“You know, Finnian has been exceptionally affectionate lately.”
“He tells me over and over that I’m the one he loves. He swears he only feels guilt and responsibility toward Liliana, not love. And after the truth about the rescue came out h claimed even that sense of
responsibility was gone.”
“But every single time something happens to her, he drops everything to run to her side. He cares about her…”
Amara turned to face Elysia, a bitter, self-deprecating smile pulling at her lips.
“It’s so obvious how deeply he cares for her, yet he just keeps lying to my face…”
She closed her eyes, the cynical curve of her lips deepening, her voice laced with quiet devastation.
“I loved him for so many years. It’s impossible to just erase him from my heart overnight, but I’m trying so hard.”
“And yet, he keeps coming back to mess with my head, while simultaneously doting
on Liliana… Ely, I act like I don’t care, but it actually hurts so much.”
Elysia was the one person who truly understood her. Not just because they were close friends who listened to each other without judgment, but because Elysia had lived through a strikingly similar nightmare.
Amara had loved Finnian far longer than Elysia had loved Dorian Hawke. If Elysia
couldn’t forget Dorian, there was no way Amara could easily move on from Finnian.