CHAPTER ONE

Lila’s POV

A perceptible wave of tension and anxiety hung in the atmosphere, tainting the air with an iridescent chill, the kind that mirrored the turmoil in my mind. I leaned on the headrest and peered out the window, letting the breeze from the wheezing cars on the road dry up the sweat on my face as heat coursed through my veins.

My body had an unusual way of reacting to anxiety. I would have numerous stomach aches, and since the anti nausea pills hadn't done their job, I sat straight in the backseat, and placed my hand on my stomach, an attempt to contend with the ache rippling through it.

"Gavin," I called out to my driver. "How long till we arrive at the court?"

"We're almost there ma'am," he answered slowly. "We'll be at the building in two hours."

My stomach rumbled again, my intestines twisting into knots as a patch of goosebumps suddenly broke out of my skin, covering me from head to toe.

Oh heavens. This was it. I said to myself as bile rushed to my throat. I placed my hand on my mouth to keep myself from vomiting again, but the bones in my body chattered within me. I suddenly felt this surge of unease, I wanted to sit, stand, run at the same time.

"I can't believe this is happening to me Gavin, my life is suddenly turning upside down and there is nothing I can do about it."

"Calm down, ma’am," Gavin said, turning to throw a sad smile at me. "Your lawyer is one of the best in the country and..."

"There is nothing else," I snapped, cutting him off. "I only have my lawyers, everyone in the world hates me. My Star space account has lost all its followers and people have been campaigning against me. I am finished Gavin, this is the end"

The bald headed man heaved a deep sigh as tears welled up in my, causing a warm stinging effect. I shifted into my seat and peered outside again, but I wished I hadn't. Outside by the roadside, was a billboard which bore a huge photo of me.

I cringed immediately and tried to turn away, but I was stuck, the words my pictures were captioned with ran through my stomach like a knife.

SUPERSTAR ACTRESS, LILA HARTWELL TO FACE THE COURT FOR ALLEGED BATTERY CASE, RACIST SLURS, AND MONEY LAUNDERING. THE WORLD HAS FINALLY DECIDED TO STAND UP AND FIGHT FOR WHAT IS RIGHT. THE TRIAL WILL BE HOLDING ON THE 23RD DAY OF SEPTEMBER 2024. IT WILL BE AIRING ON THE SOCIAL MEDIA PAGES AND YOUTUBE CHANNELS.

I closed my eyes and leaned on the headrest again, my heart had stopped beating now, my blood slowly evaporating within my veins. My overly perfect life turned upside down within the space of three months, thanks to my jealous younger sister and my parents.

"Declan has promised to show up as witness and defend you," Gavin said again. "You are not entirely alone Lila, Declan is your husband and he loves you as much as anyone would love themselves."

Those words brought peace to my chest instantly and I closed my eyes to savor them. Declan was my childhood sweetheart, I had given up everything to marry him.

He refused the idea of defending me before, but now that he'd changed his mind, I could help but feel happy for myself. I might not have evidence to prove myself or followers to boost my confidence, but Declan would defend me.

My tall and handsome husband would stand up and defend me against the world. I would no longer be tagged a bad person.

Declan was all I needed now, my husband would never tell lies against me. Even if the world decided to hate me, Declan would always be with me and this was enough for me to feel happy about.

I finally reached for the food pack beside me and ate, the first food I would be eating in three days. Throughout the rest of the drive to the court, my heart found peace, I even started smiling.

Declan had the evidence to prove the world wrong about me, he knew where I was on the day the incident occurred, as well as the source of my multimillion dollar wealth, so I felt at ease.

The court was a huge, white painted building which was situated by the roadside. As expected, it was crowded by irate people who were once my fans, paparazzi and a lot more.

The tension in the atmosphere mingled with anticipation as the car finally pulled to a halt in front of the giant building. I drew in a deep breath, as I put on my glasses and carried my handbag. I had become filled with a renewed hope and confidence, my husband has the one evidence that would set me free from the shackles of false accusations and hatred.

And he was here with me, waiting in the building.

The instant I stepped out of the vehicle, camera flashes began to rain on me as journalists rushed towards me. I adjusted my handbag and my glasses, trying to appear confident when I was actually the most hated woman in America right now.

"Lila Hartwell," a tall, dark-skinned lady, called as she dashed towards me with a huge microphone. "Kindly explain to the world the reason behind all your atrocities."

"What atrocities?"

My bodyguards stood like a giant before the journalists, but the reporters still managed to maneuver, screaming and jeering at me. Fearing that they might harm me, I jolted back, but the screaming continued.

My eyes had just begun to adjust to the blinding lights from the cameras when another journalist accosted me.

"Lila Hartwell, is it true that you became a famous actress by sleeping with all the producers in the movie industry?”