Page 95 of Don't Date Your Nemesis
“You saw the article?”
“Everyone saw the article.”
“It’s not true. You know that, right? You know I would never—”
“Liam.”
I stopped and heard her sigh. “I have to go.”
“Deepika, wait—”
“I’ll call you later.”
The line went dead. I stared at my phone, that sick feeling in my gut spreading.
She didn’t believe me.
Or worse… she didn’t care.
Deepika
My father stood in the doorway of my childhood bedroom, his arms crossed, and face set in that expression that meant he had already made up his mind.
“You need to distance yourself from this boy. From this... scandal.”
I sat on my bed. The same bed I slept in growing up, with its faded purple comforter and the stuffed elephant I had since I was five. The walls were covered in photos of me and Diya as kids, matching outfits and gap-toothed smiles, family vacations, me and Priya making faces at the camera.
A life that felt like it belonged to someone who was happy and joyful.
“Dad, we talked—”
He interrupted me, his voice firm. “Our family name cannot be attached to this. I’m sorry, beta, but you need to end it before it destroys everything you’ve worked for.”
He left before I could respond.
I stared at the closed door with my father’s words echoing in my head.
He was right for me to end it, but I knew Liam would never do that to his teammate.
But I wanted to end it and protect myself from the inevitable moment when Liam dropped me the way Yash had.
But the thought of actually doing it made my chest ache.
My phone rang, and I glanced at the caller ID. It was Ananya Mehta’s assistant.
I answered. “Hello?”
“Deepika, we have finalized the filming dates, but there’s a complication,” the assistant continued. “Chemistry reads and first rehearsals start in three weeks. And with this... situation with Liam, the studio is putting you up for reconsideration. They’re concerned about the association.”
Her robotic words hit me like a slap.
“So, what are you saying?” I asked, sitting up.
“I’m saying you still might have a choice to make, and you need to make it soon.”
She hung up, and I sat there, phone in hand, staring at nothing.
My dream role. The thing I had sacrificed everything for. I can’t let it go just like that. I had worked—
