Breaking Stars - J. Sterling Page 0,1

with not One, but Three Buxom Blondes!

Not the First Time Colin has Cheated on Paige – See the Proof Inside!

Paige, Embarrassed and Ashamed, Won’t Be Seen in Public!

Heartbroken Paige in Hiding! Where Has She Gone?

I swiped at the moisture on my cheeks before looking around at the brightly decorated walls of my apartment. Since when had sitting in the living room of my own home been considered hiding? Although I had to admit—the thought of crawling into a hole somewhere secluded sounded more appealing with each minute that passed.

Any breakup sucked, but going through one when you were a celebrity was ten times worse. Imagine every single incident in your life magnified, scrutinized, and published all over the world, usually portrayed in the most unflattering light and rarely accurate. The more scandalous the subject matter, the more the story took off. Over time I’d learned that people didn’t care if what was being reported was true or not; they simply enjoyed observing the chaos and carnage from the safety of their own mundane lives. For whatever reason, the public enjoyed watching celebrities suffer, and it reminded me just how out of touch with one another we truly were.

Ridding my head of those thoughts, I wondered how many times in the past Colin had cheated, and just how much of a fool I’d been. We’d dated for almost a year, and I thought we understood each other’s lifestyle, never being too possessive or jealous, never questioning each other’s actions. Both of us were in the entertainment industry, and while groupies tossed their dignity at him every night, I suppose I was naive enough to think he’d never take them up on their offers.

I suddenly had the urge to slap my own stupid face and freaking kill him. Right after I picked up the pieces of my shattered pride and aching heart.

Startling me, my phone vibrated against the coffee table. I watched as it danced, shaking all the tabletop items around it like they were in a bouncy house. It had been doing that almost nonstop since the news broke, and I let it.

I glanced down to see my manager’s name, Corryn, flashing on the screen. I pressed Ignore only to have the phone start vibrating again within seconds. My agent, Jayson, was apparently next in line on the check-on-Paige train. Pushing Ignore again, I wondered when they’d all get the hint to leave me alone. My publicist had called five times already and I probably should have answered her call, but honestly, this was Colin’s screw-up, not mine. If anyone should be talking to their publicist about saving face, it was him, not me.

My mother always warned me that people in this business were not as good-hearted as I tended to be. This industry was vicious and brutal, but it was also amazing, life-changing, and spectacular. I loved my job, and up until about thirty minutes ago, I thought I’d loved Colin too.

Mom also constantly reminded me that I was far too trusting, but I didn’t know how to be any other way. Being a Southern California native who spent most of my years living a normal childhood helped keep me grounded. My parents had normal lives, had worked normal jobs, and I had never planned on becoming an actress.

Fighting the urge to call my mom, I picked up the phone to dial my best friend, Quinn, instead. When the phone suddenly vibrated in my hand I almost dropped it, but quickly answered when I noticed Quinn’s name on the display.

“I was just going to call you,” I breathed out.

“Liar,” she scoffed, and I almost huffed out a laugh. Almost.

“I swear.”

“Verdict?”

I knew exactly what she meant. “There’s no way that video’s faked.”

“I thought the same thing,” she said, agreeing way too quickly.

“The other pictures too. They don’t look Photoshopped to you, do they?” There were also pictures taken of Colin with other women. Apparently the blonde had friends, and she didn’t mind sharing.

She sighed before admitting, “No.”

“Me either.”

“I can’t believe this shit,” Quinn bit out. “No. Scratch that. Actually I can, and I’ll kill his scrawny ass the next time I see him. Pack some clothes and get over here. You’re staying with me tonight.” She paused briefly, seeming to consider before asking, “Unless you want me to come there and stay with you? Is that what you want? I’ll do whatever you want. I’ll totally come to you. I’m an idiot—”

I forced my hazy brain to make a decision, then