Dating Games(81)

Instead of smiling, as one would think when telling the story of how she finally achieved everything she could have imagined, her expression falls, her lips forming a tight line as her chin trembles.

“What happened?”

“About five years ago, I was in romantic comedy where I played opposite Matthew McConaughey. It was one of the biggest hits of the year. Made millions. Before then, I was known as Ethan Ludlow’s girlfriend. After that, I was simply Sonia Moreno. Worse…” Her voice becomes strained through the obvious lump in her throat. “He became known as Sonia Moreno’s boyfriend.”

“I take it he didn’t like the blow to his ego.”

She laughs slightly, crossing her legs in a practiced way that makes it appear smooth and swanlike. “He certainly did not. How would you feel if you were a child star desperately trying to stay relevant as a producer and director and your newbie girlfriend was now more popular than you ever were?” She brings her tea back to her mouth, taking a sip. I do the same, allowing her a moment to collect her thoughts.

“He increasingly grew more and more controlling, possessive, angry. I couldn’t even give an interview without him having a meltdown over something I said, regardless of how meaningless it was. He found something wrong in everything, something to make him think I was being unfaithful, that I was going to leave him. I insisted I’d never leave him, that I owed him everything, that I loved him. Because I honestly thought I was to blame for his insecurity, I did what I thought I had to in order to fix it and assure him he was the only man I wanted.

“So the next week, we boarded a plane to Bora Bora and got married in front of our other celebrity friends. It was so different from the wedding I imagined when I was a little girl.”

“Why was that?”

Her eyes light up at my question. All women love talking of their childhood fantasies. It brings us back to that time in our lives when we believed the world was our oyster.

“I’d always envisioned marrying the man of my dreams in the church in Mexico where my parents said their vows, then have a reception at this gorgeous restored farm near my grandparents’ house there. Instead, our guests were Hollywood types there just to say they were. I remember having second thoughts, thinking I could just fly away and start over again, but it seemed impossible. I was too recognizable. I couldn’t disappear. It was the first time I felt trapped. And that only increased over the years.

“Don’t get me wrong. Ethan and I had some wonderful times, times when I did love him. There were moments he was so full of life and excitement. But as I learned, for every up, there would eventually be an even bigger down. And when that happened, it was near impossible to reason with him. He’d find something lacking with me, something that made him lose his mind. In those moments of mania, I believed that to be the case, believed I was at fault.”

I lick my lips as I prepare to ask my next question. “Did he hurt you?”

She lowers her eyes, nodding slightly.

“How often?”

Blowing out a long breath, she looks up. “I lost track over the years. After a while, I could predict when it would happen. It was a cycle. Things would be great. Then he’d grow increasingly irritable. It was only a matter of time before something set him off and he’d lose all control. The next day, he’d apologize, beg for my forgiveness, promise to get help, to never drink, to make it right, and he’d be the man I remember him to be when we first met.

“This went on for years. Each cycle got increasingly shorter and more volatile. In retrospect, I should have jumped ship ages ago, but when Ethan was in a good mood, he was sweet, charming, endearing.” She laughs to herself, a shimmer in her eyes. “I used to joke he could charm the skin off a snake. He had this energy you wanted to be around. And when he looked at you in a way that made you think he saw no one else, well… There’s nothing like that.”

“I’ve heard a few rumors that he…”

“Cheated on me?” she finishes. “I blamed myself for that, too. He blamed me for it, told me if I was the type of wife he needed, he wouldn’t have to seek comfort in another. I should have expected this, considering he was still married to his previous wife when we met. So I did what I could to be the perfect wife just to save some poor girl who was trying to make a name for herself in this industry from suffering the same fate I did.”

My mouth grows dry at her words, a chill enveloping me. “What made you seek out August? There must have been some triggering event, something that made you say enough.”

“The premier of my latest movie.” With shaky hands, she places her cup back on the table. “Until then, I’d done mostly upbeat romantic comedies. But my latest film was more of a romantic drama. A very sexy romantic drama.”

I nod. “I’ve seen it.”

“Honestly, I was surprised when Ethan suggested I throw my name into the hat for the lead, but he claimed he was okay with the nudity and intimate scenes. It wouldn’t be my first sex scene, but all my previous ones were lighter and more fun. When I got the part, he was thrilled for me. But after we got home from the premier, he was different…aloof, sinister. He accused me of enjoying those intimate moments too much, more than when we were intimate. I told him he was crazy, that I was merely acting. Things spiraled out of control, and before I could make sense of what was happening, he forced himself on me, demanding I tell him he’s the best lover I’d ever had.”