Within a week, the scandal of Mary giving birth overseas faded quickly.
During that time, Starlight Entertainment’s new faces took advantage of the situation, grabbing the spotlight and building up a fresh wave of buzz.
Mary’s personal drama did impact Starlight’s reputation, but the newcomers’ momentum all but neutralized it.
Starlight Entertainment remained securely in the industry’s top ten.
Since that day, Ferdinand hadn’t made another appearance.
Briony assumed he’d be staying in Nortia for a while, what with Mary’s pregnancy and everything.
***
By mid-February, the snow in Northborough had finally stopped.
The weather was still bitterly cold.
After work one day, Briony received a text from Mary.
Mary: [Briony, I’m back in the country. Can we meet?]
Briony was caught off guard.
Why would Mary risk flying back while pregnant?
Briony: [If this is about terminating your contract, you can just talk to Bill directly.]
Mary: [I came back to Riverview for my mother’s funeral. I’m heading back to Nortia tomorrow, and honestly, I probably won’t ever come back after this. I just wanted to see you one last time before I leave.]
Mary’s mother’s funeral?
Briony knew a bit about Mary’s family.
Mary had grown up in a poor rural village outside Riverview. Four daughters, one son.
The village was steeped in old-fashioned misogyny.
Girls were born to be sacrificed for the sake of their brothers.
The only reason Mary ever escaped was her mother’s unwavering support.
It was her mother who secretly scraped together enough money to buy Mary a visa and a plane ticket out—money she’d saved in secret over a lifetime.
Mary’s mother used every penny she had to get her daughter out of that backward, suffocating place. She wanted Mary to have a chance at her own life.
Now, Mary was throwing all her hard-won freedom and career away for a man who never truly loved her.
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