Chapter 6 Every Lie Leaves a Scar

Rosalie Bellamy – POV

I thought I'd already been broken.

I thought watching that video leak, hearing Marc's silence, seeing my face plastered on gossip sites with headlines like "Betrayal in Paris: Rosalie Bellamy's Double Life"-was the worst it could get.

But heartbreak is cruel. Because just when you think you've hit the bottom, it shows you a new floor. Sophie hadn't returned my calls since the rooftop. Marc had gone radio silent. Maurice had blocked me.

And Korex? He was circling like a vulture-sending cryptic messages and voice notes that made my skin crawl.

"Still think secrets stay buried, Rosalie?" "Don't worry. I haven't posted the real video yet." The worst part? I didn't know what real even meant anymore. What else did he have? What angle? What weapon? I'd been careful. Smart. Guarded.

But Korex had a way of turning memory into knives. He made you doubt yourself, even when you knew you were clean.

I sat by the window of my apartment, staring out at the rain-soaked streets of Montreuil. My phone buzzed. Unknown Number: They're all turning on each other. You're next. I deleted it without responding. But my hand trembled.

I wasn't scared of Korex. Not exactly.

I was scared of the version of me he could create. The narrative he could spin.

In a world where truth was edited, filtered, and auto-tuned-perception was everything. And mine was crumbling. I left the apartment just after sunset. Hood up. Sunglasses on. Paris felt colder tonight, like it knew something was unraveling.

I wasn't sure where I was going. Until I realized... I was sure.

I was going to Maurice. Not to beg. Not to apologize. But because he deserved to hear the truth from my lips, not a screen. His building in the 9th arrondissement was quiet. I buzzed. No answer. I buzzed again. Nothing. I was about to leave when the door creaked open. Not Maurice.

Sophie. Her eyes widened. Her face paled.

"You," she whispered. I didn't waste time. "Where is he?" "Gone." My chest tightened. "Gone where?" "I don't know. He left after... after the rooftop." I stepped closer. "You told him everything?" She nodded slowly. "He heard too much. Including what I said to Marc." "You told him you helped Korex?"

"I didn't plan to. But he was there. Listening."

The wind picked up between us. Her hair whipped across her face. I didn't care about the cold. I cared about what she said next. "There's something else," she whispered. I stared. "What?" She glanced over her shoulder, then pulled me inside the lobby. Once the door clicked shut, she turned to me.

"Korex didn't just plan to ruin Marc," she said. "He planned to ruin you." "No kidding," I muttered. "No, I mean-from the beginning. Before you ever met Marc." My stomach dropped. "That doesn't make sense." She pulled out her phone. Scrolled. Then showed me an email thread. One I wasn't supposed to see.

From two years ago.

Subject: Project Siren From: korex@visionera.fr

She's perfect. Influencer. Clean brand. Vulnerable. I'll make her fall in love with me. Then pull the pin. My mouth went dry.

I took the phone and scrolled through more messages. They talked about me like I was a marketing tool. A weapon. A strategy. I felt sick.

"I didn't know back then," Sophie whispered. "I found this in an old shared drive after I cut ties with him. I never thought he'd actually do it."

I looked her dead in the eyes. "So he used me." She nodded. "And he's not done." My vision blurred, but I held the tears back.

"What else is he planning?" "I don't know." She hesitated. "But I think... I think there's one more video. One that hasn't been leaked yet." "Of me?" "No," she said. "Of Marc. From five years ago. Something bad." I exhaled. "Marc mentioned it. Said it could ruin him."

"Then we have to find it before Korex does." I shook my head. "He already has it." Silence. Then Sophie said the one thing that made everything shift. "I know where he's hiding." We took the back metro line to Porte de Clignancourt.

Passed graffiti-stained tunnels and dark alleyways that smelled like sweat and secrets.

Sophie led me to an abandoned warehouse tucked behind a shuttered bakery. "Korex used to rehearse here. When he was broke. Before he turned vengeful." "Why would he still come back?"

"Because narcissists love their origin stories." She pried open a side door. We slipped inside.

The air was thick with mold and dust. Empty bottles scattered the corners. Spray paint on the walls. An old mic stand in the corner. But in the far end of the room... light. From a single screen. A laptop. We moved closer. And there it was. A folder named: "M² – ENDGAME."

Sophie's hands shook. "We shouldn't be here." "I already am," I said. "So open it."

Inside were files. Dozens of videos. Audio clips. Emails. Screenshots. We found it. Marc_Party_2019.MOV

I clicked. His voice filled the warehouse.

Drunk. Raging. Shouting about fans, contracts, betrayal. But the worst part wasn't what he said. It was the ending.

Marc, staggering toward the camera, staring into it like he knew exactly who'd watch it one day. "You want the truth? The whole damn truth?" "I am M². Maurice just follows." The clip ended. Sophie exhaled. "He'll use that." I nodded. "Unless we beat him to it." We copied the file. All of it. Then we left. Back outside, Sophie stopped me. "What are you going to do?"

"I don't know," I said. "But I can't keep playing defense." She hesitated. "There's one more thing." I turned. "Please don't say it's another secret." "It's about Maurice," she said. "He didn't just walk away after the rooftop. He... met with Korex." I froze. "When?" "This morning." "Why?"

"I think Korex offered him something. Maybe power. Maybe... partnership."

"No," I whispered. "Maurice wouldn't."

But I wasn't sure. I was no longer sure of anything. That night, I went live. I sat in front of my camera.

No makeup. No soft lighting. Just me. And I told my story. The truth about Korex. About the manipulation. About the old relationship and the smear campaign.

I didn't defend Marc. I didn't beg for forgiveness. I just told the truth.

And the internet exploded. Half believed me. Half tore me to pieces. But at least I wasn't silent anymore. My phone buzzed an hour later. Maurice. I picked up. His voice was cold. "Why'd you go live?"

"Because it was time." "Time to set yourself on fire?" "No. Time to stop letting Korex hold the match." Silence.

Then he said, "We need to talk."

"Where?" There was a pause. Then he said it. "Meet me at the studio. And come alone." Rosalie arrives at the studio.

Maurice is already inside. He doesn't look angry. He looks... conflicted. On the table beside him? The flash drive.

But before either of them can speak-

The studio door creaks open again. And Korex walks in.