unreliable narrator: a narrator or protagonist whose perspective is skewed, creating an inaccurate or misleading depiction of events.

Tallulah adjusted her dark shades before her bodyguard, Christophe, opened the boutique’s entrance door, ushering her into the chaos of flashing cameras, eager paparazzi, and a gathering public. He stepped in front of her, clearing a path to the tinted-windowed SUV awaiting her at the curb.

She smiled weakly and bowed her head, trying to remain calm and focused. The last time her focus went astray in front of the paparazzi, she lost her balance on her four-inch heels, causing an unfortunate tumble like an elephant shot by a poacher.

As Christophe opened the rear passenger door, she turned halfway and gave a kind wave before she entered the vehicle. A sigh of relief escaped her when the door shut.

Even after two months of this kind of life, she still struggled to endure the sheer intensity of being in the public eye and the target of a glistening camera lens. Once her bodyguard eased into the front passenger seat, the SUV emerged into the traffic flow.

Lanya, her very own personal assistant, asked, “Enjoy your shopping spree?”

“I only bought one dress and a pair of shoes for four hundred dollars. That hardly qualifies as a shopping spree,” Tallulah said.

“Tally, only you would give yourself a budget of ten grand and only spend four percent of it,” Lanya sighed. “Stop being afraid of going all out.”

Tallulah rolled her eyes. “I’m not afraid. It’s just...I really dislike spending money just to spend money. Besides, it’s a premiere for a kid movie. I think a ten-grand budget is a bit excessive. Now let’s talk about something more important. Is Tammy taking my decision well?”

Lanya was Tammy’s youngest daughter, a recent college graduate with a B.S. in Business Administration. She needed a chance and Tallulah needed an assistant. It wasn’t surprising that they were a match made in heaven.

“Not... so great,” Lanya said hesitantly, grimacing. “She thinks you’re wasting good opportunities.”

With a growing pile of auditions on her plate, Tallulah made the mistake of entertaining each one. Though she by no means thought a minor role was beneath her, she also no longer wanted to be type-casted as a Black woman in servitude or outspoken role with an itty-bitty speaking part.

It just so happened most casting directors and producers offering her a chance to show off her acting chomps wanted her to play just that. Nor did it help that Tammy passed along every single request.

Gone were the days when any opportunity was better than nothing. Gone were the days when an audition was the only thing that stood between paid bills and being out on the street.

Things were different now.

She was in a different place now.

After yesterday’s umpteenth audition, she left Tammy a carefully worded voicemail message this morning, requesting that she no longer wished to play boisterous or obedient black roles. She figured her talent agent wouldn’t take the news well, but she had to lay down the law.

While Tallulah didn’t set her sights on winning an Oscar with Forget Me Not, she had to establish herself as a serious player. If not, she’d be nothing more than “Nick Bryant’s baby mama who co-starred with him in that one Eugene Aaron film.” Even if becoming a big Hollywood star would never be in her cards, somewhere down the line, she could proudly say that her selective filmography was an admirable choice.

Tallulah situated her shades atop her head to get a good look at Lanya, arching a delicate eyebrow. “Be honest with me. Do you agree with her?”

“I firmly believe in quality over quantity,” Lanya said, “but I’m no expert in Hollywood politics. My mom has been in this industry for nearly twenty years. So, it’s safe to say her experience and advice are invaluable, but she’s never managed someone of your caliber or unique situation, Tally. Maybe, you should talk to Nick about it. I’m sure he’ll have some great advice for you.”

She sighed softly at the suggestion and shielded her eyes once more with her shades, peering out the window.

The last person she wanted to go to was Nick over something like this. He already had enough on his plate. Within two months, he was pushed into the highs and lows of fatherhood, went to a weekly session with an eight-hundred-dollar-an-hour therapist, and attended Alcoholics Anonymous meetings twice a week.

Sometimes, he’d go three times if it were a crappy week.

With Forget Me Not’s production and reshoots completed, they had nearly a year before their contractual obligations kicked in. Almost a year before, premieres and press tours for the film consumed every bit of their lives.

However, that didn’t mean they were completely free from Hollywood until then.

It was November now and January’s Oscars nomination season was a mere stone’s throw away. The studio behind Nick’s record-breaking spy thriller Wicked People also invested in a costly campaign to get him nominated for Best Actor.

While others worried about whether Nick would take home the golden statue that night, Tallulah feared the reaction she would get when she told him she wasn’t going to be his plus-one. She couldn’t wear Lane Bryant on the red carpet.

All the prominent names in the fashion industry wouldn’t dare touch her or her size-eighteen behind with a ten-foot pole. Lanya recommended trying to find a lesser-known designer. That was an excellent idea, but Tallulah wasn’t exactly sure if she had the nerve to hunt for one bold enough to put her into a dress worthy of the red carpet.

She even considered allowing Milo to go in her stead while she remained home in cozy pajamas to watch everything from the comfort of a couch.

But for tonight, she needed to bring her A-game, even if it was the premiere of a children’s film.

————

Tallulah closed her eyes and sucked in a breath to steady her nerves before she accepted her ex-husband’s warm hand, allowing him to escort her out of the black limousine.

Her crimson-hued suede peep-toe ankle boots stepped onto the intimidating stretch of red carpet. She was immediately overwhelmed by the legions of paparazzi armed with brightly flashing cameras and hordes of ecstatic fans screaming. All were held back behind velvet ropes, collectively exuding a raw palpable energy that Tallulah struggled to endure.

Milo took well to it all, waving to the eager masses who called out his name. He was the one invited to the premiere of Fish Sticks and his parents were merely chaperones.

Now that Hollywood—and the entire world—knew that Nick Bryant had a son, it was only natural to properly induct him into the ranks of Hollywood royalty and offer perks fit for little princes.

Merging into the trickling stream of Hollywood’s finest headed toward the famous Grauman’s Chinese theater, the family of three strolled down the red carpet, pausing ever-so-often to pose for the cameras. In every instance, Milo stood in front of Nick and Tallulah with a wide grin, tugging confidently at his dapper suit’s lapels.

Occasionally, she gazed down at her son in those moments, a proud twinkle in her eye and a soft smile curling. She also ignored the odd feeling of Nick’s hand holding hers.

When it was time to move on, they barely walked a few feet before a brunette TV reporter slyly approached them with an inviting smile; her small production team closing in.

She greeted, “Good evening, Bryant clan! Could you spare us a few moments of your time?”

Nick smiled. “Only since you asked nicely, Donatella.”

The reporter blushed and bashfully rolled her eyes, squatting down to Milo’s level to interview him. Insecurity prickled at Tallulah after witnessing the exchange between Nick and Donatella when she remembered that they were an item five years ago.

While the reporter’s glitzy 6-carat princess-cut diamond ring showed her marriage commitment to her sixty-two-year-old boss, Tallulah was troubled by Nick’s ability to slather on his charm.

Even if she had to remind herself it was all an act.

Donatella stood up and suddenly aimed a microphone in Tallulah’s face, catching her off-guard. “And you look utterly gorgeous tonight, Tally.”

A crimson illusion lace sheath dress she purchased from the boutique earlier that day hugged her body. But coupled with the shoes, it was probably the least expensive ensemble on the red carpet. However, she was the best she’d ever looked, donning crimson lipstick, smoky red eyeshadow, and the four-thousand ruby drop-dangle earrings Nick surprised her with.

“Thank you so much,” Tallulah said with a brilliant smile.

“Give everyone a twirl, Mom,” Milo encouraged.

Tallulah widened her eyes at the request, a nervous smile stretching across her lips. She looked pleadingly at Nick to defuse the situation, but he grinned at the idea.

“You heard the boy, Ray,” he said as he lifted her hand above her head, steering her into a slow turn for the camera.

As Tallulah twirled, she spotted Naomi Barrett strolling down the red carpet in a flowy emerald-green dress and matching bejeweled heels, holding the hand of a young tan girl wearing an emerald-green dress with realistic petals at the knees.

Any confidence she may have felt for herself evaporated as she noted how stunning the redhead looked.

Tallulah thought Naomi looked like a Hollywood goddess while she looked like a no-name brand imitation.

A pleasant surprise rippled across Naomi’s beautiful face as her piercing blue eyes locked onto Tallulah’s gaze.

The little girl also peered over and gasped loudly, “Milo!”

Then she let go of Naomi’s hand and darted over as Tallulah came back full circle.

“Hi, Julissa,” Milo said with a shy smile.

Tallulah’s eyebrows knitted.

Julissa, as in Milo’s little-friend-from-school Julissa?

Julissa crossed her arms and arched an eyebrow. “Did you ask your parents if you could sit with me and Mimi at the premiere like you promised?”

“Uh, not yet,” Milo whispered loudly.

“Well, isn’t this an adorable coincidence,” Donatella said into her microphone. “It seems like Nick Bryant’s son and Naomi Barrett’s sister are best friends.”

Julissa frowned at Donatella’s commentary and reached for the microphone. Donatella blinked at the girl’s boldness but offered it to her.

“We’re not best friends. We’re boyfriend and girlfriend. Thank you very much.”

Tallulah’s eyebrows shot upward at the announcement. She let out a quick shocked laugh.

What in the ever-living—

“It’s time I crashed this little party,” Naomi replied as she approached the gathering with a dazzled smile, giving Tallulah a friendly cheek kiss as a greeting. “You look beautiful tonight, Tally.”

“As do you,” she said politely, accepting the kind gesture.

Naomi pulled back and blew Nick a kiss before she turned her attention to Donatella. “What did I miss?”

The reporter extracted the microphone from Julissa’s hand and informed the actress of her younger sister’s televised announcement.

Naomi tossed her head back and laughed brightly. “I suppose it was bound to come out sooner or later.”

Tallulah’s brain scrambled to comprehend all the details she hadn’t been privy to know until now.

1. Nick sent their son to the same school as his ex-girlfriend’s little sister.

2. For months, he had an opportunity to fess up to who Julissa was but chose not to.

Tallulah held back the urge to shoot a what-the-fuck look at Nick. Whether he knew about the boyfriend-girlfriend situation, she wasn’t sure.

His face gave away nothing. His smile didn’t falter.

Naomi rested her hands on Julissa’s shoulders, casting him a wink.

His eyebrow arched.

And suddenly, Tallulah felt like a third wheel. Like an exile banished to a dead zone, unable to tune into the frequency everyone else could.

Nick, Milo, Naomi, Julissa.

Hell, even Donatella.

After the red-carpet interview, Milo then asked if he could see the movie with Julissa and her big sister Mimi to which she swallowed down her protests and gave her consent alongside Nick.

It took everything in her not to snatch her hand out of her ex-husband’s grasp as they strolled down the red carpet’s final stretch, posing ever-so-often for the paparazzi childless. Once soft and beaming with a smile, her camera-ready face was now unsmiling and runway-fierce.

Inside the theater’s lobby, free food and drinks awaited them. Tallulah wanted to slurp down a soda and stuff her face with buttery popcorn, but she noticed only the children gravitated to the complimentary treats.

It’s probably because Hollywood stars didn’t eat typical movie snacks.

Her stomach twisted in hunger as Nick escorted her past the taunting display and into the screening.

It would be a long ass night.

————

As Tallulah tucked her son into bed, he asked gently, “Mom, are you mad at me for not telling you and Dad about my girlfriend?”

She sighed, shaking her head. “You’re much too young to have a girlfriend, Milo. Yet alone worry about me being mad at you for having one. You’re eight years old and have your whole life ahead of you. Julissa is your friend and she’s a girl, but she’s not your girlfriend. You feel me?”

He frowned. “Just about everybody’s got a boyfriend or girlfriend at school. Their parents let them go on dates and have sleepovers.”

Tallulah arched an eyebrow and pursed her lips. “None of those kids at your school are my son. You’re my only concern. There’s nothing wrong with a parent-supervised playdate, but an actual date is a no-go and sleepovers are out of the question.”

“But Dad—”

She interjected, “But Dad what, Milo?”

“I asked him if Jules could sleep over,” Milo admitted hesitantly, “and he said it was okay. Jules and her big sister Mimi used to have sleepovers here all the time. She even had a room here! Right across the hallway. Dad let her decorate it and everything.”

Tallulah blinked at the information. She never once considered which of the many rooms in the mansion were stages Nick used to entertain his guests. Nor had she fully explored the place.

She only kept to the essentials: her room, Milo’s, Nick’s, kitchen, living room, garage, patio, laundry room, and pool.

Two months in, she hadn’t entirely adjusted to the move from a shoebox-sized apartment to a glass mansion. She hadn’t adjusted to the switch from barely having enough to having more than she could ever imagine.

It made sense that Naomi’s baby sister had a room here.

For Tallulah, the irony was Naomi and Julissa had made an occasional home away from home in a place she still felt like a guest.

“Is that so?”

Milo’s gaze fell. “I’m sorry, Mom, for everything.”

Never had he lied to her before.

Masking her disappointment and hurt, she leaned down and kissed his forehead. “Get some rest. It’s been a long day. We’ll talk about this tomorrow.”

After making the trek downstairs, she strolled into her room as Nick emerged from the bathroom in only his sleep shorts. She gave him the silent treatment as she disrobed and marched into the bathroom to ready herself for bed.

As she erased her makeup, he filled up the doorway, leaning against the frame with crossed arms. “Is it safe to assume I’ve done something wrong?”

In the mirror, she narrowed her eyes. “Something only implies it’s only one thing. You’ve done a fuck-ton. When exactly were you going to tell me Julissa was Naomi’s sister or that the school you sent our son to just so happens to be the same school your ex’s sister goes to?”

Nick ran his fingers through his hair. “I put Milo in that school because it’s one of the best, but Naomi’s...past endorsements of the place...did influence my choice. You and I only had a few days to get everything in order. I figured it was best to pick a school I was familiar with.”

“That still doesn’t explain why you concealed the little girl’s identity from me for two months, Nicholas,” Tallulah huffed.

She washed her face, patting it dry roughly with a towel.

He shook his head. “I didn’t think Milo and Julissa would even gravitate toward each other. When he started gushing about her to us, I pulled him to the side to talk with him. He said they were only friends.”

She clenched her jaw as she reached for her toothbrush, saying nothing.

“Julissa struggles with making friends because she...tends to be bossy and Milo needed a friend at his new school,” he said. “I thought a friendship be good for them both.”

“Friendship? Yes. Sleepovers? No.” She pointed her toothbrush accusatorily at him as she vented. “Furthermore, I’m hurt you kept all this shit from me and I can’t believe Naomi didn’t at least give you a heads-up. We had to find out along with everyone else during a goddamn televised interview.”

He pried himself from the doorway and approached her, wrapping his arms around her waist and kissing at her neck. “I take full responsibility for my actions. I should’ve told you everything from the beginning. As for Naomi, I’ll handle her.”

Momentarily, she bit her bottom lip, her eyelids fluttering shut as his affection slowly worked on her. “Where’s Julissa’s parents in all of this?”

“Steven and Maria couldn’t have a say even if they wanted to.”

Tallulah’s face scrunched in confusion. “And why is that?”

“Julissa’s not their biological daughter.”

“So what if she’s adopted, Nick. They still have parental—”

Nick locked eyes with her in the mirror. “She’s Naomi’s biological daughter.”

Her jaw dropped. “I beg your pardon?”

“Naomi got pregnant by a one-night stand. Steven wanted to sweep it under the rug, and she wasn’t already for a child. Naomi went overseas to hide out during her pregnancy and when she gave birth, her father and Maria turned around and adopted Julissa,” Nick enlightened. “When Julissa was two, Naomi wanted full custody, but it would’ve been this big scandal. So, to the public, she’s a hands-on protective big sister, but behind closed doors, she’s the boss.”

A secret for a secret.

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