The Heart Rate Monitor Unveils My Ex's Stand-In Chapter 1

When an A-list actor adjusted my microphone, he unconsciously kissed my hair.

We both froze.

Because this was a reality show about divorce.

And we were from two different former couples.

* * *

After my divorce from Ethan Vance, everyone assumed I would cling to him.

He had publicly announced our marriage at the peak of his career.

After tying the knot, he successfully transitioned from a teen idol to a serious actor. When he finally won his first major award, people still brought me up.

"What gives her the right? She’s so lucky."

I was the one who asked for the divorce.

But it was what he had been waiting for all along.

While he was playing house on set with Chloe Sterling, his co-star in his new drama—wearing his jackets, using his phone case...

I was still at home, flipping through the calendar, waiting for him. Time and again, he hung up my calls, using work as an excuse.

Until one day, I ran into Chloe in first class.

She greeted me warmly, a bright smile on her face.

"Did you know?" she whispered in my ear. "I bought this ticket using his credit card."

She did it on purpose.

Trying to force me into a divorce.

I gave her exactly what she wanted. I went home and packed my bags in half an hour.

I don't want something that someone else has already dirtied.

Thank god we didn't have kids.

Ethan leaned against the doorframe, watching me.

His reaction was flat. He only asked one question: "What else do you want?"

"Your phone."

He paused for a second, but then handed it straight to me.

During the years he loved me most—when I stayed by his side from D-list obscurity to A-list stardom—I was always his only pinned contact.

Now, I had been replaced.

I was relegated to "Do Not Disturb."

An uncontested divorce.

He gave me everything he earned over those years, asking only that I let him go as quickly as possible.

He told me he truly loved Chloe.

After signing the non-disclosure agreement, I thought we would never speak again.

Until he called me one last time.

"Let's meet up."

It was the first month after our divorce.

"We can't let my fans know I cheated. The new drama is about to air."

I arrived early.

In the break room, I overheard Ethan's manager trying to persuade him.

"Even after a divorce, you're still an A-list actor. And her? Just an absolute nobody waiting to be laughed at.

"She's definitely not over it.

"Just trick her. Tell her you want to go on a divorce reality show with her.

"Make her think there's a chance to win you back, and she'll do everything to please you.

"Then, we'll edit the show to make the audience find her annoying, and you can maintain your 'devoted ex-husband' persona."

The manager nudged him.

"Are you even listening?"

Ethan had his legs propped up on a low table, lazily playing a game on his phone. He gave a noncommittal "Yeah."

"Trust me, you crook your finger, and she'll come running back like a dog, grateful for the attention."

In the meeting room.

Ethan was playing with his phone with one hand.

He only said a few words.

And I agreed.

"I'll do the show."

He stared into my eyes, pausing for a moment. "Are you really... that desperate for me?"

He was too confident, too easy to fool.

I lowered my eyelashes.

"Yes.

"Ethan, is there still a chance for us?"

His gaze turned cold. He looked away and said softly,

"Depends on your behavior."

"But," he added, "the script for this show isn't what you think."

This divorce reality show.

It was scheduled to air while his new drama with Chloe was broadcasting.

To drum up publicity for their on-screen romance.

The theme of the show was "Seeing Marital Problems by Changing Lifestyles."

Chloe would be sharing a room with him.

And I would be sharing a room with Chloe's ex-husband.

That guy, Carter Hayes, who skyrocketed to fame at nineteen with a single drama, won a grand slam of awards, and then abruptly retired to get married.

Ethan was just the guy who picked up the scraps Carter left behind.

He became famous because his face looked seventy percent like Carter's.

Rumor had it that Chloe and Carter lived apart after getting married.

That she loved him, but couldn't have him.