“Please don’t joke about this.” Anna sat heavily in the chair. The stress and lack of sleep over the past three weeks was catching up with her. She had to hold on a little longer. Maybe she could convince John to go away with her somewhere when this was over, just the two of them, without work, ex-husbands, or any other distractions. She might even go to his cabin in the woods if he wanted. But first, she had to get through the next four days. She shut Jenny’s laptop.

“There’s nothing I can do now.” Anna checked her phone. She had several missed calls. Outlets that had lost her number years ago were reaching out for a comment. They wanted confirmation the pictures were her. She blew out a breath. Maybe they were surprised by how good she looked after seeing yesterday’s article.

“We have some options for a response—” Jenny began.

“I have to shoot the village scene today, and I’m done giving him any more of my time.”

Anna stood and strode to the door, her hands shaking. Jenny called her name, but Anna ignored her friend as she left the room. She had a job to do, and she wasn’t going to let her ex-husband derail her any more than he already had.

Later, Anna stood in front of the hotel. The sun had barely risen. It was cold and cloudy, but there was no help for it. They had to shoot the scene today.

She double-checked her camera. The last time she’d shot a scene without a crew or a studio looking over her shoulder was college.

John and her two lead actors walked out of the hotel. John was going to shoot more B-roll today at the village.

“Are you doing okay?” John asked, walking over to where she stood next to the van. He pulled her aside, and she didn’t miss the way Derek and Nicole watched them. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“I’m fine.” Anna might wish for a partner who could provide emotional support, but she couldn’t indulge in that when cast and crew were waiting for her. She turned away from him and got into the van.

She turned the key in the ignition as the other three climbed inside the vehicle. She wasn’t so cruel as to not have food and coffee on an early-morning call, so she had arranged for both.

Anna explained the strategy for the shoot as she drove. Matteo had set up everything they needed, as it was his hometown. It was an emotional scene for Derek’s character. The actor was nervous, she knew. This was the last big scene to shoot, and she needed it to go well.