My fingers tremble against the silk lining of my robe as I stand outside the glass chamber. Inside, steam curls around the sunken bath where I’m supposed to join him—my ex, Cole, naked and waiting, a smirk playing on his lips like this is all some inside joke. The host’s voice echoes through the speakers: 'Task One: Trust Fall. Duration: 20 minutes. Winner gains immunity.'

I didn’t sign up for this. Not really. I signed up for a chance, not a humiliation. But the camera drones hover like fireflies, and millions are watching. If I back out now, I’m not just losing—I’m confirming every rumor they’ve spun about me: uptight, broken, afraid of touch.

Then there’s a knock on the door behind me. Not part of the script. It’s Kael, the bad boy with storm-gray eyes and hands that burned me during rehearsal. 'You don’t have to go in,' he says, voice low. 'But if you do… let it be because you want to, not because they told you to.'

Inside, Cole calls my name. Soft, mocking. Familiar.

Kael steps closer. 'Walk away with me. Now. We’ll expose this whole damn show before it ruins you.'

The clock starts ticking.