After leaving Kate's house, Drew called Gwen to see what she had to say about this evening's episode. It was late in Michigan, but it was important for him to get things off his chest.

"Did you watch tonight’s episode?" Drew asked as soon as Gwen picked up.

"Why didn't you tell me you kissed Melanie on your first date? I thought I was the first kiss of the season." She sounded so put off that he almost felt guilty.

"I never said you were my first kiss."

"Well, she didn't look like she was that good of a kisser, anyway. So you're forgiven. I should actually probably feel bad for you for having to endure that."

Drew rolled his eyes and bit back the retort that it had actually been one of his better first kisses. He didn't need to sink to her level.

"So what did you need to talk to me about, honey?" Her voice was more syrupy than usual. How had he put up with that annoying tone for the last couple of months?

"Well, like you, I watched the show tonight. And I wanted to get your side before I made too many judgments on what I saw, since I know the editing department is really good at what they do. Is there something we didn't see?"

"Oh. You're wondering why I threw Jacey's shorts in the garbage?" She laughed in her silly, cutesy way, but knowing Gwen, Drew thought it meant that she was trying to think of a good excuse for her rude behavior. "I was just playing a little prank on her. We did things like that all the time at the house."

"Really?" Drew didn't even try to hide the disbelief from his voice. "And did Jacey know it was just a good-natured prank?"

"Well, it turns out she doesn't have the sense of humor that I find to be very important. So no, it didn't turn out as I'd hoped."

Or you forgot that all the rooms had cameras in the corners that were turned on during the day.

"So the fact that she was trying to hurry and get ready for her hiking date with me didn't factor into your prank at all?"

Jacey had apologized to him about being late for their date because of a wardrobe mishap, but he never knew until now that Gwen had been the cause of it. How many other things had she done that no one told him about? He'd heard that on previous seasons of the show, women that tattled on the girl the bachelor had favored usually ended up regretting it. He just wished it had been different for him. He could have used some inside information before ending up with a girl who seemed to treat everyone like the show was truly just a competition.

"I know we're supposed to have a weekend getaway in a few days, but I think I actually need a break to clear my head."

"What?" She nearly shouted. "We haven't seen each other for a week and a half. We don't need a break. We need more time together, if anything."

Drew sighed. Was that all it was? Was he getting frustrated over the smallest things because he wasn't around her enough to remember all the good?

"Okay. Sorry. You're probably right. This whole long-distance relationship is hard for me."

"I know. It's rough for me, too. But I'll see you this weekend and things will be great."

He hoped so…well, most of him hoped so. He was still trying to forget about that other tiny part that didn’t.

* * *

The next weekend with Gwen was not what Drew would consider a success. He called Kate as soon as it was deemed an appropriate time to call on a Sunday morning and asked her to pick him up. He and Gwen were done.

So much for making Alexis happy and not breaching his contract. Oh well. It would be worth it not to be tied down to a nut job like Gwen.

He just wouldn't think about how he would go down as the most hated bachelor in all of Finding Your Soulmate's history.

Maybe they'd be happy they broke up after seeing the way Gwen had acted when he wasn't around. Maybe they'd sympathize with him?

But even if they didn't, he was glad to be free.

"What happened?" Kate asked, jumping out of the car once the safe house's garage door shut behind her. Drew had been sitting in the garage ever since he'd called her to come and pick him up. He couldn't be in that house with Gwen for one more minute.

"We broke up." He stood and shouldered his duffel bag.

"You what?" If she'd had water in her mouth, it would have ended up in his face—that was how shocked she looked.

"I broke up with Gwen."

"I heard what you said. I just…how could you do that and be so calm?"

Drew shrugged and walked toward the back of the car, assuming she'd pop the trunk—it wasn’t. "It's been inevitable from the start. We're too different. We want different things. And we definitely have different goals."

The only thing Gwen seemed to care about when he broke up with her was that they wouldn't get their own show when this whole thing was over.

Doing another show was the last thing Drew wanted. He wanted less spotlight, not more.

Clearly, Gwen had been on the show for the wrong reasons. He wasn't even the real prize she'd been going after all along.

Well, she could do her own show if she wanted. There were twisted people who liked to watch girls slap baby sea otters and make fun of homeless people. Gwen would be perfect for a show like that.

Kate still wasn't opening the trunk of the car.

"I'll tell Alexis everything, so you don't have to," Drew said, shoving his bag in the backseat instead. "You won't get on her bad side because of this. You're just picking me up…you didn't cause the fight."

Drew climbed into the passenger’s side, and Kate finally moved, getting into the car. She said, "But it's my job to keep the happy couple, you know…happy. I'm so getting fired for this. So long moving up the ladder."

"You won't get fired. I'll handle this. I can take Alexis."

Kate cocked an eyebrow that told him she didn’t believe him.

"Really. I'll deal with Alexis. We'll figure something out. And I'll do you even better and get you that pitch."

Alarm rose in her eyes. "Oh please, don't bring me into this. I want no part of it."

"Trust me." Drew smiled. "You'll be fine."

"Okay." Kate opened the garage door and turned on the engine. "You better not make me regret this."

"You won't."

He could just see the headlines now. Drew Burrows, also known as Mr. My-Billionaire-Abs-Have-Their-Own-Twitter-Account, had twenty-five of the most eligible women in the nation, and he still sent them all home. At least he still has his ego to love him back.

* * *

Drew had been home for two hours before he realized he'd accidentally left his wallet in the bathroom. Instead of calling Kate and having her drive him back to the getaway house, he decided to break the rules and just sneak over himself to grab it. He knew the garage code, so he'd be able to slip inside. Gwen would still be there, waiting for Dion to pick her up and take her back to the airport, but he could endure her death glare for a few minutes.

So he climbed into his most inconspicuous vehicle from his garage—his old truck from college that he'd saved as a reminder of where he'd come from—then he drove to the secret house.

Once safely tucked inside the garage, he stuck his head into the kitchen, happy that the coast was clear. Maybe he'd lucked out and Gwen was taking a nap before her flight. That would be a dream.

He tiptoed into the hall, breathing a sigh of relief that she wasn't in the living room either. How did he get so lucky?

He grabbed his wallet from the bathroom counter, passing by Gwen's bedroom door. He heard a low voice coming from inside. A voice much too low to be Gwen's.

What? His steps halted as he strained his ears to decipher what he'd heard.

"I don't care if you think he's boring, or if he broke up with you. Just think of the payday we'll get from the alimony after you're married for a couple of years. We could be set for life."

"I don't think he'll take me back. I think he's starting to figure out there was nothing between us from the beginning, and I'm having a hard time faking it when it's just us alone for a weekend. When I had everyone else around, it was a lot easier to keep the charade going." Gwen's voice drifted through the door.

Drew leaned against the wall for support so he wouldn't fall. Everything had been fake? She'd only been after him for his money?

"I'll figure something out," the man's voice responded. "I convinced Drew to choose you the first time, I can get him to take you back."

Dion?

Drew's brain whizzed, piecing everything together. Dion and Gwen were having an affair? Had Dion put Gwen on the show to go after his money from the very beginning? He felt dizzy and nauseated as he remembered back to filming and all the times Dion had told him what a great connection he and Gwen had. How she always said the nicest things about him when he's not around. How Drew seemed to light up in a different way when Gwen was by his side.

Had they all been lies?

Had Drew sent home a great girl that first night just to end up with the girl Dion had planted in the show to make himself richer?

"I'm gonna take a shower." Gwen's voice sounded closer than it had been a moment before.

Footsteps tapped on the carpet inside the room, moving toward him. Drew panicked and darted down the hall as fast and as quietly as he could. Only once he had made it out of the garage and into his truck did he take a full breath of air.

Had anything between them ever been real? Had she meant any of those things she'd said to him while they were together? Or were they all just lies to get her to stay a little longer?

It all made sense now. Gwen had been simply acting the whole time they were together. The side of her that he was now watching on TV each week was her true character. How had he fallen for it so badly? And why had no one else seen it?

* * *

The next morning, Drew cancelled all his meetings and drove straight to the studio after his workout, chugging a protein shake the whole way. He needed to get this over with, so he could stop seeing images of the gossip magazines after everyone found out on the after-show. Drew Burrows had twenty-five women to choose from, and he still couldn't find one to fall in love with him.

"I have to tell you something," Drew said once Alexis had him take a seat in her office. Her desk was usually described as organized chaos, but today it just looked like a mess. She probably didn't have time for this. He looked at the stack of papers again. Yeah, this was going to be the last thing she wanted to hear.

"What's up?" She shut her laptop and leaned forward on her forearms. "How was your weekend with Gwen?"

"Well." Drew scratched behind his ear. He might as well just cut to the chase. "Gwen and I, um…we broke up. Or rather, I broke up with her." He braced himself for the explosion that was sure to happen.

Alexis closed her eyes and sucked in a deep breath before glaring at him. "And what reason do you have for throwing my ratings out the window?"

"She's not who I thought she was." Drew wanted to pout like a child, but he settled for crossing his arms.

"No one is who they appear to be anymore.” Alexis pointed to her nose. "You see this? It's not my real nose. But it makes me look good. Kind of like how a happy ending on this show makes me look good. I thought we had a deal, Drew." She pounded her laptop with a fist.

Drew stood and shut the door in case anyone was eavesdropping. Then he lowered his voice to barely above a whisper. "She was only after my money. And she's been cheating on me the whole time."

"How could she be cheating on you the whole time?" Alexis echoed his lowered volume. "She wasn't dating anyone two months before the show. Dion verified that information."

"She's cheating with Dion."

Alexis was silent as she processed what he'd just told her. Then she spoke in a very calm, and cool voice. Too calm and cool. "That's a heavy accusation. Do you have proof of this?"

"Not exactly. I went back to the house after leaving yesterday morning, and I overheard Dion and Gwen in her bedroom. They were worried about their alimony plans if she never got to marry and divorce me."

His stomach still twisted when he thought about it.

Alexis was silent for a moment and Drew could almost see the cogs turning in her brain as she focused on the stack of pink Post-it notes on her desk. After a few minutes, Drew began to sweat. Was she thinking of a way to sue him for everything?

"I need you to get back with her."

"What? No! I can't stand her."

Alexis held a finger to her lips. "It's not like that. We need proof of an affair. We can use this." Her eyes lit on fire. "Yes…" Her mind seemed to piece a few more puzzle pieces together. "Yes, this is actually really good. We're having the hardest time painting Gwen in a positive light. We can twist this, but it will take some time. Just leave it up to me. I know with your terrible acting skills it might be difficult…but I think I have a way to make this work."

"But I have to get back with her?"

"We need you guys to have another weekend together, so we can catch her and Dion in action. Believe me, you'll like this. I'm guessing you're probably a little worried about everyone hating you once they find out you broke Gwen's heart…right? Since all we have right now is your word against hers."

Drew nodded.

"Well, if we can show them what was actually happening, then you're off the hook and you get everyone’s sympathy. And I have justice for that rat producer of mine, and hopefully, ratings that will help us survive until next season."

"But does it have to be a full weekend? Can I fake an accident or something?"

"With your acting skills?" Alexis laughed. "No, I'll drop by with the excuse of you needing to do some last-minute pickups or something."

That would definitely be believable. He'd certainly done a ton of those already.

Alexis held up a finger. "But I can't have you breathing a word of this to anybody. No one can know. No friends or family. No one."

"What about Kate? She's my handler and sees everything."

"Not even Kate. I have big plans for this, and I will not let anything else go wrong this season. Is that something I can count on you for?"

Drew dropped his shoulders in resignation. "I can do it."