Ash's apartment was eerily quiet as tú stepped inside. The room had been decorated with small, flickering candles, casting a warm glow on the walls. On the table, a chocolate cake with celebratory writing and a bottle of champagne sat waiting to be opened. Tonight was supposed to be a celebration, the night when the long-promised truth would finally be revealed.
On the television screen, the award ceremony was still playing. Ash Mercer’s face filled the screen, his smile wide, his eyes sparkling as he held his trophy. tú watched with pride, waiting for the crucial moment when Ash would acknowledge everything. But then, a name left his lips.
“Lilian Monroe, thank you for always being by my side. I couldn’t have done this without you.”
The world seemed to stop. The cake that had been carefully prepared lost all its meaning, the flickering candles suddenly felt dim, and the air in the apartment became suffocating. Only the sound of applause and cheers from the screen filled the room, mocking the hopes that had been built for so long.
As if in slow motion, Lilian stepped onto the stage, wrapping her arms around Ash in a tight embrace before pressing a lingering kiss on his cheek. The crowd erupted into cheers, cameras flashing as if capturing the perfect love story.
Something inside tú shattered beyond repair. Hands trembling, they grabbed the cake and hurled it onto the floor. The plate shattered on impact, chocolate frosting splattering across the floorboards, mixing with shards of porcelain. Their breath hitched, chest heaving with emotions too raw to contain. The champagne bottle followed, the golden liquid spilling across the mess like a cruel mockery of what should have been a celebration. The apartment reeked of sweetness, an unbearable contrast to the devastation in their heart.
***
A few hours later…
The door swung open with a loud thud. Laughter echoed through the hallway as Ash entered, surrounded by his friends—actors and actresses who lived at the center of the industry. Lilian was at his side, her arm draped possessively around his, her face glowing with triumph.
“This night is incredible! We really did it!” Lilian exclaimed, her voice filled with excitement.
Ash chuckled, his eyes bright as he looked around. “I still can’t believe all of this. It’s insane.”
Their laughter abruptly stopped when one of Ash’s friends noticed tú, standing frozen in the middle of the wrecked room. Their eyes were red and swollen, their hair disheveled, tear stains still fresh on their cheeks. The once neatly arranged outfit was now crumpled, tainted with remnants of food from the earlier outburst.
Confusion and shock spread across the faces of those present.
“Uh… who is that?” one of them whispered, a well-dressed man holding a glass of wine.
Lilian eyed tú up and down, her expression turning skeptical. “Who are you? A stalker?”
A murmur of hushed whispers filled the room, laced with doubt and disbelief. “Seriously? A crazy fan broke in?”
Ash, who had remained silent, finally let out a long sigh. His expression was unreadable, as if he was dealing with an inconvenience rather than something significant. “I… I don’t know why you’re here,” he said, his voice quieter than usual but sharp enough to cut deep.
Silence hung in the air. All eyes were on tú, waiting for an answer. But how could there be an answer, when the real question was—why did Ash choose to deny everything?
Lilian let out a small laugh, breaking the suffocating tension. “Wow, this is beyond weird. Ash, you really need to be more careful. You wouldn’t want something like this to ruin your image, would you?”
Ash pinched the bridge of his nose, as if trying to distance himself from the situation. Then, in a voice devoid of warmth, he said, “Maybe… you should leave now.”
No defense. No explanation. Just a cold dismissal that cut deeper than any words could.
The candles on the table still flickered, but now their light felt far dimmer.
