Chapter 7

So, for three years, I stayed quiet and devoted myself entirely to carving out a place for Elena in the entertainment industry. With me in the industry, she gained plenty of connections, resources, and even dirt on her competitors along the way.

"Flight C5716 is now boarding..."

The boarding announcement cut through my memories. It was time to go. The plane took off, and I watched the city that held way too much heartbreak shrink beneath me.

A few months into living abroad, plenty of friends reached out, asking how I was doing. Word that a top actor like me suddenly quit the industry had caused a real stir, trending online for days.

As the actual person involved, I honestly didn't care anymore. I ate whatever I wanted and went wherever I pleased.

I took Zach around the country and hit every spot worth seeing, splurging on a luxury suite for weeks at a time.

We encountered a few fans along the way, and photographs they had taken of me while I was sightseeing occasionally appeared on social media.

Zach seemed weighed down during the whole trip, though. He kept thinking I was just faking being happy.

"If you're not okay, just say the word and I'll go beat him up for you. Don't hold it in," he said.

I looked at him, so worked up on my behalf, and shoved an ice cream cone into his hands instead. "If you already know something's a pile of garbage, would you still step in it on purpose?"

He shook his head, a little lost.

Beating Jasper up might feel satisfying for a second, but it would only bring more trouble down on us. At first, I'd been angry, bitter even. But now, mostly what I felt was the relief that came with finally seeing everything clearly.

Zach wasn't the only one worried I couldn't move past this. An old friend of mine was worried too.

We had once been close, but after I got together with Elena, I gradually stopped contacting him in order to keep her happy.

[Owen, don't do anything stupid. Once you're done blowing off steam, come back and I'll buy you a drink.]

Reading that message warmed something in me. I wrote back.

[Once I've made it big, I'll be the one buying.]

Elena texted me too, but I never opened it. Probably more questions, more demands.

What had happened between my parents was playing out in my own life now. The difference was, I wasn't going to let it end the way theirs did, screaming and tearing each other apart. I kept a shred of dignity for myself instead.

That was just how love went sometimes. Nobody needed to keep playing the fool. I guess that was the price of success. One had to be willing to cut ties with the person you loved.

Now, I could focus completely on building something for myself.

-

Getting back into the field I actually knew well, everything fell into place. I caught the wave of the times and rode it all the way to the top, building a company from nothing into a real success.

When I eventually returned, I wasn't Owen the actor anymore. I was Owen the entrepreneur. This time, I was coming back to make sure Elena got exactly what she had coming to her.

The first time I saw her again after coming home was at a gala. She was wearing a dress I bought her from the first dividend payment I ever earned. I stood at the center of the room while people lined up to talk business with me.

Off in a corner of the crowd, I spotted Elena, nowhere near as radiant as she used to be. I glanced at her briefly and looked away.

I didn't expect her to push through the crowd and lean in close to quietly ask, "Can we talk?"

I frowned and refused, but she just stood there, not moving. People around us started to notice and stare. I finally agreed to step out onto the balcony to talk to her. The wind out there was cold enough to make her shiver.

"Owen, you're finally back. I've been looking for you for so long."