Going Our Separate Ways

I saw Cara Dempsey again at an auction gala, ten years after everything ended.

Luthen Waltz had his arm wrapped intimately around her waist. She had just won Best Actress, and that night, all eyes were on her. Dressed in a custom designer gown and with her makeup flawless, she carried herself with a huge presence—a far cry from the innocent girl she used to be.

Back then, after we broke up, she made me delete every trace of our relationship, including all photos and messages. I did exactly as she asked. If she weren’t constantly showing up on screen over the past years, I probably would’ve forgotten what she even looked like.

“Miss Dempsey, you’re even more breathtaking in person than on screen! Would my company have the honor of having you as our brand ambassador?”

“That’s right! Your skin is flawless. It must be the glow of love. You and Mr. Waltz are the perfect couple, truly a match made in heaven!”

Then, someone in the crowd teased, “We heard from the media that your wedding’s coming up! Is it true?”

Cara gave a soft smile without answering. However, with that crowd, silence was as good as confirmation. The first to catch on quickly offered congratulations, and soon, everyone else joined in.

Cara looked at Luthen affectionately before responding with practiced elegance and poise. The way they looked at each other made people around them sigh in admiration.

That was when someone asked a question, half in jest and half in curiosity, “Ten years of dating, and you’re only planning the wedding now?”

I wondered the same thing. In our past life, Cara jumped out of a crashing plane just to die with Luthen, and the very first thing she did after we were both sent back in time was break up with me. I naturally assumed they were already married by now, but apparently, they were still only dating.

At the question, Cara’s smile froze for a brief second. Normally composed and media-trained to perfection, she faltered just a little.

Luthen cleared his throat and answered smoothly, “Cara said she wanted us to reunite at the peak of our success. Now that she’s won Best Actress, we’re finally ready. We’ll be announcing the news officially in a few days, so I hope everyone here can keep it under wraps until then.”

Cara turned to him, eyes full of trust and love.

In our last life, she told me going public would damage her career, so we dated in secret. There were no public hangouts or dates. Everything was kept quiet as she was terrified of paparazzi.

Even our wedding was hushed. She refused the ceremony I had planned for months, and we ended up getting married in the courthouse in haste before she rushed back to set.

As it turns out, love—or the lack of it—was painfully obvious.

I glanced around the hotel, scanning for a familiar face. Not seeing her, I reached for my phone to unlock it when a sharp, sudden clatter echoed through the room, snapping everyone’s attention toward the sound.