After that encounter at the dance floor, Hannah had felt skeptical about Julian all through the evening. At that point, she couldn’t help but wonder if everything Ethan was saying about him was true. Could it be possible that Julian could actually have a thing for her? Was she the only one not seeing this?‘No,’ she shook her head defiantly. This was not the time or place for this. Her dreams were coming true and she didn’t want to complicate it by worrying about Julian and Ethan. But just then, she heard a knock on her door and jerked up in surprise. She checked her time and it was almost midnight. Filled with curiosity and question, she moved cautiously to the door.She had just finished going over her notes for the next day’s table read. Her scripts were scattered across the bed, her glasses still perched on the tip of her nose. But the knock had startled her.When she got to the door, her heart was beating a little faster when she peeked through the peephole. It was Julian.Her e
Hannah’s car pulled up to the Screenguild entrance after a long drive. She heaved a deep sigh and braced herself for this moment. It felt different now being here, like she was vulnerable. Still, she stepped out slowly, her heels clicking against the polished pavement slowly and anxiously. Suddenly, the quick flashes of camera came, but this time they weren’t looking for anyone else—they were looking for her.“Hannah Ford!” someone called. “Over here!”Hannah stiffened up for a moment, but then she turned, smiled politely, and let herself be led toward the glass doors by a coordinator. The building was grand, buzzing with energy, voices bouncing off the marble walls, producers and writers rushing from one meeting to another. She paused for a second, taking it all in.This was it. This was what she’d dreamed of.“Hannah!” a familiar voice called, and a woman in a sleek blazer came forward. “We’re so glad you made it. Your pilot script—it’s already making waves. The board loves it.”Han
The morning air was cold. Too cold for late spring, but it matched the silence inside the house. Ethan stood at the top of the stairs, staring down at the front door like it had betrayed him.Hannah was gone, he had watched her leave. She didn’t look back, and didn’t text him. The trip she had worked so hard for—the one that used to make them both smile—now sat heavily on his chest. Still, he said nothing.Ethan stood frozen that morning, his fists tightening by his sides. He wanted to call out. He knew she was still in the city. He wanted to run after her and tell her not to go. Tell her he was sorry. Tell her that he was scared, that he’d been an idiot, that he didn’t know how to fix this, but he wanted to. But the words stuck in his throat and all he could was watched until the car disappeared around the corner, and then the silence came.Ethan stood quietly by the door and then walked back inside, closing the door softly behind him. The echo of it shutting felt like the final wor
Ethan stood in the hallway, frozen in place. Through the cracked door of their bedroom, he could see Hannah kneeling by the bed, packing for her screen guild trip. The suitcase lay open, half-filled with neatly folded clothes and stacks of script pages. Her hands moved quickly, but not smoothly. He noticed something else, they were shaking. Still she kept packing, her fingers fumbled over the edges of a folder, lips pressed tight like she was holding back tears or biting down every word she couldn’t say.She looked like she was falling apart and holding herself together at the same time.Ethan’s chest ached. He hated to see her that way, so disturbed. A familiar storm brewed in his stomach—guilt, anger, helplessness. He wanted to say something. Anything. Tell her to stop, to stay and everything will be perfect, just like they used to. But his mouth stayed shut.He leaned against the wall, arms crossed, his eyes burning into the floor. She hadn’t noticed him yet. Or maybe she had—and o
Hannah rolled over as she woke up that morning, her eyes landing on Ethan’s side of the bed, the sheets cold and untouched. It was the first day of her Screenguild academy and Ethan wasn’t even here. For a brief moment, she felt her chest tightened, and a familiar ache settled just beneath her ribs. She took a deep breath, forcing herself to sit up, but no matter what she did to distract herself, she knew one thing for sure, she couldn’t keep letting this tension consume her.She got dressed quickly, throwing on a casual blouse and jeans, and tiptoed past the closed door of Ethan’s home office, and just as she passed, she could hear the low hum of his computer, the faint clinking of a glass—probably another whiskey, his recent crutch. She paused and took a deep breath, her hand hovering over the doorknob, but then she pulled back. She wasn’t ready for another confrontation, not now, not when she had so much riding on this trip.Grabbing her keys, she slipped out of the house quietly.
Hannah sat alone at the kitchen table, trying to process everything. The morning was cold, but it was nothing compared to the icy wall now separating her from Ethan. She replayed their explosive fight from the morning before, each harsh word echoing in her mind, cutting deeper with every memory. She had never felt so distant from him, even in the early, uncertain days of their marriage.When Ethan had stormed out, slamming the door behind him, it felt like the entire foundation of their relationship had cracked, and now, Hannah didn’t know how to piece it back together. She sighed, resting her head in her hands. She couldn’t ignore the feeling that Lila’s shadow was lingering over their home, poisoning their love, and turning their once warm connection into something cold and unrecognizable.The next morning, Ethan returned. His steps were quieter, his shoulders more tense. He moved around the house like a ghost, avoiding her eyes and keeping his distance. Hannah watched him from the
Ethan’s mind raced as he sat in the back of his sleek black SUV, the city lights streaking past the tinted windows. His phone buzzed on the leather seat beside him, and he hesitated for a moment before picking it up. The name on the screen made his stomach tighten. James Han.They hadn’t spoken in years, not since Ethan had cut ties with him. But now, with Lila resurfacing and his world starting to crack, he needed someone who understood the kind of games she played.“James,” Ethan said, his voice low and controlled as the call connected.There was a brief pause on the other end, followed by a slow exhale, as if this was a moment he’d been waiting for. “Ethan. I was wondering when you’d call.”Ethan’s jaw clenched. He was not in the mood for James’ games, he only wanted to get to the bottom of things. “I need information. Now.” He said and sending his urgency, James sighed and gave him an address for them to meet.Twenty minutes later, Ethan stepped into a dimly lit bar tucked into th
The morning sun streamed through the kitchen window, and Hannah stood by the counter, absentmindedly stirring her coffee. Her mind was racing with the bitter echoes of the past few weeks—the late nights, the whispered phone calls, and the distance growing between them.When Ethan finally walked into the kitchen, his hair still damp from the shower, she turned to face him again, her heart pounding wildly. She couldn’t take this anymore. She couldn’t keep her anger contained anymore. “Ethan,” she said, her voice sharper than she intended. He paused, his hand halfway to the fridge, eyes narrowing slightly as he picked up on her tone.“Hannah,” he replied cautiously, a little surprised that she was speaking to him. Hannah set her mug down gently, locking eyes with Ethan despite the tense silence. “I need you to stop pretending everything is fine. I found the letter.”Ethan’s entire body stiffened. The color drained from his face, and his eyes darted to the side, catching a glimpse of th
Ethan’s fingers tightened around the steering wheel as he pulled up to the bar where he had agreed to meet with Julian. The neon sign outside flickered against the dark sky, casting a harsh glow over the sleek black car he had parked near the entrance. His mind raced, replaying the confrontation with Hannah over Lila’s letter just days ago. He had managed to stumble his way through a half-baked explanation, but the doubt in Hannah’s eyes had cut deeper than he expected.When he stepped out of the car, his jaw was set, and his shoulders squared as he pushed through the heavy glass doors into the dimly lit bar. The scent of aged whiskey and polished leather had hit him immediately, blending with the low hum of chatter in the bar. Julian was already there, seated in a corner booth, with one arm draped casually over the backrest as he nursed a glass of scotch.Ethan took a deep breath and approached him, and the moment Julian looked up, there was a slow, knowing smile that crept onto his