Chapter One.

Nora blinked against the camera lights, her expression steady in the way only years of media training could teach. She’d done this hundreds of times — interviews, book signings, late-night talk shows, book tours — but tonight, something felt off. The lights were too bright, and for a fleeting second, her practiced smile faltered.

“Nora,” the interviewer began — a woman with hair so precise it might’ve been carved, and a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “It’s been two years since The Paper House — your third novel, the one that cemented your reputation in psychological thrillers. A runaway hit, optioned for film before it even left the bestseller list. A phenomenal success. Yet… we’re still waiting for book four. Your fans are eager.”

There it was. The million-dollar question. The one she’d rehearsed answers to a dozen times and still couldn’t stomach. Nora adjusted in her seat; the silk blouse that once made her feel powerful now felt tight, constricting. She could sense the audience’s stillness — polite, expectant — the way vultures might wait for a stumble. She wouldn’t give them the satisfaction.

“Yes, well,” she began, forcing a small laugh. “Creativity isn’t exactly a faucet you can turn on and off. It’s… a process.”

“Indeed,” the interviewer purred, her tone softening into something almost predatory. “Speaking of success — your husband, Ethan Hale, has been making waves in the tech world. Strategic partnerships, market expansion — all over the news lately. He’s certainly found his rhythm, hasn’t he? Very impressive, his pivot from... well, from supporting your literary endeavors to his own burgeoning empire.”

Nora's jaw tightened imperceptibly. She could almost hear the hum of the refrigerator from their Tribeca loft, the distant wail of a siren. The architecturally perfect loft, the floor-to-ceiling windows, the furniture that cost a fortune – all architectural proof of her *former* success. Now, Ethan was the one collecting the accolades.

The camera shifted, catching Ethan in the audience. His easy smile, his confident wave — it made her stomach tighten. The audience murmured approvingly. Of course they did.

“Ethan has always been brilliant,” Nora said quickly, her voice sharper than she meant. “His success is his own. Mine is… on its own timeline.”

The interviewer didn’t blink. “Of course. But the deadlines for your next book have come and gone, haven’t they? Your editor’s emails — a little less encouraging now, a little more… contractual? The luxury of time must feel different when you’re not the only breadwinner.”

Nora’s smile stiffened. Luxury of time. It felt more like a punishment — days bleeding into nights, the cursor blinking like a metronome of failure. Her document, labeled Book 4 – Working Title, had 3,847 words. She'd written them all in the first week of January 2023, when hope was still a viable emotion. The last sentence: She realized that trust, once broken, couldn’t be repaired — only buried.

She’d stared at it for two years, waiting for it to mean something. It never did.

“Sometimes,” Nora said quietly, “success moves on before you’re ready to let it go.”

The interviewer tilted her head, sensing weakness. “And your husband’s success? Does it ever make you… competitive?”

Nora’s laugh came out brittle. “You spend years clawing your way to the top, and then someone else just… sails past. And everyone cheers. The universe says, Okay, her turn’s over — his now.” She hesitated, then, like an afterthought, added with a strained smile, “But I’m thrilled for him. Truly.”

The host’s smile widened, and her heart sank as she realized what she’d just done. But it was too late. She could already see the headlines: The Blocked Author and the Billionaire Husband. She had given the host what she wanted, a soundbite, perfectly gift-wrapped.

Because the truth — the one Nora couldn’t admit — was that she hadn’t written anything worth keeping in months. Her laptop was a graveyard of false starts and broken sentences, each one a quiet eulogy for who she used to be.

And tonight, on live television, she’d just written her worst line yet.

...

The tension was still thick as fog when they pulled into the driveway. The car ride home had been silent, save for the faint hum of the wipers clearing drizzle off the windshield. Nora had stared out her window, replaying every word of the interview, every forced smile, every smug question.

The house smelled faintly of vanilla and coffee — Ethan’s doing. He always made sure the place felt warm, lived-in, inviting, as if comfort could be brewed like a pot of coffee. But tonight, the scent only reminded her of her slipping control.

The interview had ended not long after she’d said the line that would surely headline tomorrow’s gossip columns. She didn’t know what to feel. Angry at the interviewer for goading her. Embarrassed by her own defensiveness. Guilty for resenting Ethan — and hating herself for feeling that way.

“Would you like to have dinner?” Ethan asked quietly as he locked the door behind them. “It’s your favorite. I could heat it.” His tone was cautious, like a man approaching a wounded animal.

Nora dropped her bag onto the console, keeping her back to him. “Thanks, but I’m not hungry.”

“Not hungry?” he echoed, uncertain. “You’ve been skipping meals again.”

“Ethan, please,” she sighed, tugging off her heels. “Not tonight.”

“I know you’re upset about the interview, but I’m not going to stand by while you—”

“Ethan.” Her voice snapped sharper than she intended. “I don’t want to talk about the interview, and you’re making a big deal out of nothing.”

He followed her into the living room, quiet but insistent. “Caring about you isn’t making a big deal out of anything. And you keep saying you’re fine when we both know you’re not. Just… let me take care of you.”

Nora froze. Something in his voice — the gentle, steady kindness of it — made her want to scream.

She turned, arms crossed. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“It means maybe it’s okay to take a break,” he said carefully. “You’ve been putting so much pressure on yourself—”

“Pressure?” Her laugh was sharp, humorless. “Do you have any idea what it’s like to stare at a blank screen for months? To know everyone’s waiting for you to fail?”

“Nora, I didn’t say you were failing—”

“You didn’t have to.” She snapped. “You’re so damn perfect, Ethan. You have your team, your success, your whole empire. You don’t know what it’s like to be irrelevant.”

His jaw flexed, his tone dropping. “That’s not fair, and you know it.”

And she did know it, but she was beyond the point of reason.

“Fair?” she scoffed. “Nothing about this is fair! I gave everything to my career — everything. And now I’m just supposed to smile while it all burns down?”

“Nora—”

“Maybe I should just stop trying. Maybe I’m done. Maybe you’d prefer that — me out of the way so you can focus on your next billion-dollar app!”

It hit him — not the words, but the venom beneath them. His patience cracked. “Don’t do that,” he said quietly. “Don’t make me the enemy.”

“Then stop treating me like I’m broken!”

Silence. Thick, unbearable.

Finally, Ethan exhaled. “You’re right, not tonight.” He reached for his jacket, voice low but final. “I’ll be at the office.”

The door clicked shut behind him — no slam, no parting words. Just rain tapping the windows and the smell of cold coffee settling into the air.

Nora stood there for a long time, her pulse still racing, guilt already curling inside her chest. The house felt cavernous — a set after the actors had left, their lines still echoing faintly in the air.

She sank onto the floor, drawing her knees close. Her gaze drifted toward her laptop, where she’d left it earlier on the coffee table, the screen dark, and for the first time in a long time, she wished she could write.

Not for fame. Not even for redemption.

Just so she could find the words to make it all make sense.