Chapter 4

When I got home, Julian seemed to realize that I had been unhappy all day.

He wrapped his arms around me from behind, his voice dropping into a soft, coaxing tone. "Willow, don't be mad that I didn't pay enough attention to you today."

His hand settled naturally on my waist.

In the past, whenever he hugged me like this, my heart would instantly soften. But this time, I gently pushed him away.

"I'm a little tired."

Julian froze. He looked at me for a few long seconds before letting out a low, tired sigh. "Alright. Get some rest, then."

With that, he picked up his phone and headed into the bathroom.

As the shower started running, the tablet resting on the nightstand suddenly lit up. Julian's messaging app was still logged in.

A text from Evangeline popped up. [Did you manage to soothe her?]

[No.] Julian replied almost instantly.

[She actually pushed me away just now.]

Evangeline sent back a laughing emoji. [Ouch. How bruised is your ego?]

A few seconds passed before Julian typed back.

[Not really. Honestly, I'm glad she turned me down.]

[After being together for so many years, I'm kind of tired of it.]

[I can barely bring myself to be interested in her these days.]

I stared at those lines of text, the warmth from my fingertips draining bit by bit until they were ice cold.

So even just coming near me had become a chore Julian had to force himself through.

Still, I didn't cry and kept scrolling.

Their chat history felt endless. It was pages longer than my own text thread with Julian.

Early on, my name appeared frequently in their chats.

[Willow was on set all day today, do her feet still hurt?]

[They hurt, but she’s stubborn and won't say it out loud. I'll buy her some ointment later.]

Reading those early messages, my heart fluttered slightly. They really used to care about me.

But as I scrolled further down, my name appeared less and less.

They started chatting about their shoots, the sunsets, and the new earrings Evangeline had bought. I slowly dissolved into a stray, offhand sentence wedged between their days.

[Willow’s been getting so sensitive lately. It's clearly just work, but she always acts like she's the victim.]

[Don't be too hard on her. She just cares about you too much.]

However, Evangeline's very next line read, [Though to be fair, she really isn't built for being on camera. That quiet vibe of hers just makes the whole frame feel cold.]

A dry, sarcastic smirk tugged at the corner of my lips.

Witnessing the double betrayal of my boyfriend and best friend, an overwhelming exhaustion suddenly settled into my bones. I was so tired that even feeling heartbroken felt like a waste of energy.

Fortunately, in just three days, I would be getting on a plane abroad, never to serve as the backdrop for their love story ever again.

The day of my flight happened to be the same as the proposal shoot.

At the foot of the snow-capped mountain, the wind blew fiercely.

Evangeline stood in the center of the frame, draped in a flowing white gown, looking so stunningly gorgeous that it resembled a carefully packaged dream. Julian stood opposite her in a tailored black overcoat, a velvet ring box resting in his hand.

I stood behind the control monitor, my fingers stiff from the cold.

I finished writing the proposal script just last night.

The snowy mountain, the ring, the heartfelt confession—every single detail was something I had once secretly envisioned for myself.

When Julian had finished reading the script, he had smiled and praised me. "Willow, you really get me. Evangeline is going to love this."

I had only lowered my head with a faint smile, never telling him that it was never written for Evangeline in the first place.

"Action!"

Julian dropped to one knee, looking up at Evangeline as he recited the lines I had written.

"I want to walk through countless snowy nights with you. I want the entire world to know that you are my one and only leading lady."

With tears brimming in her eyes, Evangeline reached out her hand, and Julian slid the ring onto her finger.

The fit was perfect.