Chapter 5

I stood behind the camera, watching Edith and Caden embrace on screen. It was as if I were nothing more than an outsider watching them.

After filming ended, everyone gathered around the monitor to watch the final cut.

With the snow, the white suit, and the ring, the shot of Edith and Caden holding each other looked too perfect to be real.

Edith suddenly walked over to me.

As if afraid someone would notice, she quietly took my hand.

Then she took another ring out of her pocket and whispered, "Holden, that was just for the shoot. This is the real deal."

I had waited so long for this moment. I had always wanted her to choose me when the cameras weren't rolling.

But now, as I watched the ring slide onto my finger, I felt nothing at all.

Because the ring slipped down loosely. It was one size too big.

It would have fit Caden's finger perfectly instead.

Edith froze for a moment before quietly explaining, "I might have bought the wrong size. I'll exchange it when we get back."

I looked at the ring that didn't fit. Suddenly, I felt too tired to even smile.

Someone shouted from nearby, "Edith, the celebration dinner is starting!"

Edith looked at me.

"Holden, I'm going to join them for a bit," she said. "Head back once you're done with the editing."

I nodded. "Okay."

That was the last time I would ever say that to her.

But I would never go back.

While they went to the celebration dinner, I went back to the hotel alone to pack.

All the footage on my laptop had already been organized.

On the channel, I removed all of my access permissions.

In the early hours of the morning, I boarded the plane alone. The snow outside grew farther away, and I never looked back.

It was the last love story I would ever write for them and the last shot I would ever film for Edith.

From then on, no matter which snowfield or coastline I traveled to, I would never return to Edith's side.

Meanwhile, at the celebration dinner, Edith opened the final edit. Her hand stopped in midair for a second.

She stared at the words "The Final One", and an uneasy feeling settled in her chest.

A moment later, a notification popped up on her phone.

Edith stared at the notification, the smile on her face instantly fading.

She shot to her feet, her face slowly turning pale.

The message was a system notification from the channel dashboard.

It read, "Holden Smith has relinquished all admin access. All scripts, footage, and editing projects for the channel have completed their final handover."

Edith stared at those lines, and the shock instantly cleared half the alcohol from her mind.

People around her were still raising their glasses.

"Edith, tonight's final cut was amazing!" someone said. "The 'Eden' proposal video is definitely going to blow up."

Edith didn't respond. She kept staring at the words "The Final One", and her chest suddenly felt hollow.

It felt as if something important had quietly disappeared from her life.

She immediately called me.

The first call went unanswered.

The second call was the same.

The third call only gave her an automated message saying the phone was turned off.

Edith shot to her feet, knocking her chair backward.

Caden was startled. He asked, "Edith, what's wrong?"

Edith didn't even look at him. She grabbed her car keys and rushed out.

When she returned to the hotel, the room was already empty. My suitcase and the camera I usually used were gone.

All that was left was the ring that didn't fit on the table. It sat quietly beside a white note.

There was only one sentence on the paper.

"Edith, the final cut is finished. From now on, you'll have to film your own love story."

Edith stood frozen in place for a long while.

Only then did she remember the way the ring had slipped loosely down my finger when she put it on me.

Back then, all she said was, "I might have bought the wrong size. I'll exchange it when we get back."

But she never stopped to think.

How could something I had waited years for be dismissed as nothing more than a mistake?

What was even more ridiculous was that she had bought Caden's size.

Edith held onto the edge of the table, her knuckles slowly turning white.

Her phone buzzed again.

It was a message from Irene. "Edith, what's going on with Holden? He revoked all his access to the channel.

"Who's going to handle the scripts for the next episodes?"