Chapter 3

I don't remember how I walked out of that coffee shop. I don't even know when Mia walked away.

All I knew was that I held a gold-embossed wedding invitation in my trembling hands, walking aimlessly down the cold streets.

Eventually, I hid in a shadowy alleyway, staring at the engagement photo of her and her fiancé.

His name was Scott Evans. A newly minted A-list actor. He and Mia had debuted around the same time and supported each other through Hollywood's brutal ranks.

Their marriage felt like an organic fairy tale to the rest of the world.

I knew he was handsome, wildly successful, and glowing with health. But God, I was so jealous.

Because he was marrying the only girl I had ever wanted to spend my life with.

I ended up ducking into a cheap, greasy internet café.

I took off my tailored suit, carefully packed it back into the duffle bag, threw my old worn-out hoodie on, and slumped in front of a flickering computer monitor like a dirty gutter rat.

Mia and Scott's faces beamed brightly from the screen.

Today was Mia's first official promotional livestream for Second Life.

Mia, who had never cared for video games, was surprisingly engrossed in the gameplay, completely forgetting to interact with the chat.

The chat, however, didn't care. Millions of fans were raving about the upcoming wedding.

[Mia is so brave! Announcing her wedding without hiding it like other fake celebs. Love her!]

[Obviously! Mia is pure talent. She never had to flirt or use men to get to the top!]

[I've been shipping Mia and Scott since their rookie days! Finally canon! Best day ever!]

[I'm just a casual viewer, but damn, they look so perfect together!]

Among the waves of praise, there were other voices. Cruel, aggressive voices.

Not aimed at Mia. Aimed at me.

[Hey, remember that ex-boyfriend Mia mentioned when she announced the engagement? I found his Ins!]

[Girls, attack! Spam that gold-digging freeloader's account!]

[LMAO, imagine watching the girl you abandoned become an A-list queen. Is he crying blood yet?]

[He's definitely punching the wall right now. What a loser!]

My Ins page had already been swarmed by their fans. They mocked my pinned posts—tips on how to survive on supermarket free samples, how to find cheap rooms to rent, where to buy clearance bread.

I scrolled through the sea of death threats and hate comments with an expressionless face. Suddenly, one specific direct message caught my eye.

It was from Scott Evans. Mia's fiancé. It was short:

Julian, Mia told me everything about your past.

All I can say is, you threw away an angel. You personally broke the heart of the woman who loved you most. Now that she's on top of the world, don't you dare try crawling back.

You were never worthy of her.

My entire body went numb. The ache in my chest hollowed me out completely.

How could I not know she was a miracle sent from heaven?

Five years ago, the doctor handed me my death sentence with melanoma just as Mia made it through the brutal preliminary auditions.

I knew she had the talent and the beauty to go all the way. I couldn't drag her down into my rotting grave with medical debt.

Yet, after all these years, reading Scott's words still tore through my soul.

With heavy dark circles under my eyes, I sat frozen in the hard chair. Tears blurred the glowing monitor. Slowly, the world around me faded into complete darkness.