CHAPTER 1
1375 Words
Falling Again On Set
"Thank you very much, Valerie Sterling. I assure you, you won't regret signing this contract to play the female lead in Written in Our Stars," Vincent Hale said as I signed my name on the final page.
"That's a good thing, and I'm also glad, just the name already gives me a good vibe," I replied, a small smile appearing on my face. Vincent Hale, my new Director for Written in Our Stars, smiled widely back at me.
"Um, Ms. Sterling, the male lead just came in, would you like to introduce yourself now before the shoot?" Vincent asked. Not a bad idea actually. It's only fair I get to see who I'm working with now.
"Of course."Vincent led me out of the office to the lobby.
"Oh my, what a coincidence, Ms. Sterling. It seems the male lead is also eager to see you," Vincent chimed.
My curious eyes drifted to see who it was, and my jaw dropped. My eyes widened. For years, I had envisioned seeing him again, yet I never wanted to actually face him. Somehow, I felt the complete opposite now.Standing in front of me was Ethan Blake. After five long years, he was standing right before me. I completely froze. I didn't know whether I wanted to laugh, make a scene out of sheer disbelief, or do something that made it explicitly clear he should back the f**k off.Of all the places in the world for our paths to cross again, it had to be a movie studio.Five years.Five years since I had last seen that face. And somehow, he looked exactly like the man I had spent years trying to forget. Except he wasn't the same.
His hair was longer now, falling carelessly over his forehead. His jaw was sharper, his shoulders broader, and there was something colder in his eyes. Something tired. Something that made my head ache before I could stop it.I hated that.I hated most that, after all this time, my body still recognized him before my mind could remind me how much I was supposed to hate him.
"Valerie," he breathed.
"Oh, you two leads know each other already? This is perfect," Vincent broke the tension.My gaze went back to Vincent, but I could still feel Ethan’s eyes piercing deep into me.
"Unfortunately," I muttered, then I walked away. His eyes followed me the entire time.
*********
Five Years Earlier
"You're late," I said, checking the time on my phone for what felt like the tenth time. I stood beneath the university's old oak tree.Ethan came running toward us, slightly out of breath.
"I'm sorry."
"You said that yesterday"
"I know"
"And the day before that," I frowned.
"I know—"I crossed my arms. He stopped in front of me and smiled that stupid smile—the one that made it impossible to stay angry with him for long.
"—I had work."
"You always have work."
"I need the money—"
"You could have told me," I said, almost regretting the outburst. The one thing Ethan disliked most was me demanding for me to ask me if he needed anything that required money. I was from a very wealthy family, and Ethan was just a bit below average maybe, more than a bit, but still, I loved him regardless.
Ethan reached for my hands. I tried not to let him take them, but his fingers wrapped around mine.
"I'm sorry."I looked at him. His clothes were simple. His shoes were worn out from running across campus. He was really handsome. He didn't have the expensive things I had grown up surrounded by, but I didn't care. I loved him.
"One day," he said, squeezing my hands,
"I'm going to be successful."I smiled.
"I know."
"No," he stepped closer. "I mean really successful."I laughed.
"And then?"
"And then, I'll give you everything."
"I don't need everything."
"I do," he said softly.
"Why?"His expression softened.
"Because you are worth everything."
I looked away before he could see how much those words affected me. For someone who could barely afford dinner sometimes, he'd spend his last money buying me flowers. He could have a terrible day and still make sure I was smiling.He never cared that my family owned half the businesses in the city—he loved me as Valerie. Not as Alexander Sterling's daughter. Not as an heiress. Just me.
And I thought that would be enough.
*********************
Our final year of college passed too quickly. We talked about graduation, about getting married someday, and about where we'd live. About that huge apartment Ethan swore he'd buy once he became successful.Then graduation came. And everything changed.
One night, I found him sitting alone in the university theater. Ethan and I always talked about being an actor and actress after university. I already had my success set, but I wasn't sure of Ethan, and he wouldn't let me use my connections to help him.
Ethan looked different..distracted.
He looked up. For a moment, he said nothing. He sighed.
"We need to talk."My heart sank.
"What happened?"
"I got an opportunity."
"An opportunity?"He nodded.
"A job in another city."
I smiled immediately. "That's amazing! You wanna work a bit before pursuing your acting career?"
"Val, it's not just a job," he looked at his hands, "it's a chance to make something of myself."
I sat beside him. "Then take it."
He looked at me. "You've been dreaming about this forever." I smiled, he didn't smile, this should have been the first warning.
"What about us?" he asked.
"We will make it work," I replied with a forced smile, already feeling the dread creep inside me.
"You will come back, right?" I asked, though he would, just to be sure.
"I will."
"When?" I asked.
"I don't know," he sighed, feeling so down. I wanted to do nothing but hug him right now."I'll wait for you."
"Don't," he muttered.
"What?" I frowned.
"Don't wait for me."My heart cracked. "Why are you saying that?"
"Because I don't know how long it will take, just don't."
"I don't care," I said, my voice shaking.
"I do," he pulled his hands away."Ethan..."
"I need to do this alone."
Tears burned my eyes. "Are you breaking up with me?" He didn't answer.That silence destroyed me more than any words could have. I stood up. "Fine," my voice shook, "if that's what you want."
He looked at me like he wanted to say something.
"I'm not breaking up with you, Val. I will come back, I promise," he said, his voice soft yet cold.
"So what's the meaning of this?" I asked, and he didn't answer. He just stared at me. Silence filled the theater. I was expecting him to hug me. Hell, I wanted to do that so bad.He didn't. I didn't. So he walked away.My heart broke, shattered.That was the last time I saw Ethan Blake. Or at least, that's what I believed.
The next morning he was gone. No goodbye. No message. Nothing.I called him. His phone was off. I called again. Nothing.For weeks, I waited. Then months.Eventually, the wait became embarrassing. Heartbreak became anger. Anger became indifferent. Or at least, I learned how to fake that indifference.
I buried myself in my acting. Before I knew it, I didn't even have to audition to land the lead role in a movie. I became one of the most recognizable actresses in the country.
The girl Ethan left behind had completely disappeared.But sometimes, late at night, I would still wonder where he was.Whether he had succeeded.Whether he ever thought about me.Whether he had ever loved me at all.I never had the answers.
Until today.
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