Chapter 46
TAMARO Manila greeted us with the usual chaos—honking cars, flashing lights, and the weight of deadlines creeping in before we even left the airport. But something inside me felt different. Lighter. It wasn't that my problems disappeared. They were still there, like faint echoes in the background. But after New Zealand... I could breathe again. And more than that—I could move again. Our first rehearsal back wasn't perfect. I forgot some footwork during the third run-through, and my voice cracked during one of the harmonies. But for once, I didn't spiral. When the music stopped, I just laughed and wiped the sweat from my face. Across the room, Akiro looked at me and smiled—that quiet kind of smile that didn't need words. "You, okay?" he mouthed from his spot across the mirrors. I no
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