Depression's End, Young Love's Start

Chapter 1

It took me, Abigail Morrow, ten years to climb from a street-corner singer to a superstar selling out entire arenas.

Brandon Evans followed a similar path during those ten years. He went from a nobody actor to a household-name movie star.

And our relationship had also reached the ten-year mark.

For the first twenty years of my life, I lived in nothing but endless darkness.

When I met Brandon, I thought my light had finally arrived.

Then I found out the truth. Brandon had fallen for an actress ten years younger than me; their fake on-screen romance turned real.

He'd once promised he'd marry me when I turned 30.

But on the day I hit 30, I walked away first.

*****

On the set of the variety show Our Saturday Vibe over at Xaverly City, I held the microphone, looked at the cold, distant Brandon opposite me, and asked, "Mr. Evans, have you ever thought about when you might get married?"

Whoops and teasing comments erupted around the set. My heart suddenly picked up speed.

Then Brandon answered, his tone calm and flat, "No, I haven't. I've been on my own too long. I like my freedom better."

My breath caught in my throat.

I remembered the cameras were rolling and quickly put on a soft smile.

Brandon was an A-list movie star, and I was a top-charting singer. We'd been secretly dating for ten whole years.

We'd both been swamped with work lately. We hadn't seen each other in nearly a month before this taping.

I'd only wanted to ask if he was ready to give our ten-year relationship a real future. His answer felt like a knife to my chest.

A sharp pain sliced through my heart, but no one could see a trace of it.

In the chaotic entertainment industry, the first lesson every artist learned was simple—mastering their expressions and watching every word they say.

But there was always someone who didn't play by the rules.

Fernando West, another guest and a massive A-lister, blurted out a snarky comment. "Well, Ms. Morrow is almost 30, right? Guess when you get older, all you care about is getting married and having kids."

Fernando was young, came from a powerful family, and had natural star power. He'd blown up instantly the moment he entered the industry.

He was known for one thing—he said exactly what he thought, no filter.

Everyone exchanged awkward looks, and the room fell into an uncomfortable silence.

I kept my smile warm and steady. "That's a pretty unfair take, Mr. West. Can't modern women have both a career and love? I'd say I've done pretty well at my job. My tour kicks off next week right here in Xaverly City. If any of you have the time, I'd love to have you there."

The host, Darnell Knox, had known me since my very first days in the industry. He smiled, relieved that I'd steered the conversation back so smoothly.

He said, "It's been almost three years since Abigail's last concert, right? I was stressed because tickets sold out in seconds. This works out perfectly."

Darnell pulled me into a quick hug. "Welcome back."

A bitter, tight ache gripped my chest all at once.

I'd been mostly absent from the music scene for years. I'd felt nervous every single day leading up to this comeback.

My eyes stung a little. "Thank you," I said softly.

The show went on. I glanced at Brandon from the corner of my eye.

He was looking down, talking to the person next to him. He didn't seem to care about any of my news at all.

After taping ended, I posted a tweet:

I'm back. Thank you to everyone who's supported me and waited this whole time. Let's reunite with Old Dreams.

"Old Dreams" was the theme of my tour.

The internet blew up immediately.

A: [Wait, Abigail's actually coming back? I thought she was quitting the industry to get married?]

B: [Didn't people say her non-celebrity boyfriend was some big finance guy?]

C: [Bet her rich marriage fell through, so now she's crawling back to cash in, right?]

I stared at all the messy, random speculation and could only force a bitter smile.

My day's schedule finally wrapped up. I got home right at ten o'clock at night.

I grabbed my phone to record my daily radio segment.

Every day, I would read a fan letter on Twitter and reply to it.

The segment was short, but I'd never missed a single day since I debuted, no matter where I was in the world.

I'd gone from a total nobody to a chart-topping singer, and now to what people called a washed-up diva. Through all of it, I'd never forgotten why I started.

I turned on the camera and put on my brightest, most energetic smile.

Anyone watching couldn't help but smile right along with me.

I said, "How's everyone doing? Today's letter is from a fan who's supported me since I first started out..."

I finished recording and was scrolling through fan comments.

The bedroom door suddenly swung open.

I looked up toward the doorway.

Brandon sat down beside me. His jaw was set, his whole vibe cold and distant.

The first thing he asked was, "Did you take your meds today?"

I froze for a beat. When I snapped back to myself, I gave a bitter smile.

So that was what he thought. He assumed I'd asked that question on the show because I'd skipped my pills and lost control of my emotions.

I took a quiet breath, pushing down the sharp, rising pain in my chest. "I took them," I said with a smile.

Only a handful of people knew the truth. I'd stepped back from the spotlight these past two years because I'd been struggling with depression.

I changed the subject, a flicker of hope in my voice. "How many days can you stay home this time?"

Brandon paused. "The movie's still filming. I only came back to grab a few things."

My gaze dimmed.

I tried to think of something else to say. Then my phone blared out with a sharp ringtone.

I answered it.

My agent Isaac Gilmore's urgent voice came through the line. "Abigail, we've got a problem."

I opened the link Isaac sent. The number one trending topic stared right back at me:

#Abigail'sLong-TermBoyfriend'sIdentityExposed!