Only Hope by Tyler Hamm

Chapter Three: Cracks in the Ice

Eris wasn't sure what woke her in the middle of the night. Maybe it was the unfamiliar silence, too different from the creaky walls and distant chatter of the orphanage. Maybe it was the weight of the day pressing on her chest. Either way, she found herself sitting up in bed, staring at the moonlit curtains swaying against the open window.

Restless, she slipped out of bed and padded down the darkened hallway. The mansion was eerily quiet at this hour, its vastness making her feel even smaller. She hadn't meant to wander, but her feet carried her toward the one room she hadn't dared to step into-Oliver's office.

The door was slightly ajar, a faint glow spilling into the hallway. Inside, Oliver sat behind a large desk, papers scattered before him, his head in his hands. He looked different like this-less like the untouchable movie star, more like a man drowning in something unseen.

Eris hesitated before stepping inside. "You're awake too?"

Oliver's head snapped up, surprise flashing across his face before he softened. "Yeah. Couldn't sleep."

She lingered in the doorway. "Me neither."

A silence stretched between them, heavy but not entirely uncomfortable. Oliver gestured to the chair across from him. "You want to sit?"

For reasons she couldn't explain, she did. The leather was cold beneath her fingers as she traced invisible patterns on the armrest. "What are you doing?" she asked after a beat.

"Going through some old scripts," he admitted, pushing a few pages aside. "Trying to decide what's worth keeping."

Eris glanced at the papers, recognizing the industry jargon but not understanding the weight behind them. "Is acting really that important to you?"

Oliver exhaled, leaning back in his chair. "It used to be everything. The one thing I thought I was good at." He hesitated before adding, "But lately, I'm not so sure."

She frowned, studying him. "Why?"

His lips twitched into something resembling a sad smile. "Because for the first time in my life, there's something more important than being a star."

Eris' chest tightened at the implication, but she looked away before he could see the flicker of uncertainty in her expression. She still wasn't ready to believe him.

But for the first time, she wasn't entirely sure she didn't want to.

9

______________________________________________

A long silence settled between them, the quiet hum of the desk lamp filling the space. Eris glanced at the shelves lining the office, filled with awards, framed scripts, and photos of Oliver at movie premieres. She could see the life he had lived-a world far removed from the one she had known.

Oliver followed her gaze. "I used to think success would make me happy," he admitted. "That the more people knew my name, the more I'd feel like I mattered."

Eris crossed her arms. "And did it?"

He was quiet for a moment before shaking his head. "Not the way I thought it would."

She studied him, searching for cracks in the polished image of the man the world adored. And for the first time, she saw not just an actor, but a person-one who looked as lost as she felt.

"Your mom-" Oliver hesitated, carefully choosing his words. "She wrote in the letter that she left because she was scared I wouldn't want you. But that wasn't true. If I had known, I would've fought for you."

Eris clenched her jaw, staring at the desk. "But you didn't know."

"No," he admitted. "And I'll never forgive myself for that."

Something in his voice made her throat tighten. She had spent years convincing herself that he never wanted her, that she had been an inconvenience he had unknowingly dodged. But here he was, trying. Saying all the right things. And yet, trust was not something she could hand over so easily.

"I don't know if I can believe you," she whispered before she could stop herself.

Oliver exhaled, his expression unreadable. "Then I'll just have to prove it to you."

The weight of his words lingered in the air, heavier than anything either of them had said before. Eris didn't respond, but for the first time since arriving, she didn't feel entirely alone.

10

______________________________________________