Chapter 11: Happily Ever After?
541 Words
The lights were warm.
The crowd was loud.
And the energy?
Effortless.
“Ladies and gentlemen,” the host announced with his signature grin, “please welcome the incredibly talented Skye O’Hare… and the man who clearly knows he won in life—Preston Vale!”
The audience erupted as Skye and Preston walked onto the stage of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
At the desk, Jimmy Fallon stood to greet them, clapping along with the crowd.
“Look at you two!” Jimmy laughed as they sat down. “This is unfair levels of good-looking happening right now.”
Skye laughed, shaking her head. “We get that a lot.”
“I’m sure you do,” Jimmy replied. “Skye—Grammy winner, global superstar. Preston—Hollywood’s golden guy. Together? It’s like… a movie I would definitely watch.”
The audience cheered.
Preston glanced at Skye, smiling softly. “I’d watch it too.”
Jimmy leaned forward slightly, eyes twinkling with curiosity. “Now, I have to ask… the internet is going crazy right now. People are saying there’s something big going on between you two.”
Skye and Preston exchanged a look.
A quiet one.
But meaningful.
Jimmy’s grin widened. “Do I know something you don’t want me to say?”
The crowd leaned in.
Waiting.
Skye took a small breath… then smiled.
“Well…”
Preston reached for her hand.
And just like that—
The room shifted.
“We’re getting married,” he said.
—
The reaction was instant.
Gasps.
Cheers.
Applause that shook the studio.
Jimmy jumped slightly out of his chair. “No way—are you serious?!”
Skye laughed, nodding. “Yeah. We are.”
“This is huge!” Jimmy said, clapping his hands together. “This is huge! Congratulations!”
“Thank you,” Preston said, squeezing Skye’s hand gently.
Jimmy leaned back, still smiling. “Okay, okay—I need details. When? Where? Am I invited?”
Skye laughed. “We’re still figuring it out.”
“But yes,” Preston added smoothly. “You’re invited.”
The crowd laughed again.
The conversation flowed easily after that—wedding jokes, behind-the-scenes stories, their first meeting, their chemistry.
They looked perfect.
Sounded perfect.
Felt perfect.
The kind of couple people believed in.
—
Later that night…
Clips of the interview spread everywhere.
Headlines exploded.
“SKYE O’HARE ENGAGED!”
“POWER COUPLE ALERT!”
“LOVE IN THE SPOTLIGHT!”
Millions of likes.
Millions of comments.
Support.
Excitement.
Obsession.
—
Somewhere…
A screen glowed in the dark.
The interview played on repeat.
Paused.
Replayed.
Paused again.
A hand slowly clenched.
“No…”
The voice was low.
Tight.
Unstable.
“She doesn’t mean that.”
His eyes stayed locked on the screen—on Skye smiling beside Preston.
On their hands intertwined.
“That’s not real.”
A breath.
Shaky.
Forced.
“They don’t understand her like I do.”
His jaw tightened.
“She wouldn’t choose him.”
Silence.
Then—
A whisper.
Dark.
Certain.
“She’s mine.”
—
Back in her world, Skye laughed at another congratulatory message, completely unaware…
That this announcement—
This moment of happiness—
Had just made everything worse.
- Writer
