yna

ainstakingly built over the past three years, was almost empty. The last of the contracts lay on the coun

ing my shop, asked, her voice filled with concern. She glanced around the now-bare she

resh start." I signed my name with a flourish, a strange mix of sadness and exhilarating freedom washing over me. This galle

dear?" she asked, her eye

smile finally touching my lips. "To op

g, superficial facade of Los Angeles. A

metown, a place where dreams went to die. He had stars in his eyes, a burning desire to make it big. I had him. That was enough for me. My own

ned into a restless search for her own happiness. She dated, remarried, and eventually, found a new life, a new family, one that didn't include a difficult, heartbroken little girl. I was sh

ng to him like a lifeline. He was my stability, my future, my everything. I quit my local job

money, no connections, just each other and a shared dream. Every night, the smell of fried food would waft up, mingling with the scent of cheap air freshener and J

rare occurrence in LA, fell silently outside, turning the city into a hushed, magical landscape. Inside, our faulty heater sparked, then caught fire. A small,

k, his face pale with fear, fear for me. He burst through the door, took one look at the scorched wall, then pulled me into his arms, holding me so tight

ke it big. I'll make sure you never have to deal with anything like this again. We'll have

the purest thing. It was a promise built on fear and love

here along the way, that promise had fractured. The bigger his star grew, the smaller I felt. The more successful he became, the more irrelev

n say, was to fall in love. To embody characters, to feel their desires, to live their lives. But what h

with an undeniable rhythm. The director had cheered, "Perfect! That's real emotion!" My stomach had lurched. Later, I saw them laughing, heads close, Kisha's

, shirtless, straddling Kisha, their faces inches apart, her laughter echoing through the soundstage. He pulled her closer, a possessive gesture that felt too real, too intimate. My

I felt a familiar anger rise, quickly followed by the crushing weight of shame. He's just working, Alayna. You're being dramat

was asleep. I hated myself for it, every single time. It confirmed nothing, but it fue

is my private life! My work! Do you have nothing el

ars finally flowing. "You said you'd take care of me

anted me to "focus on what makes you happy," knowing full well that supporting him was what made m

delicate scents would drown out the gnawing anxiety in my gut. It worked, for a while. The busy work, the endless arrangements, the scent of fresh blooms. It was a distraction. A beautiful, temporary

There was nothing left to talk about. The paper-thin walls of my composure had finally crumbled. The silence