The bridge to myself

rns, laughter, the relentless glow of neon lights. But inside this room, everything felt empty. The silence wasn't peaceful; it was shattered. Bet

ip. But he didn't want a partner; he wanted a servant. Someone willing to dim their own shine so his could grow brighter. In the end, my sacrifice wa

n in the mirror. My face was marked by exhaustion-dark circles under my eyes, lifeless skin. I barely recogni

ing the weight of the words. They came out w

dozens of irrelevant messages, one caught my attention. It was from Richard, my former

s coming up, and your name still carries weig

, but something stronger pushed me to act. I typed a short response: "Can w

my career, but now it felt far removed from who I'd become. I sat at a discreet table and waited. Shortly afte

ng me a warm hug. "Are

, a bit

I am. I n

as if he understood m

ward-winning director. They want someone authentic, someone

behind seemed to be calling me back. But I knew I couldn

hired a personal trainer, revisited old scripts that had once inspired me, and started rebuilding my confidence. Headlines soon surfaced: "Evelyn Hart R

ver the city. I found solace in the stillness, letting the warmth of the morning light

d been invited to. Viktor was impossible to ignore-tall, charismatic, with a presence

ntriguing smile. "The woman every

, maintaining a

you a

I make the imp

more than I had intended. Viktor was direct, provocative, and seemed to see beyond what I was

was powerful, that much was clear. But there was also a darkness in

ipt, and I spent hours each day practicing lines, immersing myself in the character. She was a woman naviga

, my phone buzzed with a message from Viktor: "Din

re him. The other part, the curious part, couldn't resist. After a

sily, but there was always an undercurrent of intensity with him. He asked questions that felt too personal, yet I answe

" he asked suddenly, his pie

d honestly. "Or what

d n

ning to love

ners of his lips. "Good. Because the world

ing to the world; it was about proving it to me. Standing on the edge of a new beginning, I knew thi