The set had gone quiet.
Too quiet.
Most of the crew had already left, lights dimmed to half their strength, cables loosely coiled across the floor like tired snakes after a long day.
Tabitha sat alone at a table, flipping through scripts...but not reading.
Her eyes moved.
Her mind didn't.
She exhaled slowly, rubbing her temple.
"Focus…" she muttered to herself.
Footsteps echoed behind her.
She didn't turn immediately.
"Summer, if you forgot something again..."
She stopped mid-sentence.
Something about the silence felt… different.
She turned.
And froze.
Simon stood there.
Same posture.
Same calm expression.
Like he had never left.
Her face hardened instantly.
"…You need to leave."
Simon didn't move.
"I just want to talk."
"I don't."
Her voice was sharp.
Final.
But he stepped closer anyway.
"Just five minutes."
"No."
"Tabitha..."
"I said no," she snapped, standing up now. "You don't get to just show up and expect..."
"I didn't come to fight you."
That stopped her.
Just for a second.
Because his tone...
Wasn't defensive.
Wasn't arrogant.
It was… tired.
She studied him carefully.
"…Why are you here?"
He hesitated.
Then said quietly,
"Because you deserve the truth."
She let out a dry laugh.
"Funny. Everyone suddenly cares about truth."
" Truth about that night"
" What night?"
" You don't remember?"
" You pop out of nowhere saying you want to tell me the truth about that night?.... Do you know how many things have happened in different nights, huh?.....How do you expect me to know the night you're talking about?"
He let out a dry chuckle
" The night we're everyone accused both of us of having an affair"
A pause.
Then...
"…oh that night. You could have said that from the on start you know, just wasting my precious time"
He smiled
" Still as difficult as always"
She grabbed her bag.
"Let's go here your truth over a bottle of wine, I probably need it"
The club was loud.
Crowded.
Alive.
Everything the set wasn't.
Tabitha stepped in, her eyes scanning the space.
"You brought me here to talk?"
Simon gave a small smile.
"We used to come here."
She didn't react.
Because she didn't know that
But she played along.
"…Okay."
They sat.
Across from each other.
A table between them.
Distance.
But not enough.
Simon leaned back slightly, studying her.
"You know you used to hate this place," he continued, like she hadn't spoken. "But you always came anyway because I liked it."
Her fingers tightened slightly around her glass.
"…Just say what you came to say."
He nodded slowly, his voice a bit low
" You actually don't remember"
" Huh?"
He smiled gently
" It's nothing"
He continued
" That night… the one everything went wrong…"
Her eyes lifted.
Focused now.
"You and I..."
He paused.
Then said it clearly.
"We were never together."
Silence.
The music felt distant suddenly.
"What?"
"It was staged," he said. "Photos. Messages. Situations. All planned."
She stared at him.
"…By who?"
He shook his head.
"I don't know."
"That's convenient."
"It's the truth."
She leaned forward slightly.
"Then why didn't you clear it?"
His jaw tightened.
"I tried."
"And?"
He laughed softly.
Bitter.
"No one listens when they've already made up their mind."
A pause.
"And you…" he added, looking at her carefully.
"You didn't defend yourself either."
That hit something.
Deep.
But she masked it.
"…Maybe I didn't care."
He shook his head slowly.
"No. You cared."
Silence.
Heavy.
Then...
"You were probably just got tired of trying to prove yourself to be a good person"
" And why are you telling me all this?"
" Cause I'm sure you can't remember"
Her expression changed
" you were drugged"
He added and sge became slightly relieved
" Drugged?, by who?"
" I don't know that as well"
" That's not helpful"
His face became serious now
" Just be careful, so they won't dim your shine again. You went through a lot last time, and we both know how it ended"
Across the club...
Louis sat at the bar.
Glass in hand.
Eyes distant.
Orlando and Andre still talking beside him.
"…I'm telling you," Orlando was saying, "Mimi is not just smart...she's interesting."
Andre smirked.
"You met her once."
"That was enough."
Louis didn't hear any of it.
Until...
His eyes shifted.
And landed on her.
Tabitha.
Sitting.
With Simon.
His grip on the glass tightened.
"…What is she doing here?"
Andre followed his gaze.
"…That's not good."
Orlando turned.
"Oh."
A pause.
"…Yeah, that's worse."
Louis stood up.
Slowly.
Dangerously calm.
"Of course."
His voice cut through everything.
Cold.
Sharp.
Tabitha turned immediately.
Louis stood there.
Eyes locked on Simon.
"What are you doing with him?"
Her chest tightened.
"Louis..."
Simon stood up.
"Relax..."
"Stay away from my wife."
The words came out low.
Controlled.
But heavy.
Simon's expression shifted.
"We're just talking."
"I don't care."
The tension snapped.
People nearby started noticing.
Watching.
Tabitha stood quickly.
"Louis, stop this."
He didn't look at her.
His gaze stayed on Simon.
"You don't learn, do you?"
That...
Was aimed at her.
She grabbed his arm.
"Let's go."
He didn't move.
"Louis."
Her voice dropped.
Serious now.
A beat.
Then...
He let her pull him away.
But his anger?
Still burning.
The moment the door shut behind them...
He pulled away from her.
"You can't help yourself, can you?"
She blinked.
"What?"
"Morning accusations weren't enough?"
Her brows furrowed.
"I went there for answers..."
"From him?"
His laugh was sharp.
"You're unbelievable."
"That's not fair!"
"What's not fair is you standing there with him like nothing happened!"
"I didn't even know what happened until today!"
"That doesn't matter!"
His voice echoed.
"You're still the same. Selfish. Careless."
Her chest tightened.
"I was trying to understand...."
"I don't care!"
Silence.
Thick.
Heavy.
"I don't even know why I thought you could change."
That broke something.
He turned..
Walking toward the stairs.
Done.
But she wasn't.
From the shadows...
Sam had seen everything.
Her heart raced.
This was it.
She quickly prepared tea.
Hands shaking slightly...but hopeful.
She knocked on his door.
Entered slowly.
"…Sir, I brought..."
"Leave!"
His voice was harsh.
Sharp.
She flinched.
"…I just thought.."
"I said leave!"
Silence.
Her fingers tightened around the tray.
"…Okay."
She turned slowly.
Left.
But her chest hurt again.
Because even now...
He didn't see her.
Tabitha walked in moments later.
Saw Sam leaving.
But didn't think much of it.
Her focus?
Only him.
He stood near the window.
Back facing her.
"Leave."
"No."
Silence.
She stepped closer.
"You're wrong."
No response.
"I didn't go there for him."
Still nothing.
"I wanted answers."
He turned slightly.
" To what?"
" To that night"
"…And you got them?"
"Yes."
A pause.
"we were never together."
That made him turn fully.
"What?"
She met his eyes.
"It was all staged, I was drugged..."
Silence.
"And you believe him?"
"I don't know," she admitted. "But it makes sense."
A long pause.
Then...
Her voice softened.
"And this morning…"
She swallowed slightly.
"I was wrong."
His gaze didn't leave hers.
"I remembered."
Her cheeks flushed faintly.
"I was the one holding onto you."
Silence.
"I kissed you first."
His jaw tightened slightly.
"And I said all that without thinking."
She stepped closer.
Slow.
Careful.
"I'm sorry."
The words hung between them.
Real.
Unfiltered.
Then..
She closed the distance.
Wrapped her arms around him.
Tightly.
"I'm sorry," she whispered again.
He didn't move at first.
Then slowly..
His arms came up.
Resting around her.
Not pulling her in.
But not pushing her away.
"I didn't touch you," he said quietly.
"I know."
Her voice softer now.
"I know."
She pulled back slightly.
Looked at him.
Eyes searching.
Then..
She leaned in.
And kissed him.
The room had gone quiet.
Not the empty kind of quiet...
But the kind that holds something fragile in place.
Tabitha's lips were still on his.
Soft.
Warm.
Certain.
Louis didn't pull away.
Not this time.
His hand moved instinctively to her waist, pulling her closer...like if he let go, the moment would disappear.
And for a second..
Neither of them thought.
They just… felt.
Everything they had been holding back.
The anger.
The confusion.
The pull they kept denying.
It all poured into that kiss.
When they finally pulled away..
Their foreheads rested lightly against each other.
Breathing uneven.
Eyes still searching.
"You're confusing," Louis said quietly.
Tabitha let out a soft breath.
"So are you."
A pause.
Then she added,
"You say you hate me… but you care too much."
His jaw tightened slightly.
"I never said I hate you."
She blinked.
"…You didn't have to say it."
Silence.
He didn't argue.
Because part of him knew..
She wasn't entirely wrong.
She studied him for a moment.
Then her voice softened again.
"I wasn't with him."
"I know."
That came quicker than she expected.
Her brows lifted slightly.
"You believe me?"
A pause.
Then...
"I want to."
That answer was honest.
Too honest.
It made something in her chest tighten.
So instead of speaking...
She stepped closer again.
This time slower.
Intentional.
Her fingers slid lightly up his arm, resting on his shoulder.
"Then stop fighting me."
Her voice dropped.
Soft.
Barely above a whisper.
"I'm tired of it."
Louis held her gaze.
Something shifted again.
This time...
Deeper.
He reached up, brushing a strand of hair away from her face.
A simple gesture.
But it lingered.
Too long.
Then...
He leaned in again.
And this time...
There was no hesitation.
The distance between them disappeared completely.
No arguments.
No interruptions.
No misunderstandings.
Just....
Them.
For once...
Not against each other.
Not guarded.
Not calculating.
Just real.
Tabitha held onto him like she meant it this time.
Not out of confusion.
Not out of impulse.
But because she chose to.
And Louis?
For the first time...
He didn't hold back.
Not his touch.
Not his presence.
Not the way he responded to her.
The night unfolded slowly...
Quietly...
Without the chaos that usually followed them.
And somewhere between the silence and closeness...
They crossed a line they had been dancing around for far too long.
Not out of force.
Not out of misunderstanding.
But out of something mutual.
Something they hadn't named yet.
But both felt.
The hallway was dim.
Quiet.
Still.
Sam stood there.
Frozen.
She hadn't meant to come back.
She hadn't meant to stand there.
But she had.
And now..
She couldn't move.
Because she heard it.
Not words.
Not clearly.
But enough.
Enough to understand.
Her hands trembled slightly.
"…No…"
Her voice was barely a whisper.
Tears filled her eyes again.
But this time...
They didn't fall immediately.
Because this time...
It wasn't confusion.
It wasn't hope.
It was certainty.
"…He chose her."
The words felt heavy.
Real.
Final.
Her chest tightened painfully.
She stepped back slowly.
Careful.
Quiet.
Like if she made too much noise, it would break her completely.
By the time she turned the corner...
The tears finally fell.
But this time..
She didn't stop walking.
Sunlight crept into the room slowly.
Soft.
Warm.
Tabitha stirred first.
Her eyes fluttered open.
And for a moment..
She didn't move.
Because she felt it.
Warmth.
Steady.
Close.
She looked up.
Louis.
Beside her.
Asleep.
Peaceful in a way she had never seen before.
Her heart skipped slightly.
"…This is new."
She whispered it to herself.
Her eyes traced his features unconsciously...
His jawline.
His lashes.
The calm expression he never showed when awake.
Then...
Reality hit.
Everything from last night.
Her eyes widened slightly.
"…Oh."
She quickly looked away.
Then back again.
Then away.
"Why am I looking at him like that?"
She muttered under her breath.
Carefully..
She tried to move.
Slowly.
Gently.
Trying not to wake him.
But just as she was about to slip away...
His voice came.
Low.
Rough.
"…Where are you going?"
She froze.
Then turned slowly.
"…Nowhere."
He opened his eyes slightly.
Watching her.
"You were leaving."
"I wasn't."
"You were."
She rolled her eyes.
"I just woke up."
A pause.
Then he said quietly...
"You stayed."
That caught her off guard.
"…So did you."
Silence.
But this silence...
Was different.
Not tense.
Not hostile.
Just…
Unfamiliar.
She sat up slightly.
Pulling the blanket around herself.
"So…"
She hesitated.
"…What now?"
Louis didn't answer immediately.
He sat up too.
Running a hand through his hair.
Then looked at her.
"…We don't pretend it didn't happen."
Her brows lifted slightly.
"That's new."
"I don't like repeating mistakes."
She tilted her head slightly.
"Is that what this was?"
A pause.
Then..
"No."
That answer was firm.
Certain.
And it did something to her.
Something she didn't expect.
She looked away quickly.
"…Good."
The house was already awake.
Maids whispering.
Footsteps moving.
Breakfast being prepared.
But something had changed.
Because the whispers weren't quiet anymore.
"They didn't argue last night…"
"I didn't hear anything…"
"That's even worse...."
"Or better…"
Sam stood still again.
Hearing everything.
But this time...
She didn't react immediately.
Her face was calm.
Too calm.
Her eyes?
Different.
Colder.
"…So that's how it is."
She turned slowly.
Walking away.
No tears.
No shaking.
Just..
Something else.
Something quieter.
But far more dangerous.
Upstairs...
Tabitha stood by the mirror.
Fixing her hair.
Lost in thought.
Louis stood behind her.
Watching.
Not saying anything.
But not leaving either.
"You're staring again," she said casually.
"I'm thinking."
"That's worse."
He almost smiled.
Almost.
A pause.
Then...
"About yesterday."
She met his eyes in the mirror.
"…Regret it?"
He shook his head once.
"No."
She looked forward again.
Hiding the small smile that tried to form.
"…Good."
Because for the first time...
They weren't pretending.
Not fighting.
Not running.
Just...
Standing there.
In something new.
Something undefined.
But real.
And that?
Was more dangerous than anything they had faced before.
The room was still quiet after Louis left.
Too quiet.
Tabitha sat at the edge of the bed, still wrapped in the aftermath of everything that had happened. The sunlight streamed in softly, but it did nothing to calm the storm building inside her.
She let out a slow breath.
Then suddenly..
She laughed.
Soft at first.
Then a little louder.
"…Wow."
She leaned back slightly, shaking her head.
"My acting skills are actually insane."
Her fingers brushed her lips unconsciously.
Simon.
She had fooled him completely.
The way he spoke… the way he opened up… the way he believed every single expression she gave him..
Like she *was* the Tabitha he knew.
And Louis…
She smirked faintly.
"I even turned the table on you."
From suspicion…
To defense.
From distance…
To..
She stopped.
Her smile faded slowly.
The realization didn't creep in gently.
It hit.
Hard.
Her expression froze.
"…Wait."
Her fingers tightened slightly around the bedsheet.
Her voice dropped.
"…What did I just do?"
Silence.
Heavy.
Real.
"I just…"
She swallowed.
"…lost it… to someone else's husband."
The words felt strange in her mouth.
Uncomfortable.
Wrong.
Her chest tightened.
"What happens if she comes back?"
The real Tabitha.
The OWNER of this life.
Of this house.
Of that name.
Of him.
Everything around her suddenly felt… borrowed.
Temporary.
Fragile.
She stood up abruptly.
"No… no, no, no…"
Her eyes darted around the room.
"This isn't safe."
She moved quickly toward the closet.
Opening drawers.
Pulling things out.
Searching.
"There has to be something…"
Something the real Tabitha left behind.
Something she could use.
Leverage.
Proof.
Control.
Minutes passed.
Then..
Her hand paused.
A small leather book.
Tucked deep inside a hidden compartment.
"…What's this?"
She opened it slowly.
Her eyes scanned the pages.
And widened.
"…Properties?"
Not one.
Not two.
Multiple.
Different locations.
Different cities.
Different countries.
And then...
Her breath caught.
"…None of them are under Tabitha Yu."
A different name.
Repeated.
Consistent.
Hidden.
Her heart started beating faster.
"This…"
She flipped further.
An envelope slipped out.
She picked it up.
Opened it.
And there it was.
An identity card.
A completely different person.
Different name.
Different records.
But the picture?
Tabitha.
She stared at it.
"…You've been living a double life."
A slow smile formed.
Not soft.
Not innocent.
Sharp.
Calculating.
"So when things got too much…"
She spoke softly, piecing it together.
"You disappeared."
A vacation.
A break.
An escape.
Where no one could find you.
Her fingers tightened slightly around the card.
"…Perfect."
Because now...
She had something.
"If she ever comes back…"
Her voice dropped lower.
"…I won't leave empty-handed."
Everything here...
The business.
The movie.
The influence.
The connections...
All under the name "Tabitha."
But this?
This identity?
It was hers to build.
Hers to control.
"I just need time…"
Her eyes darkened slightly.
"…to grow stronger."
Knock.
Tabitha didn't look up immediately.
"Come in."
The door opened slowly.
Sam stepped in.
Quiet.
Composed.
Too composed.
Tabitha glanced up.
Noticed the envelope in her hand.
"…What's that?"
Sam walked forward.
Placed it on the table.
"My resignation letter."
Tabitha blinked once.
Then leaned back slightly.
"…You're quitting?"
"Yes."
A pause.
Tabitha studied her.
"Why did you even apply for this job?"
Sam's expression didn't change.
"That's none of your business."
Tabitha tilted her head slightly.
"…No."
Her tone was calm.
But firm.
"It is now."
Silence.
Then...
Tabitha stood up.
Walking closer.
"Whatever reason you had for coming here…"
Her gaze sharpened slightly.
"…don't throw it away because of someone else's husband."
That hit.
Sam's jaw tightened.
"Don't twist it."
"I'm not."
Tabitha crossed her arms.
"You're letting feelings ruin your goal."
Sam laughed bitterly.
"You think this is about feelings?"
"Yes."
"It's not."
"Then what is it?"
Silence.
Then...
"I love him."
The words came out steady.
Certain.
Tabitha didn't react immediately.
Then she shook her head slowly.
"No."
Sam's eyes flashed.
"You don't get to decide that."
Tabitha's voice remained calm.
"It's not love."
"What would you know about love?"
That landed.
But Tabitha didn't flinch.
Instead...
She stepped closer.
Lowering her voice.
"It's survival."
Sam froze slightly.
"…What?"
"You saw his power."
Tabitha's eyes locked onto hers.
"His wealth. His status."
"That's not true!"
"Then prove it."
Silence.
Sam's hands clenched.
Then she snapped...
"When you ran off with Simon..."
Tabitha stilled.
"I was here."
Sam's voice shook now.
But she didn't stop.
"I made his tea."
"His breakfast."
"I checked on him."
"Every single day."
Her eyes reddened.
"And he still chose you."
The room fell silent.
That…
Tabitha didn't expect.
For a moment...
She said nothing.
Then slowly...
Her expression softened.
"…Maybe I was a terrible wife."
Sam scoffed.
"Maybe?"
"But people change."
That made Sam pause.
Just slightly.
Tabitha continued quietly,
"I've made mistakes."
A small breath.
"But I'm trying to fix them."
She looked at Sam.
Not as a rival.
But as something else.
"You don't have to destroy your future because of this."
Sam's expression hardened again.
"I don't need your help."
"You do."
"I don't."
"I know you're in your final year."
That stopped her.
Comp