Author's Pov...
The mansion was glowing tonight.
Golden lights sparkled across the grand ballroom, flowers draped every archway, and laughter from the guests floated gently through the warm evening air. It was a perfect celebration—their fourth wedding anniversary.
And yet, Evan was nowhere to be found.
Ren sighed as he weaved through the crowd, scanning every corner, every familiar face. He had worn his favorite white satin shirt for tonight, hoping Evan would compliment him the way his various personalities always did.
But now, all he felt was… the hollow ache of his absence.
Ren slipped away from the party quietly, his polished shoes clicking softly against the marble as he made his way to the hidden room Evan had once forbidden him to enter.
He found the door slightly ajar.
Inside, the room was exactly as he remembered—walls covered with framed photos of himself. His childhood smiles, his teenage years, stolen moments Evan had secretly captured from afar.
And there—standing silently before the largest photograph—was Evan.
Ren's heart softened.
He walked up quietly, wrapped his arms around Evan's waist from behind, resting his chin gently on Evan's shoulder.
"What are you doing here, dummy?" he whispered, a small smile tugging his lips.
Evan's shoulders trembled slightly. When he turned around, his eyes glistened with tears.
"I thought… I would destroy everything," Evan said, his voice low and cracking. "I thought you would hate me… because I can't even be… one person."
Ren's chest ached. He lifted his hand to cup Evan's face, wiping away the tears with his thumb.
"Hey," Ren murmured, "You turned my boring life into the craziest rollercoaster imaginable. How could I ever hate you?"
He leaned in, pressing a soft kiss against Evan's lips, lingering there, as if trying to assure him he was not leaving—that he had chosen every version of him.
"I love every one of you," Ren whispered against his lips, his breath shaky but certain. "You are mine. All of you."
Evan broke into a trembling smile, pulling Ren closer.
When they finally separated, Ren chuckled, brushing a strand of Evan's hair back.
"Now come on," he teased, "We still have guests waiting. Stop hiding like some tragic lead."
Evan laughed softly, pressing a final kiss to Ren's temple. "You go ahead. I will make a quick phone call, then I will join you."
Ren nodded and left the room, feeling lighter, calmer, genuinely happy.
His life wasn't perfect—but it was his.
He returned to the grand hall, weaving through the small crowd of familiar faces, chatting politely as the band played soft music in the background. He was reaching for a drink when suddenly—
A loud, booming voice rang across the room.
"Oh, my radiant star! The very light of my existence! The air itself quivers in your presence!"
Ren froze.
No. Please, no. Not again.
The guests turned, whispers rising as the grand double doors flung open.
There he stood.
A man draped in a flowing velvet cape, sparkling silver embroidery trailing behind him. His hair slicked back, a single red rose between his fingers, his entire posture exaggerated like he'd just walked out of an opera.
"Lorenzo…" Ren groaned, dragging his palm down his face.
The man—**Evan's 16th personality, The Overly Dramatic Theater Actor—**strode into the hall as if the chandeliers were spotlights and the guests were his adoring audience.
"Fear not, my sweet moonbeam!" Lorenzo bellowed, throwing the rose toward Ren. "For I, your most ardent admirer, have arrived to seize your heart once more!"
The rose hit Ren squarely in the forehead and bounced off.
The crowd gasped, confused and intrigued. Some clapped.
Ren wanted the floor to swallow him whole.
Lorenzo marched across the room, theatrically falling to one knee in front of Ren.
"My soul was but a hollow shell until the day you blessed me with your gaze! Without you, I am but a lost actor with no script!"
"…We've been married for four years," Ren deadpanned.
Lorenzo clutched his chest dramatically. "Ah, but each moment with you feels like our very first act!"
Ren hissed through gritted teeth, leaning down. "People are staring. Please, I beg you—stop."
Lorenzo's voice only grew louder.
"Let them witness the glory of our eternal romance! Let the skies themselves weep with envy!"
Ren desperately tried to pull him up by the arm, but Lorenzo swooned into his touch, making it impossible to drag him away without creating a scene.
Suddenly, Lorenzo produced another rose from inside his cape and offered it with sparkling, over-the-top puppy eyes.
Ren glared. "You've got to be kidding me."
Lorenzo grinned. "You may imprison my body, but my heart has already been captured by you!"
Ren sighed heavily. "Can someone bring me a chair? I think I need to sit down."
A waiter shuffled forward, his eyes wide with confusion, unsure whether this was performance art or a mental breakdown.
Ren slumped into the chair as Lorenzo dramatically circled him.
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Lorenzo declared to the room, spinning grandly. "Tonight, I dedicate my most passionate soliloquy to the love of my life—Ren Vallen!"
"Oh God, he is starting a monologue," Ren muttered, hiding his face behind his hand.
The guests applauded awkwardly, some pulling out their phones to record.
"I can't believe this is happening again," Ren whispered to himself.
Lorenzo, beaming under the imaginary spotlight, continued his poetic rambling, completely unaware of Ren's dying soul.
Ren peered through his fingers and sighed.
Curtain Up On My Husband's New Madness
This is my life now.