The first thing Liora Vale noticed was the silence.
Not the peaceful kind.
The heavy kind—the sort that pressed against her ribs and made breathing feel like a decision instead of instinct.
Beyond the velvet curtains, the crowd was still applauding.
Her name.
They were still saying her name.
Best New Actress.
Two years ago, no one in this city had known she existed.
Tonight, cameras had followed her every step, every blink, every fragile smile she forced onto her lips as she held the golden trophy in shaking hands.
She should have felt happy.
Instead, her pulse beat too fast…
as if something inevitable was waiting just out of sight.
The stage manager whispered, "You're clear to exit, Miss Vale."
Liora nodded politely and stepped away from the bright lights, the applause fading behind her like a dream dissolving at sunrise.
Backstage was dim. Quiet. Private.
Safe.
Or at least…
it should have been.
Her heels had barely touched the marble floor when she saw the first bouquet.
White lilies.
Elegant. Expensive.
Wrapped in black silk ribbon.
She didn't need the card to know who they were from.
A slow breath left her lungs.
Adrian.
Of course he would be first.
Adrian Cross was always first—on award lists, on magazine covers, in every room he entered without even trying.
And somehow…
in her life too.
Her fingers brushed the petals, soft as a secret she had never meant to keep.
"Congratulations."
The voice came from the shadows, low and calm, carrying that quiet authority that made directors nervous and interviewers forget their questions.
Liora looked up.
Adrian stepped forward into the dim light, dressed in a perfectly tailored black suit, his expression composed in that distant way the world called elegance…
but she knew better.
She always knew better.
Because when his eyes met hers—
there was nothing distant about them.
Only possession.
Carefully hidden.
Dangerously real.
"You watched?" she asked softly.
"I always watch," he replied.
The words were simple.
The meaning wasn't.
Heat crept up her spine, familiar and unwelcome all at once.
She should step back.
She didn't.
Instead, she whispered, "Thank you for the flowers."
"You deserve more than flowers."
Her heart skipped—
just once—
but that was enough.
And that was exactly why this was dangerous.
Because Adrian Cross was not a man who gave things lightly.
He gave things permanently.
Before she could answer, another voice cut through the quiet.
"White lilies?
You really have no imagination, Adrian."
Warm. Smooth. Amused.
Liora's stomach dropped before she even turned.
Rafael.
Only one man in this city sounded like temptation wrapped in silk and sin.
Rafael Knox leaned casually against the corridor wall, dark suit slightly undone at the collar, like rules had never applied to him and never would.
In his hands—
a second bouquet.
Deep red roses.
Of course.
Subtlety had never been Rafael's style.
Neither had restraint.
"You're late," Adrian said coolly.
"I prefer to arrive when it matters," Rafael replied, eyes already fixed on Liora.
"Congratulations, star girl."
Star girl.
The nickname brushed across her skin like memory…
like nights she refused to replay in her mind.
She swallowed. "Thank you."
Two men.
Two bouquets.
Two secrets standing three feet apart.
Her pulse began to race.
This was exactly the situation she had promised herself would never happen again.
And yet—
here they were.
Adrian's silence sharpened.
Rafael's smile deepened.
The air between them tightened, invisible but unmistakable, like the moment before lightning splits the sky.
Liora opened her mouth to say something—anything—
when footsteps echoed from the far end of the hallway.
Light. Quick. Familiar.
Hopeful.
Her breath caught.
No.
Not tonight.
Not him too.
But fate had never cared about timing.
Jace Wilder rounded the corner, still in stage makeup, silver hair catching the dim light, eyes bright with the kind of joy that hadn't yet learned how cruel the world could be.
And in his hands—
the third bouquet.
Not expensive.
Not dramatic.
Just small white daisies, slightly uneven, like he'd chosen them himself instead of sending an assistant.
His gaze found her instantly, soft and certain and full of something the other two men had never been able to give without fear.
Pure love.
"Liora," he said, breathless.
"You were amazing."
Silence crashed down.
Three men.
Three bouquets.
Three different kinds of love.
All standing in the same narrow hallway.
All looking at her.
And in that fragile, impossible moment—
Liora Vale understood something with terrifying clarity.
Winning the award tonight…
might be the least complicated part of her life.
Because the real story—
the dangerous one—
was only just beginning.
And sooner or later…
all three of them would learn the truth.
The applause from the main hall slowly faded, replaced by the distant hum of conversations and camera shutters.
Backstage, however, the silence returned—thicker than before, charged with everything none of them dared to say aloud.
Liora forced herself to breathe normally.
This was dangerous territory.
Not because of the men standing in front of her…
but because of how easily her heart reacted to each of them in different ways.
Adrian's presence was steady, grounding, like a quiet promise of safety she had never asked for.
Rafael's gaze burned with reckless certainty, the kind that could ruin lives and call it pleasure.
And Jace—
Her chest tightened slightly.
Jace looked at her like she was something pure.
Untouched.
Worth protecting.
If he ever discovered the truth…
that look would disappear first.
"Your manager is looking for you," Adrian said at last, voice calm enough to cut through the tension.
It was an escape.
A graceful one.
Liora nodded, grateful for the distance the words created.
"Yes… I should go."
But none of them moved.
For a brief, fragile second, it felt as though time itself had paused—
four lives balanced on a single invisible edge.
Rafael broke the stillness with a soft chuckle.
"Careful, star girl," he murmured. "Winning your first award is usually the easiest night of fame."
"And the hardest?" she asked quietly.
His eyes held hers, dark and knowing.
"The night everything you're hiding comes into the light."
A chill slipped down her spine.
Did he know?
No… impossible.
Rafael enjoyed mysteries too much to solve them this quickly.
Still, her fingers tightened slightly around the trophy.
Jace stepped closer then, gentle as always, offering the small bouquet of daisies with a shy smile that felt painfully sincere.
"I thought… maybe you'd like something simple," he said.
"Something that doesn't feel like the industry."
For a moment, she couldn't speak.
Because simple was the one thing her life could never be again.
"Thank you, Jace," she whispered, accepting the flowers carefully, as if they might break.
Three bouquets now rested in her arms—
white lilies, red roses, and fragile daisies.
Three choices.
Three futures.
Three mistakes waiting to happen.
Somewhere deep inside, a quiet certainty formed—cold and unshakable.
Tonight was not a beginning.
It was a warning.
And no matter how brightly the spotlight shone on Liora Vale now…
the shadows gathering around her were already strong enough
to swallow everything she loved.
Soon.