Chapter 3
Zachary stood up, towering over me with a mocking smirk.
"Hit a nerve, huh? Macie, you're disgusting!" he spat.
He continued, "Still, you're easy on the eyes. Messing around with you wouldn't be a bad deal..."
I slapped him as hard as I could, my palm throbbing from the impact.
Zachary paused for a second, then tilted his head and pinned me down with a sneer.
"Acting all pure now? Just because I've made it, you think you can raise your price? Go on, name it..."
The fabric scraped cruelly against the burn scars on my back, tearing the skin open again. The pain was so sharp it brought tears to my eyes.
I fought with everything I had, but all Macie could choke out was a broken, "Let..."
Her voice was harsh and grating, like a blade dragging across rough stone.
Zachary suddenly stopped, staring at me in shock.
"Your voice..." he stammered.
I broke free from his grip, grabbing my shirt and gasping for air, my chest rising and falling in panic.
Zachary frowned, about to say something, but then the door beeped. Someone had just swiped a keycard outside.
"Zachary, my flight got canceled. I was thinking maybe..." Eleanor started, stepping into the room.
Eleanor dropped her wallet to the floor, frozen as she stared at me and Zachary in disbelief.
"You... you two..." she stammered.
Zachary raked his fingers through his hair in frustration, then dragged me toward the door.
"Just go!" he snapped.
As I passed Eleanor, she finally snapped out of it. She grabbed my arm and went to slap me.
Zachary caught her wrist, his voice gentle as he soothed her. "Easy, let me explain."
He shoved me out of the room from behind and slammed the door shut.
By the time I made it to the lobby and met up with Lara, my lips had gone pale, and I was shivering all over from the pain.
Lara's eyes widened in shock when she saw me. She hurried to give me some painkillers, her eyes rimmed with tears as she asked,
"Did he hurt you?"
Too exhausted to speak, I just shook my head.
When we got home, Lara's face was dark and tense. The moment she saw the fresh scars on my back, she almost went ballistic.
"Did he hurt you? Shit! Has he lost his damn conscience?" she said.
"You risked your life for him, and this is how he treats you?" Her voice shook with anger.
I squeezed her hand, trying to get her to calm down.
Lara applied the medicine, still fuming. Just as she was about to leave, her phone buzzed with a message.
Her eyes lit up, and all the gloom from before vanished in an instant.
"Macie! Fluttering Moments just hit us up. They said the deal's done! They're asking when we can sign the contract!"
I was sitting on the bed, sipping water, and paused for a moment before nodding at Lara, signaling her to take care of it.
Lara practically skipped out of the room, grinning from ear to ear.
I just couldn't feel any joy at all.
I wanted to land projects on the strength of my work alone.
But now, with all these tangled relationships, it felt like I was just being handed a favor.
It just made me feel all twisted up inside.
I hadn't done anything wrong, so why did I have to feel so ashamed?
The collaboration was moving forward smoothly.
The production team sent over some notes on my draft, hoping I could tweak it to match the new character profiles a bit more.
Three years later, looking back at that arrangement, I realized it was more about emotion than skill.
It was supposed to be a theme song for a virtual character, but honestly, Zachary was always the muse behind it.
Every note, every lyric, carried the weight of our memories.
It was like flipping through an old diary from my teenage years. All those innocent, warm memories came flooding back.
When we first met, Zachary was just starting out as an actor, while I already had a few hit songs under my belt.
He lingered backstage for ages, looking nervous. I found it kind of funny and asked if he wanted my autograph.
He scratched his head, blushing. "Can I add you on WhatsApp?"
After that, he started inviting me out to dinner and would always be there to talk with me, making sure I never felt alone.
Sometimes we'd keep the call going, chatting away until we both fell asleep.
Eventually, we just started holding hands, and it all happened so naturally. We became a couple.
He'd travel any distance just to bring me pizza for a midnight snack, all because I happened to mention I was craving it.
I'd get up early every morning to make him a homemade lunch, so he'd always have something healthy to eat.
Back then, I never doubted for a second that Zachary was the one I wanted to spend my whole life with.
How did things get so messed up between us?
Out of nowhere, I was back in that twilight, sitting in the old rocking chair. That was the last time things ever felt right between us.
Zachary wrapped his arms around me and whispered, "When I finally win that Best Actor award, will you write me a song?"
Turns out, by some crazy twist of fate, I'm the one composing the score for his first movie after he snagged that Best Actor award.
Guess that meant, in the end, we both got what we wished for.
But the scars on my body still acted up. Sometimes the pain got so bad that I nearly passed out.