The day Cassian Tucker claimed the Best Actor award, he sent Vivienne Waverly a wedding gown, a silent gesture that felt like a promise.
After five long years as his hidden lover, Vivienne believed this was her moment, the moment he’d finally give her a place in his life.
But as the cameras flared and applause echoed, Cassian paid her no mind. Instead, he sank to one knee before a young starlet, his eyes sparkling for another.
In an instant, the world mocked her, dismissing Vivienne as nothing more than a deluded woman, desperately obsessed. Cassian’s dark, unreadable eyes held no warmth when she confronted him.
"Vivienne, don’t cross the line."
Two weeks later, Vivienne walked out of his life, just as he’d wanted.
But Cassian’s triumph was short-lived; soon enough, he was a shadow of himself, desperately searching for the woman he had pushed away.
***
The night before the next awards ceremony, Cassian secretly posted a message out of his manager’s sight. [On stage, I will propose to you.]
Seeing his words, Vivienne thought this was his surprise for her, a long-awaited promise to bring her out of the shadows.
On the night of the ceremony, she sat in the audience, adorned in a wedding dress, her heart soaring with hope.
As Cassian accepted his award, he gazed lovingly across the crowd, his voice resonating with warmth. “Tonight, I want to propose to my muse…”
The spotlight swept over the room and Vivienne rose from her seat, heart pounding, drawing every eye in the hall.
“...Freya Hudson.”
Cassian stepped off the stage, walking right past Vivienne to lift Freya, seated just ahead of her. They embraced, their passion on full display, leaving Vivienne standing there, frozen in disbelief, painted as a fool before all.
Two weeks later, Vivienne fled to Norway, distancing herself from a place barren of love.
The director lingered on a close-up of Cassian and Freya, a celebrated actor and a rising star, perfectly matched.
Behind them, Vivienne, still dressed in white, appeared even more like a love-struck madwoman.
“Oh, how humiliating! If that were me, I’d want to vanish into thin air!”
“To think she’s even his agent…”
Mocking glances, veiled and open alike, pierced her pride and left her feeling utterly stripped of dignity.
Vivienne’s face turned pale as she hurried out of the hall, unable to withstand another moment.
Viewers mocked her mercilessly online, saying she had given them a masterclass in “a true panicked retreat.”
Once she reached the bathroom, she locked herself in a stall and finally released the strangled, desperate sob she had been holding back.
As Cassian’s agent, she knew all too well the cruelty of fans and faceless internet voices. She didn’t need to look to know her inbox would be brimming with insults.
An orphan Cassian had once sponsored, she now felt as though he had backed her into a corner with no escape.
With hope extinguished, Vivienne finally made a choice. She dialed the number. “Hello, I’d like to accept the offer and move to Norway. Is the position still available?”
“Absolutely! Ms. Waverly, the Norway branch would be delighted to have you.”
In the silence of the bathroom, Vivienne gazed at her worn-out reflection and spoke with a new calm.
“I have a few final tasks to wrap up here. I’ll be in Norway in two weeks.”
After arranging the last details, she ended the call.
The moment she hung up, a wave of accusations reverberated from outside the awards hall.
Cassian’s fans swarmed every exit, leaving her no path to escape.
They demanded answers from Vivienne, his agent, about the mortifying scene at the awards.
The event had been broadcast live and everyone witnessed Vivienne’s humiliating display, standing there in a wedding dress, lost in a hopeless dream.
“Oh, please, did she really think Cassian’s tweet was about proposing to her? Like she’s even in his league!”
“What a delusional, self-important frog!”
As soon as Vivienne appeared in their sights, their rage ignited and a storm of insults filled the air.
A few fans even threw withered vegetables and eggs at her, leaving her once-pristine lace gown smeared with dirt and stains, reducing her to a picture of utter defeat.
Vivienne bowed her head, silently enduring each jeer.
In two weeks, she would finally be free of Cassian and causing a scene now would only draw his attention.
Just hours before the awards ceremony, Cassian had sent her the wedding dress, along with a bouquet of roses.
Nestled among the petals was a card in his own handwriting. [Wear this and be my bride.]
Her heart had raced at those words, drumming with a mix of hope and disbelief.
After five years, hidden in the shadows as his secret lover, Cassian was finally ready to acknowledge her. In that instant, Vivienne felt that every sacrifice, every stolen moment, had been worth it.
But now, reality had shattered that illusion, a brutal slap leaving her thoroughly awakened.
Cassian had only wanted to humiliate her, using her devotion as a cruel game.
“Cassian is coming out!”
At someone’s shout, the angry crowd surrounding her surged toward him.
Vivienne was left standing alone, humiliated, watching Cassian as he carefully escorted Freya, basking in the crowd’s praise and blessings.
Then, someone asked why she had stood up in a wedding gown during Cassian’s proposal.
Cassian’s gaze swept the crowd, settling on Vivienne with a cold indifference.
His voice held not a shred of warmth as he spoke, dripping with disdain. “We’ve crossed paths a lot for work. I suppose someone got the wrong idea.”
“Thankfully, Freya is understanding and didn’t mind this madwoman disrupting our proposal.”
Freya, content in Cassian’s arms, beamed at the crowd. “Thank you all for your blessings! Let’s focus on celebrating, not on anything unimportant.”
She continued with a soft, forgiving tone, “Vivienne just made a mistake in the moment. I hope everyone will let her move on and avoid targeting her online.”
Fans burst into applause, marveling at Freya’s kindness and beauty.
The sight of this flawless couple made Vivienne feel a wave of nausea. She turned to leave, but a fan with sharp eyes stopped her, calling out, “Vivienne hasn’t apologized to Freya yet!”
In an instant, the crowd rallied, chanting, “Apologize! Apologize! Vivienne, apologize!”
The sound rose, reverberating through her chest. For a fleeting moment, Vivienne felt unsteady. Had it all truly been her fault?
Cassian shot a cold, disdainful look at Vivienne, her appearance utterly disheveled and humiliated. Holding Freya’s hand, he approached her, frowning with an air of contempt.
"Vivienne, whatever ridiculous fantasies you might indulge in privately, you’ve crossed the line," he said sharply.
He sneered, his voice laced with scorn. "Don’t you understand how meaningful a proposal is for a woman? You’ve ruined a precious moment for Freya. Isn’t it time you apologized?"
Freya tugged softly on Cassian’s sleeve, her voice delicate, yet her gaze at Vivienne glinting with pride. "Let’s not be too harsh on her," she murmured. "It must be hard for her, liking you so much but watching us find happiness together."
Cassian’s handsome features twisted in disdain as his gaze shifted to Vivienne, his expression as if she were something distasteful he’d rather avoid.
With a cold scoff, he said, "Why should I care about her feelings? It’s pathetic. She’s like a leech, clingy and unwilling to let go.”
The foul smell of raw egg clung to her hair as Vivienne stood silently, letting Cassian and Freya’s taunts wash over her.
Only the night before, Cassian’s embrace had been possessive, his kisses searing and unrelenting, as if he couldn’t pull away.
But now, his words sliced through her with a merciless edge, every ounce of warmth gone.
When Vivienne stayed silent, Cassian’s patience thinned and a shadow of irritation crossed his face.
"Vivienne, are you mute? Or deaf?" he spat. "I told you to apologize to Freya, didn’t you hear me?"
With nowhere left to turn, Vivienne raised her head, looking into the eyes of the man who had filled her world for eight years, feeling a jarring sense of unfamiliarity.
Yet perhaps, knowing Cassian’s egotistical pride, it was no surprise it had come to this.
At fifteen, Vivienne’s life had unraveled when her father’s failed investments buried them in debt.
In despair, he abandoned her and her mother, taking his life with a leap from a twenty-story building.
Her mother, alone and desperate, hid from creditors and worked herself into exhaustion, juggling four jobs until her health gave out and left her bedridden.
Vivienne had barely entered high school when her world collapsed.
When her life seemed to be at a dead end, Cassian appeared like a lone ray of light piercing the darkness.
At twenty, he paid off her father’s debts, arranged top medical care for her mother and even allowed Vivienne to continue her studies.
At first, she had been cautious around him, fearing hidden motives. But as the months passed, she realized he expected nothing in return and rarely visited her.
Yet the image of his handsome profile, as he held an umbrella for her during a rainstorm, had etched itself into her heart.
That memory had stayed with her for eight years.
Perhaps it was the dim evening light, but Vivienne found herself wondering if the man before her was still the Cassian she had once loved.
"Oh, Cassian, please don’t push Vivienne any further. She just…" Freya’s soft voice cut through the tension, only to be interrupted by Vivienne’s cool response.
"Fine. I’ll apologize."
The crowd, noisy moments before, fell into an abrupt silence.
