At lunch, my assistant, Rachel Thomas, called me excitedly, "Nora, I've got great news for you!"

Seeing her so flustered, I asked, "Rachel, what’s the matter?" 

“There is a novel being adapted into a web series and I sent your headshots and info to the investors and director. They want you to audition next Saturday!” Rachel explained with excitement.

My heart skipped a beat. An audition? It had been so long since I last auditioned. That’s right, I was a small sporting actor, not even in the ranks of D-listers. When I first graduated, I had big dreams of becoming a star. However, reality and dreams were worlds apart, separated not only by timing and luck but also by hard work and perseverance.

Ever since I started falling in love with Bart, my entire heart had been consumed by him and as a result, my already struggling career took a nosedive. I took a sip of water, my excitement bubbling up. “Rachel, thank you so much for getting me this opportunity. Next Saturday, right? I’ll definitely be there on time. I’ll need your help with some of the preparation work.”

“No problem, Nora! You’re finally getting back on your feet! Do you know that the director even complimented you after seeing your profile? He said you really fit the character. You have to seize this rare opportunity!” Rachel encouraged,

With fire in my eyes, I said, "I promise I'll do my best!"

I had finally realized what truly mattered to me and I would never let it go and hold on to everything I got.

As for everything else, I would not care any longer.

There was a week left before the audition. I should have been resting after my surgery, but opportunities wait for no one.

I deleted all the food delivery apps on my phone and started eating salads and drinking coffee. By doing so I was hoping to reduce the swelling in a week. At night, I studied the script until late. Although it was just a supporting role, I analyzed every line carefully. The story was a Western drama and I was playing the male lead’s confidante, Mary Smith, whom he met when he had just tasted what love was. Though she was trapped in a life of hardship, she had a strong sense of patriotism. At a critical moment during the war, she decisively severed her romantic ties with the male lead. Though the role was small, for someone like me, this was a golden opportunity.

The script demanded a lot of discipline and sets of emotions from the actor, so I moved from home to the studio to make the most of this week.

One day, as I was eating a salad, Bart called me, "Nora, do you want to eat Japanese food together tonight? I’ve been trying to reach you, but you haven’t answered.”

His tone carried a hint of accusation. If this had been before, I would have scrambled to explain myself, eager to please and accepted his invitation. Yet now, all I wanted to do was to focus on the audition.

"I need to get rid of some water weight, so eating Japanese food is not an ideal food right now," I said calmly.

“When will you be done? I’ll pick you up when you’re free," Bart asked.

I said coldly, "Don't bother. I plan to do some work out tonight."

"Nora, stop sulking! I know you're still angry but enough is enough. How many years have you been out of school? You’re lucky if you occasionally land a bit part. Why can’t you be more realistic like Karen and get a stable job? Do you still naively believe you’ll become a big star?” he asked.

“I’m not sulking. I just want to focus on my work.” I calmly hung up the phone after that.

At this crucial moment, I didn’t want to waste a single second on Bart. It was not the right time to break up with him yet. I couldn’t let him affect my emotions.

However, I would never expect that later that night Bart drove to my studio and waited downstairs.

"Bart, didn't I tell you that this was the right time to catch Nora? Aren't I clever?" Karen chirped as she clung to Bart's arm intimately. She was wearing a bright red short-sleeve shirt and had her hair tied up in a high ponytail, looking full of youthful energy.

"Nora, let me see your wound!" Without waiting for my agreement, she already grabbed my hand. Her sharp manicure nail pressed hard on my skin graft, sending a surge of pain through me. Instinctively, I pushed her away.

Unexpectedly, she landed on the ground with a thud. When she looked up, her pretty face was already covered in tears. She gazed at Bart, her eyes brimming with tears. "I was just worried about her injury, but Nora seems to hate me so much. She pushed me and now I’m in so much pain!"

Bart rushed over and in just three long steps, he arrived beside her and helped her up.

"I'm sorry, Bart. If you hadn’t rushed to save me that day, Nora wouldn’t have been hurt. Luckily, she’s just an extra in so many years. So, having a skin graft probably won’t affect her career much, right?" Karen’s voice was trembling with tears, but the sideways glance she shot me was filled with smugness.

Bart's eyes filled with sympathy for her. "It's not your fault. That day was so chaotic, no one could have predicted what would happen."

I stared calmly at the "siblings" comforting each other in front of me and my mind drifted back to the day of the fire.

Flames and thick smoke shot into the sky, almost suffocating me. A burning beam fell heavily onto my right arm. Sparks sizzled as they shot into my clothes, scorching my skin. That place felt like the hell itself. In the midst of the smoke and despair, I called out for Bart. He glanced back at me, just once, before picking up Karen without hesitation. He left me with nothing but his retreating figure.

Perhaps the vacant expression on my face had triggered some guilt in Bart's heart. The man stepped forward and wrapped his arms around me. "Nora, I know I was wrong before. Let’s leave the past in the past, okay? Don’t make things difficult for Karen. I’ve reserved a spot at your favorite Japanese restaurant. Since you’ve been working out, we can order some sashimi and lighter options."

"I don’t like Japanese food," I stated flatly.

"Nora, you’re being unreasonable. That Japanese restaurant is really famous! Bart had to reserve the spot two days in advance. Even if you don’t like it, you shouldn’t waste his effort, right?" Karen said softly.

Bart's face darkened. "Nora, I'm giving you an olive branch here. Why are you always so ungrateful? Can’t you just be reasonable for once?"

"So, going to dinner with you two makes me reasonable?" I was too tired to argue anymore. An overwhelming sense of irritation began to rise.

Bart and Karen exchanged a wordless glance of exasperation.

"Fine, let's go! However, after dinner, I need to get home early to study my lines." I finally gave in.

The moonlight was beautiful that night and I practiced my character’s graceful walk on the way.

Karen kept staring at me and suddenly burst into laughter. "You were right, Bart. Nora really does think she’s going to be a star!"

"Enough, show some respect to Nora!" Surprisingly, Bart stopped Karen from mocking me for the first time. He stared at me for a long moment. There was a strange, unreadable look in his eyes.

However, my heart remained still as water.

When we reached the parking lot, I instinctively got into the back seat, leaving the front seat for Karen.

I used to get upset that Bart always let her sit in the front, but now I realize it’s just a seat. His heart was never with me anyway, so what was the point of fighting over the passenger seat?

Karen plopped down in the passenger seat and comfortably leaned back, pulling out snacks like she owned the place. Meanwhile, I sat in the back like an outsider catching a ride.

I recalled a morning not too long ago when I was running late for work and begged Bart to drive me. Since I didn’t have time to eat, I pulled out a piece of bread in the car. He was furious. He said that he hated it when people ate in his car. After that, I was always extremely careful whenever I rode with him. However, it was different with Karen. She dropped cookie crumbs on the seat. It was at this moment that the favoritism became painfully clear. What more could I not understand?

I used to be so wrapped up in Bart that even when I noticed his bias towards Karen, I chose to turn a blind eye. Now, all I wanted was to walk away as soon as I could.

The restaurant’s ambiance was indeed quite pleasant, with soft lighting like a gentle whisper beneath the moon.

Bart seemed to sense that my mood was vastly different from before and for the first time, he chose to sit beside me.

Karen began her tea ceremony performance while saying with a sweet voice, "Bart, you're doing good to Nora. Every time she throws a tantrum, you always pamper her.”

I smiled but didn’t respond. I had to admit, that after surviving that fire, my whole mindset had completely changed.

Bart pushed the menu toward me. "Nora, you can choose whatever you like!"

It had been a long time since I indulged myself, so I ordered a few skewers of grilled yakitori.

When the sizzling skewers, coated with sauce, were served, the aroma of the grilled meat filled the air. As the tantalizing smell danced on my tongue, my exhausted mind began to unwind as well.

“Nora, don’t these skewers look a bit like your burnt skin?”