Chapter 7 

August 15, 2021 

Three years, seven months, and three days without Sophie. 

I accepted an indie film role. 

My agent is furious because I’ll be shooting in the desert for eight months. I’ll miss countless opportunities and lose a fortune in endorsements. 

But I’m tired of chasing fame for fame’s sake. 

I need to ground myself. I’ve been too reckless. April 12, 2022 

Four years and two months since Sophie left. 

As my agent predicted, ‘my popularity plummeted after disappearing for eight 

months. 

I felt lost at first. 

But I don’t regret it. 

Those years of non–stop filming and appearances left me no time for myself. During this quiet period, I made travel plans. 

I didn’t need to plan much. 

Sophie had told me all the places she wanted to visit. 

Disneyland, to experience the magical fireworks. 

Lake Tahoe, to enjoy the luxury of hot springs surrounded by snow. 

The Grand Canyon, to stand at the edge and watch the sunrise and sunset. Colorado mountains, to be closer to the sky. 

The wild plains of Montana, to ride horses freely… 

But traveling alone feels so empty. 

February 12, 2023 

Exactly five years since Sophie left. 

The indie film was released and unexpectedly became a hit. 

Critics praised my performance. 

I won Best Actor at a major awards ceremony. 

I’m famous again. 

Very famous. 

I agreed to a livestream interview. 

The host asked me to call the person I regret losing most. 

After five years, I finally found the courage to call Sophie again. I asked why she left me. If it was because I was poor. 

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What I really wanted to ask was: I’m wealthy now, will you come back? She didn’t answer my question. Instead, she asked to borrow money. 

In that moment, my heart froze completely. 

It wasn’t her asking for money that hurt. It was her cold, detached tone. 

I realized she was truly worlds away from me now. 

I hung up immediately. 

I told myself I should have no more regrets. 

So I accepted Yasmine’s advances. 

She’s been by my side for years, from high school until now. She even followed me to the desert for that eight–month shoot. 

I had no reason to reject her. 

After the livestream ended, sitting in my car while the crew congratulated Yasmine and me on finally getting together, I inexplicably sent Sophie a hundred thousand dollars. 

Consider it the price of a lesson learned. 

The diary ended there. 

Tears soaked the pages despite my efforts to keep them dry. 

I carefully wiped them away and returned the journal to its place. That night, James never came back. 

I curled up on his couch and eventually fell asleep. 

When I woke, sunlight streamed through the windows. 

James had returned and was setting out breakfast. 

“Come eat,” he said without looking at me. 

I followed him silently. 

The spread was extravagant: eggs benedict, fresh pastries, smoked salmon, fruit platters, gourmet coffee. 

Remembering how we once counted pennies for even a simple breakfast, I automatically commented, “We can’t finish all this.” 

“I didn’t ask you to finish it,” James snapped. 

I said nothing more. 

For James now, this probably wasn’t even an expense worth mentioning. 

I sat at the table, eating slowly. 

James sat across from me but didn’t touch the food. 

“Aren’t you eating?” I asked. 

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“Already did,” he replied curtly. 

“With Yasmine?” I asked with a faint smile. 

James remained silent. 

I shouldn’t have said anything. 

I shouldn’t have crossed that line. 

But sometimes the regret is overwhelming… 

“James, let’s travel together,” I suggested suddenly. 

He looked up, surprise flashing in his eyes. 

“We always talked about going to Disneyland, to Lake Tahoe, to—” “Fine,” James agreed immediately.