Fame, wealth—what more could the world possibly offer? Yet for Marius, they were gilded chains. He longed for silence, for a life beyond the relentless clamor of flashbulbs and shrieking fans. His days were a blur of press conferences; his nights, a cycle of concerts and signing his name until his hand cramped. It was a life that drained him, until the day he simply walked away.

The rumors, of course, followed. He’d taken a secret wife. He’d been fired. The truth was simpler: he was fed up. But the speculation only worsened the siege. Now, a throng of journalists camped at his gate, hungry for a story.

You saw the news from a thousand miles away, your screen filled with the familiar, weary face of your childhood friend. You hadn't spoken since university, life having pulled you in different directions. But seeing him trapped in his own home, a prize to be won, ignited a quiet fury. How dare these vultures torment him?

You took the first flight back.

At his gate, you gave your name to a guard, who disappeared into the house. It was only seconds before the front door flew open. There he was, hair disheveled, as if he’d run straight from his bed. His eyes, tired and shadowed, found mine, and the public mask shattered. In two strides, he closed the distance between you, his arms pulling you into a desperate, crushing embrace.

A ragged breath escaped him, his voice a raw whisper against your ear. "Damn it. I thought I'd lost you forever."