Chapter 1A Decade Late

Late one night, an Oscar winner’s unhinged confessional blew up the internet.

【Time flies. She’s on her second kid, and I haven’t even made it to the backup-boyfriend list.】

【Heard she’s into the puppy-dog type. Is it too late for me to become a lapdog?】

【I’m a traditional man. I’m willing to be the other guy.】

Netizens pulled an all-nighter, determined to unmask the mother-of-two who had humbled a global superstar.

I was up late, scrolling through the gossip.

Suddenly, someone tagged me.

【You went to high school with Henry Vance. Do you know who his secret crush is?】

* * *

After Henry’s private social media account was exposed, my own page was flooded with curious onlookers.

【We need to know who this woman is! The one who made a top-tier actor lose his mind in the middle of the night!】

I thought for a moment, then typed a reply: 【I have someone in mind.】

The second I hit post, before the speculation could even catch fire, my agent called and ordered me to delete it immediately.

So, I obediently shut my mouth.

And went back to scrolling.

It wasn't just my social media that had exploded.

Our usually dormant high school alumni group chat was on fire.

Henry had been a legend even back then.

I was his little sidekick, the designated collector of his love letters. The girls all tried to butter me up, and I happily skimmed a few perks off the top.

Henry wasn't in the alumni chat, so everyone was speaking freely.

【I never knew Henry was such a romantic. The untouchable campus king, brought down by love!】

【It has to be Sophia, right? I remember she just got divorced, and she has two kids. It all adds up.】

【Definitely! Sophia was the girl every guy had a crush on back then.】

The chat was moving a mile a minute. Everyone started tagging Sophia, demanding confirmation.

Soon, Sophia herself appeared.

She sent a voice message, her tone a perfect blend of embarrassment and feigned exasperation.

"Oh, you guys, stop guessing. That was all so long ago."

Her vague response was anything but a denial.

It was a confirmation.

The chat filled with messages of congratulations.

I joined the chorus: 【Congrats, can’t wait for the wedding invitation.】

I had just closed the app when a private message from Sophia popped up.

【Clara, are you still in touch with Henry? Could you send me his contact info?】

I was surprised. They hadn't spoken in all these years?

Henry really knew how to keep a secret.

I scrolled through my contacts, finally landing on his name.

Henry had changed his number when he entered the entertainment industry. This old account hadn't been active in nearly five years.

I opened our chat history. The last messages were from a heated argument we’d had right after graduation, with him demanding to know why I’d changed my university choice without telling him.

Looking back, the fight seemed so childish.

I’d even given him the silent treatment.

I typed and deleted my message several times before finally sending it.

【Hey, superstar. How have you been? I saw the news. Sophia’s single again, by the way. Thought you might need her number?】

【Is your mom feeling better? I was at the hospital a few days ago and heard she’d been discharged.】

【You’ll never guess, but we’re kind of in the same business now. Though I’m still a nobody actress, haha.】

【And about what happened back then… I owe you an apology.】

【If you ever see this, would you be open to meeting up?】