Chapter 1 Five years ago, I ended things with A-list actor Julian Li. It was a clean break. My parting shot was, "I guarantee I'll find someone else before you do." Five years later, I was forced to share a stage with him. In front of a live audience, Julian announced, "Please stop shipping me with Cora Wu. I already have a girlfriend." The arena went silent. Every fan turned to look at me with pity. I didn't say a word. Because in those five years, I’d already gotten married and had children. The green room at Sirius Entertainment. I sat at the vanity, methodically touching up my makeup. My manager, Jane, was pacing. “Cora, you have to do this. The ‘JuCo’ shippers pooled a ridiculous amount of money for this fan event. They want you two on stage, singing ‘Our Song.’" My hand, holding the powder puff, froze. “No.” Jane expected this. “Cora, I know it’s been five years, but do you have any idea how much buzz this reunion has? You two are trending just for being in the same city.” I didn't reply. Julian and I had come up together. We went from being extras in shitty network dramas to winning Oscars. The media loved our "Golden Couple" narrative. After the breakup, Julian stayed golden. I, on the other hand, had slowly faded from the spotlight. Anyone left in the industry knew: you don't say his name to me. And you don't say my name to him. But this time, the studio wasn't backing down. The fans had paid too much. Two weeks later, I was standing on stage at Madison Square Garden. The stadium was packed. The opening chords of "Our Song" began. When I walked out, the roar of the crowd died instantly. Silence. No cheers, no applause. I closed my eyes and brought the mic to my lips. "If I wasn't so in love with you, why would the night feel so long..." My voice, clear and steady, filled the void. Then, from behind me, a cool, familiar voice joined in. "Every thought I have is of you. I miss you, miss you, I miss you..." The stadium erupted. "JULIAN! JULIAN LI! WE LOVE YOU!" As the screams echoed, I opened my eyes and turned. He was there. Dressed in a dark, custom-tailored suit, walking toward me. His eyes, narrow and deep, used to light up when he saw me. Now, they were just cold. But his lips were singing words of devotion. "Love is a beautiful torture," he sang, "but I can't bear to let it go." I turned back to the crowd, joining him for the chorus. "Constantly guessing what's in your heart, and if you left a space for me..." Our voices tangled, pulling a five-year-old memory from its grave. I’d flown to Vancouver to surprise him on his closed set. I walked in and saw the film’s lead actress, Sophia Dong, casually pick up his water bottle and take a drink. Julian, a notorious germaphobe, just watched her with the softest look in his eyes. In that moment, I knew. All those years, he’d never looked at me like that. A month later, I broke up with him. “I’m done.” He’d just stared at me. He didn't ask why. He just asked, “Are you sure?” “I’m sure.” “Okay.” No arguments. No begging. Our entire life, from college to stardom, over. That day, I tweeted: “Julian and I are over.” The internet broke. But in five years, we had never been in the same room. Until now. The song finished. Julian walked to my side. He looked past me, at the audience, and raised his microphone. "Thank you all for the love. But I need to make something very clear." "Please, stop shipping me with Cora Wu. I already have a girlfriend." "It's Sophia Dong." The crowd, which had been cheering, went dead silent. I looked at Julian. His face was as cool and beautiful as ever. The concert ended in awkward silence. I was escorted by security through the back exit. As I reached the underground parking garage, a black Mercedes G-Wagon sped past, its wind tossing my hair. I recognized it. The first car he bought with his Oscar bonus. He’d put the title in my name. He was still driving it. Just then, a diamond-blue Rolls-Royce with the license plate V-8888 glided to a stop in front of me. A driver in a black suit stepped out, opened the rear door, and bowed. "Mrs. Vaughn. The young miss and young master are asking for you." Chapter 2 Back at the penthouse on the Upper East Side. The moment I walked in, two small bodies launched themselves at my legs. "Mommy!" I smiled, stroking their hair. I played with them for an hour before tucking them into bed. Exhausted, I lay on my own bed, scrolling through Twitter. "#JuCo Is Dead" was trending worldwide. Right below it: "#JulianAndSophia." I clicked. Julian had just posted. [@JulianLi] 2020-2025. Thank you for walking with me through the long years. Here's to forever. @SophiaDong He’d attached a photo gallery. The first photo... was the one of her drinking from his water bottle. I kept scrolling. The top-liked comment, with over 100k likes, was about me. [@FanGirl99] Julian's official. Cora Wu must be regretting her entire life. She threw a fit and left, and she'll never find a man better than him. The replies were a torrent. [@JuCo4Ever] Right? Remember when he ran into a literal fire on set to pull her out? [@LiFan] And that time he broke a producer’s nose for trying to make her drink? [@User88] He literally stayed by her side for two weeks when she had pneumonia. [@User12] He flew home from a shoot in Asia just to spend her birthday with her. [@Stan] The lesson: women need to learn gratitude, or they end up alone and bitter. I stared at the screen. I couldn't help it. I typed out a reply. [@CoraWu] He was good to me. But I was good to him, too. [@CoraWu] I don't regret breaking up with him. [@CoraWu] I had a very good reason. My replies were screenshotted and instantly went viral. [@FanGirl99] What "reason"? He literally saved your life! You don't get to dump him! [@LiFan] You say you don't regret it, but you're probably crying your eyes out. No one waits forever. [@User88] It's been 5 years and you're still single. Maybe the problem is you. I was about to type again when a text came through. It was my manager, Jane. [Jane] Get off Twitter. And go to sleep. You only have one kidney. You need the rest. I sighed. [Me] I know, I know. Goodnight. I closed my phone, but my mind went back seven years. Julian, in renal failure. Me, in the hospital bed next to him, giving him one of mine without a second thought. Jane had asked me, after the breakup, if I regretted it. I told her no. When you love someone, you love them completely. The outcome was bad, but my conscience was clear. The next morning, I went to the Sirius Entertainment headquarters. Julian was in the lobby, giving an interview. A reporter was fawning over him. "Julian, the reception for you last night versus Cora was... intense. Does it feel good? Knowing she dumped you so harshly, and now you're here, and she's..." I realized, then. They wanted a reunion to humiliate me. Julian looked at them, his gaze calm. His eyes flickered, finding me standing at the entrance. "She and I are in the past," he said, his voice smooth. "I have a new life. I'm sure she does, too." The reporter laughed. "She's been single for five years, Julian. We'd know if she had a new life." In this industry, my private life—or lack thereof—was a miracle. No one had ever gotten a single scoop. They assumed it was because I was still obsessed with Julian. He looked away from me, his expression flat. "Then I wish her the best in finding happiness." I stood there, watching him, and thought to myself: Thank you, Julian. I found it four years ago. Chapter 3 I walked past the media circus and into my private lounge. Jane was waiting with a stack of contracts. “You’re really doing this? In the middle of all this buzz? Why quit now?” I sat down and started signing, one after another. "I've made the money, I've won the awards. It's time to be with my family." "It's time for my family to not have to be a secret." Jane sighed, but she started helping me pack. That night was Julian's official "Welcome back to New York" party, hosted by the studio. Attendance was mandatory. I put on a deep blue velvet gown. When I arrived at the private room at Spago, the door was ajar. I heard them talking. "Cora is probably losing her mind right now." "Seriously. Julian was a saint to her. She threw him away." "Now he's with Sophia. They're a much better match." "I know, right? Remember them in Clear Sky? You could just tell. They were perfect." I froze. Clear Sky. The show Julian and Sophia had starred in, six years ago. It filmed on a closed set for a year. It's what made them both superstars. The tabloids at the time said Julian's performance as the male lead was so convincing... he had to be in love with the real-life actress. They didn't know how right they were. The month before I dumped him, I’d picked up his iPad. His photo album had a "favorites" folder. It contained 1,346 screenshots and on-set photos of him and Sophia. The day of our breakup... was my birthday. He'd spent the entire dinner texting, looking worried. I found out later why. Sophia had been "stuck" in a production office during a power outage. He'd been worried sick. About her. On my birthday. A waiter saw me and pulled the door open. The chatter stopped. Everyone stared. "Cora. You came." At the head of the table, Julian looked up. His eyes were dark, unreadable. Sophia, next to him in a white dress, instinctively put her hand on his arm. "Cora, we didn't think you'd make it," she smiled. "Studio policy," I said flatly. I took the only available seat, at the opposite end of the table. The tension was suffocating. Finally, Julian stood up, holding Sophia's hand. "Since Cora's here, this is a perfect time. I have some good news to share." "Sophia and I are getting married. October 8th." I went numb. October 8th. My birthday. The day I had just filed my official retirement papers for. I don't remember the rest of the dinner. I was the first one to leave. It was pouring rain. I stood under the restaurant's awning, watching the storm. I texted my driver to wait. The rest of the party trickled out, huddling under the awning with me. "Cora? You're still here? Driver didn't show?" someone asked. "Duh," another actress sniped. "The studio cut her car service. She's not a priority anymore." She was right. I wasn't Sophia. "God, this is just sad," someone whispered. "I know. Julian's getting married. She's alone. Her career's in the toilet." Sophia, holding Julian's arm, gave me a pitying look. "Cora, the rain is awful. You can ride with us." I was about to decline when Julian spoke, his voice cold. "It's not convenient." It was a needle, sharp and thin, right in my chest. I looked at him. "It's fine," I said, my voice steady. "Someone is coming for me." "Someone?" they muttered, looking around. A moment later, a set of high-beam headlights cut through the rain. A custom, stretched Lincoln limousine, with the plate ALY-8888, pulled up to the curb. A driver got out, opened a large black umbrella, and walked directly to me. "Ma'am," he said, bowing. "The evening traffic was bad. Mr. Vaughn sent me to bring you home." Chapter 4 Ma’am? Mr. Vaughn? Cora’s married? Everyone was frozen. Julian stared at me, his brow furrowed. "You're... married?" I paused, looking back at him. "Do you remember what I said to you when we broke up?" I'll find someone else before you do. He obviously didn't believe it. A small, humorless smile touched his lips. "Is that right? Why haven't we met him? Or does he only send a driver?" Sophia chimed in, her smile wide. "Cora, Julian is a very sentimental person. You were important to him. We'd love for you to come to our wedding." Their wedding. On my birthday. "I have a scheduling conflict that day," I said. "But... congratulations to you both." I turned to the group. "It was lovely seeing you all." It was, of course, a lie. I got in the car, and it pulled away into the night. I could almost hear their thoughts. "She must be devastated. Did you see that?" "Hiring a driver and renting a limo? That's just... desperate." "Poor Cora. She's really lost it." Back at the penthouse, I went straight to the nursery. I checked on the twins, gave them each a kiss, and sat for a while, just watching them sleep. My phone buzzed. A text from Julian. [Julian Li] If you did that to prove a point, you didn't have to. I'm getting married. It's time for you to forget the past. I looked at my sleeping children. My beautiful, perfect new life. [Me] I already have. I put the phone on silent and went to sleep. I dreamed of UCLA. Julian, the "Ice King" of the theater department. The guy no one could get close to. It took me three years to break through his defenses. I learned all his rules. He was a germaphobe. A meter of personal space, always. It took me a year to hold his hand. Another year for a kiss. He was the kind of man who would never cheat. But then, on that set in Vancouver, watching Sophia drink from his cup... I realized. It wasn't that he was a germaphobe. He just wasn't in love with me. The next morning, I was woken up by my phone ringing. Jane. "Cora! You're trending again. It's bad."
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