Chapter 2

Alayna POV:

Jarrett' s face twisted, a mixture of disbelief and anger. He seemed to search for something in my eyes, some crack in my resolve, but there was nothing left. The well was dry. I had poured everything into him for seven years, and now, I was just an empty vessel. He started to speak, to explain, to offer the same hollow apologies and justifications he always did. But I just shook my head, already walking away.

His voice followed me, rising in frustration. "Alayna, wait! Let's talk about this properly! Don't be like this! You always get like this!"

I didn't dignify his words with a reply, just kept walking towards the bedroom, my movements stiff and deliberate. He caught up to me, grabbing my arm. His grip was firm, familiar, but this time it felt like a cage. "What is it, then? What's the real reason?" he demanded, his voice low and menacing. "You can't just throw away everything because of an imaginary fight!"

"It's not imaginary, Jarrett," I said, my voice still eerily calm. I pulled my arm away, surprised by my own strength. "It' s real. All of it. The neglect. The gaslighting. The way you make me feel like I' m crazy for having emotions."

He ran a hand through his hair, his brow furrowed in exasperation. "See? This is what I mean! You're always so suspicious, so dramatic. You make me feel like I can't breathe sometimes! All you ever do is complain about my work, about my co-stars, about the fans! Don't you think that puts a tremendous amount of pressure on me?"

I didn't answer. His words just washed over me, meaningless sounds. I was mentally ticking off the boxes of his usual manipulation tactics. Making me the problem? Check. Turning himself into the victim? Check. Accusing me of being demanding and unsupportive? Triple check.

I remembered the live stream, just a few days before my birthday. Kisha, crying dramatically, wiping tears, then Jarrett, leaning in. He almost touched her face, his hand hovering, before pulling back at the last second, perhaps remembering the cameras. He settled for a comforting pat on her hair. The fans, of course, had gone wild. "Jarrett almost wiped her tears! So much raw emotion!" they'd screamed in the comments. It was all a show. A calculated, heartbreaking show.

I was done with the show.

I looked at him, truly looked at him, and saw a stranger. The man I had loved was gone, replaced by a caricature of Hollywood ambition and self-absorption. This person standing in front of me, throwing tantrums and playing the victim, was not the man who had promised me the world.

"Goodbye, Jarrett," I said, turning my back on him for good. The finality of the words hung in the air.

He stood there, stunned, for a moment. Then, his face hardened. "Fine! Go! When you calm down, you'll see how silly this all is!"

The door clicked shut behind me. I didn't look back.

I had tried. God, I had tried so hard. I had become an expert at minimizing my needs, at being the "supportive girlfriend" who never caused trouble. My entire life revolved around his schedule, his emotions, his career.

There was that one time, about a year ago, when he was on location for three months, barely calling, barely texting. I missed him so much, my chest ached. I missed the sound of his voice, the way he crinkled his eyes when he laughed. So, I planned a surprise visit. I meticulously packed his favorite homemade cookies, his preferred brand of coffee, a hand-knitted scarf for the chilly nights on set. I even timed my flight down to the minute, making sure I wouldn't interrupt his shooting schedule. My goal was simple: a quick hug, a whispered "I love you," and then I'd be gone before anyone even noticed.

But fate, or perhaps Jarrett's karmic retribution, had other plans. A sudden change in weather meant a last-minute reshoot of a crucial intimate scene. I arrived just as the director called "Action!" and Jarrett and his co-star, not Kisha, but another actress, were locked in a passionate embrace, their bodies intertwined on a makeshift bed. My cookies, carefully arranged in a basket, clattered to the floor as my hands trembled.

Jarrett saw me. His eyes, full of the simulated desire for his co-star, instantly glazed over with fury. The director yelled "Cut!" and the entire set went silent.

He stalked towards me, his face a mask of barely contained rage. "What are you doing here, Alayna?" he hissed, his voice low and dangerous. The calm, composed Jarrett, the one who always charmed everyone, was gone. This was the Jarrett I rarely saw, the one reserved solely for me when I "crossed the line."

"I... I just wanted to surprise you," I stammered, tears stinging my eyes. "I brought you food."

He glanced at the shattered cookie fragments on the floor, then back at me, his lip curling in disgust. "Food? You think this is a picnic? You just ruined a take, Alayna! An expensive take! Do you have any idea how much this costs?" He gestured wildly at the set around him, his eyes blazing. "You're always so needy! Can't you just let me work?"

He kept yelling, his words like daggers. "You' re always so demanding! Can' t you just trust me?" He even kicked at the fallen basket, sending a bottle of water rolling away. The cookies, crushed and smeared, looked like my heart.

The other actress, looking vaguely uncomfortable, quickly retreated. The crew averted their eyes. I stood there, utterly humiliated, tears streaming down my face. "You're a jerk, Jarrett!" I finally choked out, my voice trembling. "A complete and utter jerk!"

"Oh, now I'm a jerk?" he sneered. "Because I don't want my girlfriend causing a scene on my set? Because I expect a little professionalism? You know what? If you can't handle my job, then maybe you shouldn't be here!"

"Then I won't be!" I screamed, turning and running, the sound of his angry shouts fading behind me. I ran until my lungs burned, until my legs ached, until I couldn't run anymore.

That day, I packed my bags. I was done. But then he called. And called. And called. He showed up at my door, looking repentant, holding a single, wilted rose. He got down on one knee, tears in his eyes, begging me to stay. "I can't lose you, Alayna," he'd whispered, his voice cracking. "You're my anchor. My everything. I'm sorry. I was stressed. I didn't mean it." He kissed me, hard and desperate, silencing my protests, wrapping me in a suffocating embrace that felt like both a promise and a threat.

And like an idiot, I stayed. Again.

He had this way of making me believe I was the problem. My "insecurity," my "anxiety," my inability to "understand the demands of his art." He' d use those words like blunt instruments, bludgeoning my self-worth until I was too bruised to fight back. He' d kiss away my tears with empty promises, then leave me to pick up the pieces of my shattered confidence all over again.

But this time, it was different. This time, there were no tears. Just a quiet, chilling certainty. The resentment had solidified into a concrete wall between us. I looked at him, his mouth still moving, still spewing justifications, and felt nothing. No anger, no sadness, no love. Just a vast, empty space where my feelings used to be. It was like a long, drawn-out death. And now, the corpse was finally cold.

"It's not you, Jarrett," I said, my voice barely above a whisper, but firm. "It's just... us. We're done."

He blinked, his mouth snapping shut. He looked like a fish out of water, gasping for an argument, for a way to reel me back in. He' d never seen me like this. Never seen me so calm, so devoid of emotion. It scared him, I could tell. Good.

"I need you to leave," I said, gesturing towards the door. "I'm not going to argue anymore. There's nothing left to say."

He stood there for a long moment, defeated. He knew, unconsciously perhaps, that this time was different. This time, there was no fight left in me. And without my fight, he had nothing to push against.

He finally turned, his shoulders slumped, and walked out of the apartment we once called home. The silence he left behind this time wasn't heavy. It was light. Liberating. And utterly, terrifyingly final.