Part 1Three Years of Secret Marriage to a Movie Queen

After three years of secret marriage to movie star Olivia, I gave up hope.

I released albums, acted in TV shows, and appeared on variety programs. My career was on fire.

Later, Olivia cornered me in my car and demanded to know why I wouldn't acknowledge her status.

I asked her back: "What status?"

Olivia was trending again.

A blurry photo showed two people holding hands and running in the rain.

I would have called it beautiful if the woman wasn't my wife.

And if I hadn't recognized the man as my wife's ex-boyfriend.

I switched to my main Instagram account and commented:

"What a handsome couple."

Soon after, some of my old fans from my reality show days welcomed me back.

One fan with the username "WillCrashWallsForBrother" caught my attention with their reply:

"Isn't Olivia my brother's girlfriend? How could she do this to him!"

This comment immediately sparked hundreds of question marks from others.

Confused, I replied to them:

"She's not."

Indeed, she wasn't my girlfriend - she was my wife.

"WillCrashWallsForBrother" stopped replying publicly and sent me a private message instead:

"Brother, did you break up with Olivia? That's great! I never liked her. She was always flirting around despite having such a good boyfriend like you. She's pure trash! What are your plans now? If you don't mind, why not join our family's Pinnacle Entertainment? You're so talented, with great musical sense, good looks, and a nice personality. You'll definitely become famous! Plus, my sister... I really like you, brother!"

They rattled off a long string of messages, not waiting for my reply. They even said they had already contacted a manager for me, just waiting for my agreement.

I chuckled, thinking it was a prank. I just replied "Thank you for your support" and logged off.

After all, Pinnacle Entertainment was the biggest entertainment company. They had countless A-list celebrities and swept awards across all categories. It was the place everyone in showbiz was dying to join.

And I was just a nobody who debuted through a reality show years ago, only to immediately retire. I didn't even have 10,000 Instagram followers.

I picked up my polished bass guitar and started tuning it.

Twang—

"What I want is tomorrow, it can't fit in an email, memories stranded by time, should we still meet..."

"Just forget it, just let go, in those rejected emails, in those days waiting for dawn, I only have myself, not yet doubting..."

With a pencil in one hand and plucking strings with the other, I immersed myself in my own world.

By the time it was completely dark outside, I finally put down my pencil and massaged my shoulders, taking a deep breath.

For three years, I never gave up on music for a moment.

Whenever I had free time, I wrote songs, composed, and practiced singing.

Music accompanied me through three years of lonely waiting.

When I checked my phone again, Olivia's manager Mei had called me over 30 times.

But Olivia herself hadn't contacted me at all.

That's right - even though we were married, I couldn't even call her directly.

We could only communicate via email as a married couple.

Because she didn't want me to enter her life in the slightest.

It turned out my reply this morning had led people to dig up the connection between Olivia and me.

"Rising movie star suspected of secret marriage, yet spotted strolling in rain with internet celebrity."

In an instant, Olivia became the target of criticism. The Instagram comment sections of both our accounts were filled with fans arguing.

Although I had few fans, my status as the victim led many bystanders to speak up for me.

I was puzzled - they were actually pretty nice.

Mei called again. I answered but didn't put the phone to my ear.

"Jack! What are you doing?! You don't reply to emails, you don't answer calls. Do you know how swamped I am here? Now, immediately, delete that comment! And post a statement saying you have no relationship with Olivia!"

The other end was furious, her tone condescending, as if I had to do what she said or else.

Although I hadn't meant to cause this, I wasn't some pushover anyone could bully.

"If Olivia has anything to say, she'll tell me herself. Who are you?"

"I'm Olivia's manager! I can make decisions about everything for her! Do as I say quickly!"

"Oh really? Then how come you couldn't decide when Olivia married me?"

I sneered and hung up the phone, then opened my email.

I deleted the pile of emails from Mei without reading them. Olivia still hadn't contacted me.

I counted the emails between us.

I had sent her the most - over 20,000 in my inbox, excluding the ones I had deleted early on.

Most of the time she didn't reply. When she did, it was just simple "Mm", "Okay", "Fine", "Whatever".

A new email notification popped up from Olivia.

"Jack, just listen to her. I'm sorry."

I smiled bitterly and sent a tentative reply: "Let's get divorced."

While waiting for her response, I made a bet with myself.