Chapter 13
Shannon sat focused in a renowned publishing house in Murica, her fingers flying away as she worked on her manuscript.
Her editor, Diane Robinson, had just informed her that the piece she’d submitted for the competition had successfully passed the preliminary round. She now needed a new manuscript for the semifinals.
Just as Shannon was focused on writing, she received a call from Maya. “Check your phone right now, Shannon! What shocking news!”
Puzzled, she went online and saw the top trending post, which was “Laura Zimmerman’s Off–Camera Behavior Exposed“.
Shannon clicked it and was met with a flood of Laura’s scandals. The reposts were all from well–known producers and directors.
It looked like Laura had been completely blacklisted by the entire industry.
After reading through the posts, Shannon mocked, “I saw it. As expected, someone with bad character never gets far, no matter where they are.”
Maya said, “According to an insider, your ex–husband was behind all this.”
A flicker of shock crossed Shannon’s eyes. She hadn’t expected Thomas, who had always supported Laura, to end up destroying her career.
“I heard he caught Laura red–handed with another man in the act,” Maya replied, her tone a mixture of gloating and pity.
However, Shannon remained calm. She was already aware of what kind of person Laura was from the start.
Seeing that she didn’t respond, Maya hesitated before continuing, “Thomas came looking for me after you left. He asked about your whereabouts.” Shannon frowned and asked, “You didn’t tell him, did you?”
“No way. How could I possibly tell him, when I’ve seen how he treated you?” Maya replied.
Hearing that, the weight in Shannon’s chest seemed to ease. She coldly said, “Thomas and I were never from the same world–we were just bound by a ridiculous agreement. Now that it has expired, there’s no reason to stay in touch.”
Maya couldn’t help but admire her clear–headedness. After all, it couldn’t have been easy for Shannon to walk away from a five–year relationship.
She paused before saying, “But honestly, I wasn’t expecting this. Thomas used to treat you so coldly, yet he completely lost it after you left. Same goes for that ungrateful son of yours–he’s now missing you every day, hoping you’ll come back.
“People are strange, aren’t they? They can’t seem to cherish a person while they’re still there. But as soon as that person leaves, they start to regret it all of a sudden.”
A quiet ache started stirring in Shannon’s chest after hearing this. Everything she had once fought so hard to attain was now being handed over to her so easily after she left. How ironic.
She and Maya caught up with each other for a while before ending the call. She no longer dwelt in the messy drama, instead settling her mind and getting back to writing her manuscript.
By the time Shannon had emailed her manuscript in, she noticed that she was the only person left in the office.
She leisurely started tidying up her workspace under the dim light. She then turned off the lights, locked the doors, and left the office.
The moonlight shone on Shannon’s emotionless face.
Around her, the passersby were all of different races and hairstyles, reminding her once again that she was no longer in her home country, but a foreign land.
As Shannon glanced at a couple holding hands with their child, she instantly started reminiscing. She, Thomas, and Christopher were once like that, too. But it was no longer the case now.
A flicker of confusion momentarily crossed her gaze before vanishing completely.
They might have had some beautiful memories together, but an overwhelming part of it had been filled with real, consuming pain.
As the blinking red light gave way to the green light, Shannon trudged forward, blending into the bustling crowd.
As she walked down the streets of Nivark, a sudden voice called out from behind her. “Do you still remember me, Shannon?”
