It was an open secret among the industry elite: behind Best Actor Noah Henson stood a fiercely private, ace screenwriter named Rosalie Pruitt.
She had custom-written five scripts for him, each one carrying him higher until he sat on a throne of his own.
Noah had once promised her that the moment he claimed his fifth Best Actor trophy, he would propose to her right there in the Golden Dragon Awards ceremony hall.
But on the night of the ceremony, he thanked everyone under the sun—especially Kate Sullivan, his first love, who was staging her comeback.
He never once mentioned Rosalie's name.
He even went backstage and personally shot down the proposal his manager had arranged.
"Noah, you've been putting this off for five years. Aren't you afraid that if you break your promise, Rosalie will actually leave you?"
Noah lit a cigarette, his expression half-hidden behind a veil of smoke.
"Kate's in the middle of her comeback. She needs the buzz. I can't announce a relationship right now and crush her confidence."
"And what about Rosalie? She's waited all this time for you."
"She doesn't need a title. She loves me that much. Even if I never marry her, she'll always be right behind me."
What he didn't know was that I had never been the type to cling to something that no longer served me.
The second I watched him tear up that proposal draft with his own hands, I quietly blocked him on everything.
Besides, the invitation from that acclaimed international director couldn't be put off any longer.
From here on out, the great Noah Henson could find someone else to write his scripts.
——
The air conditioning in the Golden Dragon Awards hall was cranked up high. I sat in the front row, tucked against the far edge.
Noah had specifically arranged this seat for me.
He'd said:
"Rosalie, tonight I'm taking home my fifth Best Actor trophy. I want you right there in the brightest spotlight when I propose, in front of everyone, so the whole world can congratulate you. You'll be the happiest woman alive."
For this, I'd commissioned a renowned designer to create the most expensive dress I'd ever owned in my career. I'd brought a hidden camera to capture the moment, along with a pair of matching rings I'd had custom-made.
Onstage, the presenter tore open the envelope.
"And the winner of this year's Golden Dragon Award for Best Actor is... Noah Henson! Congratulations!"
Applause crashed through the hall like a wave.
I watched Noah rise from his seat.
He looked extraordinary tonight—triumphant, electric.
The blue crystal-studded couture suit I had personally picked out for him brought his brooding, leading-man magnetism to its peak.
I squeezed the ring box in my palm without thinking, pressing my other hand against my chest to steady the wild hammering of my heart.
Five years. One thousand eight hundred and twenty-five days.
Any moment now, I would become his fiancée.
Onstage, Noah accepted the trophy and leaned toward the microphone, his proud gaze sweeping the entire venue.
I straightened in my seat, ready for our eyes to meet in that long-awaited, tender look.
But his gaze barely grazed my corner before drifting past.
As if he had never known me at all.
Then it landed.
On Kate Sullivan, seated front and center in the prime section, bathed in the brightest light in the room.
By some coincidence, she was also wearing a blue gown—a trailing number in almost the same shade as Noah's suit.
My stomach dropped.
Back in school, Noah had worshipped her like she was the moon itself—untouchable, luminous, the one that got away.
After graduation, he'd abandoned a stable career just to be closer to her, throwing himself into the entertainment industry.
If she hadn't married into a wealthy family, I would never have had the chance to get near him in the first place.
And now, after five years, she was back.
Noah hadn't breathed a single word of it to me.
"Thank you to the director, the judges, and my entire team."
Noah's voice pulled me out of my spiraling thoughts.
"And lastly, I want to give a special, personal thank-you to someone who stood by me through the hardest days of my life—someone who means more to me than I can say."
The way he drew out those words sent my heartbeat rocketing into my throat.
I discreetly smoothed my skirt and even started to lean forward, ready to receive the spotlight that was about to swing my way.
But what came out of his mouth next plunged me into ice.
