1 After we got married, William told me he didn’t like the idea of his woman being in the public eye. So I deleted my podcast account, the one with millions of loyal listeners, and contentedly settled into being his quiet harbor. Then he brought home a girl named Serena. He said her voice sounded exactly like Echo, the late-night radio host who had vanished from the airwaves years ago, and praised her immense talent. He began spending entire nights with her in the recording studio, even personally making sure she took her medicine. When I ran a fever of a hundred and two, he brushed it off. “Serena has a crucial mic test tonight, Vivian. I need to be there to supervise.” When I tried to reason with him, he snapped at me. “She is not like you. She has dreams, real ambition. She isn’t like you, content with just playing the housewife.” Looking into his eyes that day, a sudden wave of exhaustion washed over me. I demanded a divorce. The next time I saw William was at my official comeback press conference. He still had no idea that Echo, the woman he had spent three long years searching for, was me. … The heavy heat of June drifted through the VIP corridor of the Grand Convention Center. I walked steadily down the long hallway, the quiet click of my high heels keeping a steady rhythm on the polished floor. As I turned the corner, I saw him. It had been three years since I walked out of his luxury penthouse overlooking the river. I could barely remember how I survived those dark days. I only remembered how he used the gentlest tones to utter the most cutting words, trapping me in that house and then blaming me for losing my sense of self. He pushed me away, yet resented me for not understanding him. During those sleepless nights, I would stare at the ceiling waiting for dawn, my hair falling out in clumps, feeling as though I might shatter at any moment. Yet, I had to keep up the facade of a dutiful wife, swallowing the bitter pill of his entanglement with Serena without making a sound. Looking back now, those miseries felt wrapped in a thick fog, blurry and distant. William stood in the center of the crowd, looking as brilliant and untouchable as ever. I offered a faint, bitter smile. This scene felt remarkably like our very first meeting. He noticed me, too. His gaze locked onto me from across the long hallway. For a fraction of a second, shock registered in his eyes, quickly replaced by something dark and unreadable. I quietly averted my eyes, acting as if I hadn’t seen him, and kept walking with the staff. “Vivian.” His voice drifted from behind me. I stopped but didn’t turn around. The sound of his footsteps drew near, measured and steady, stopping just half a step behind me. The familiar scent of sandalwood mixed with a faint hint of cigarette smoke enveloped me. “Where have you been, these past few years?” I slowly turned to face him, keeping my eyes low, and gave him a polite, formal nod. “Mr. Kingsley, it has been a long time.” William fell silent for a few seconds. “You…” He spoke again, his voice carrying a tangle of unspoken emotions. “You’ve lost a lot of weight. Are you taking care of yourself?” A sudden tightness gripped my chest as memories of curling up alone on the sofa during those endless nights flashed through my mind. I raised my eyes to look at him directly. Three years was long enough to see this man for who he truly was, and long enough to completely smooth over the remaining resentment in my heart. “I’m doing well. Eating well, sleeping well. There is no need for you to worry.” He blinked, his gaze dropping to the staff pass hanging around my neck. His lips parted, but no words came out. He looked up at the air conditioning vent overhead, a look of concern softening his features. “The AC is blasting in here. Why don’t I buy you a warm drink when this is over?” “Are you looking for a job here? If you need any help, you can always ask me.” William was, after all, the main sponsor of this summit. I smiled and shook my head. “No, thank you.” The winter in my life had already passed. Just as I was about to walk away, Serena’s voice cut through the air. “Well, if it isn’t Vivian! It’s been so long, why didn’t you say hello?” Serena walked over, holding a cup of hot coffee. As she reached my side, her hand tilted with deliberate clumsiness, splashing the hot liquid directly onto my shoes. She smirked, raising an eyebrow. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Vivian. William just said he wanted to buy you a hot coffee, so I figured I’d save him the trouble.” The moment the words left her mouth, William grabbed her arm and pulled her behind him. “Apologize!” He let his hand drop awkwardly, but even with his quick reflexes, I caught sight of the watch on his wrist. It was the one I had gifted him years ago. I had absolutely no interest in watching this little drama. “The hosts are waiting for me. Excuse me.” His face twisted into a complex mask of emotions, but I didn’t care to analyze it. I turned and let the young assistant guide me forward. As I walked, the base of my right ring finger tingled. I had taken off my wedding ring three years ago, but sometimes it still felt like it was there. The cold draft from the vents reminded me of the day I moved out, a humid summer afternoon just like this one. Except back then, William was too busy supervising Serena’s very first recording session to even see me off. He was a completely different man today. I used to think that when I met William again, I would demand answers, cry, scream, and dump all three years of my accumulated misery onto him. But I was wrong. faced with our reunion, I was remarkably calm. So calm that my heart didn’t even flutter, and I couldn’t even summon the energy to hate him. I followed the staff to the dressing room. When I pushed the door open, Serena was already there, touch-ups underway. Seeing me in the mirror, her makeup puff paused. She slowly turned around, scanning me from head to toe with a sneer playing on her lips. “Well, look who it is. Vivian. What’s the matter? Got tired of being a housewife and decided to apply for a janitor job here?” I ignored her and kept walking. She stood up and blocked my path. “I’m talking to you. Are you deaf?” “This is a VIP dressing room. What right does a discarded housewife have to be in here? Has the venue’s hiring standard dropped this low?” The young assistant tried to intervene, but Serena shoved her aside. “Who do you think you are to show up at an event like this?” She poked my shoulder, shoving me back hard. I lost my footing, my back colliding with the door frame with a dull thud. “I’m warning you, stay out of my sight. William might tolerate you, but I won’t. If I see your face again, I will make sure you never find work in this industry again.” She reached out to shove me again, but I grabbed her wrist. “Are you finished?” She froze, trying to pull away, but my grip was ironclad. “You’ve had your say, Serena. You’ve spent three years mimicking my voice, copying my inflections, and now you have the nerve to tell me to get out? Where do you get your confidence?” Her face flushed a deep red. “What rubbish are you talking about!” “Rubbish? Then tell everyone why your breakout episodes sounded identical to my recordings from three years ago. You didn’t even change the timing of the pauses by a single second.” Her face turned pale. “You! You’re making things up!” Furious, she raised her hand to slap me. The door swung open, and William stood at the threshold. He wore a dark gray shirt, sleeves rolled up to his forearms, holding a stack of papers as if he had just stepped out of a meeting. His gaze swept over us, lingering on my hand clutching my bruised shoulder, and his eyes darkened. Serena’s face transformed instantly. Her eyes welled with tears as she rushed to his side, wrapping her arms around his. “William, thank goodness you’re here. Vivian just burst in and started accusing me of copying her. She even shoved me…” She rested her cheek against his shoulder, her voice dripping with calculated vulnerability. “I was so scared.” William looked down at her. His gaze was cold and empty. He didn’t push her away, nor did he offer comfort. He simply let her cling to him as his eyes drifted back to me. He stared at the red mark on my shoulder, his throat tight. “Did you hit her?” The question was directed at Serena. Serena gasped, shaking her head. “No! She attacked me first! I was just defending myself…” “I asked you if you hit her.” His voice wasn’t loud, but it instantly sucked the air out of the room. Serena shrank back under the pressure, her lips trembling, not daring to utter another word. William didn’t look at her again. He pulled a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and took a slow, deliberate drag, letting the smoke curl into the air. He was taking his time, as if waiting for something. When the smoke cleared, he looked at me. “Does it hurt?” His voice was soft, laced with a faint rasp. I didn’t answer. He let out a mirthless chuckle that didn’t reach his eyes, making him look even more distant. Keeping the cigarette between his fingers, he turned to Serena. “Get out.” “William…” “Out.” Biting her lip, her eyes brimming with tears, Serena grabbed her purse and bolted. The door slammed shut behind her. Only the two of us remained in the quiet room. He stubbed the cigarette out in the ashtray on the table, turning to face me. His gaze drifted from my face down to the red mark on my shoulder, then away. “She’s still as impatient as ever,” he remarked, a hint of weary indulgence in his tone, as if speaking of a spoiled child. Looking at him, I felt a sudden urge to laugh. “Mr. Kingsley, keep your woman on a tighter leash.” I turned to leave. “Vivian.” I stopped but didn’t look back. A heavy silence filled the space between us. “She is the new Mrs. Kingsley now.” “I apologize on her behalf. Please try to understand.” “I know you need a job right now. Once my schedule clears up today, I’ll find something suitable for you to make up for this.” Hearing those words sent a phantom ache through my chest. Once upon a time, I was the only Mrs. Kingsley in his life. Taking a deep breath, I finally turned to leave. “Excuse me. I have a stage to get to.” I walked toward the wings. Just as I rounded the corner, the frantic clicking of heels echoed behind me. “Stop right there!” I paused as Serena caught up, her immaculate makeup marred by sheer venom. Two assistants flanked her, looking ready for a fight. “What are you trying to pull, Vivian?” she hissed, her chest heaving with barely suppressed rage. “You disappeared for three years. Why show up today of all days? Are you doing this on purpose? You knew what kind of event this was, you knew William would be here, and you came just to ruin my day, didn’t you?” I didn’t say a word. In the dim light of the backstage area, the host’s voice boomed through the speakers. “As we draw to the close of today’s summit, we have a very special surprise for you. The organizers kept this guest’s identity so well-guarded that even I don’t know who it is.” “Rumor has it, she is a mysterious figure who vanished from the spotlight three years ago.” The crowd began to buzz. I peeked through the slit in the curtains. In the center of the VIP front row, William sat relaxed, chatting casually with a business partner. He clearly had no interest in this little surprise. Serena, infuriated by my silence, stepped closer, her teeth clenched. “Do you honestly think your return changes anything? He is my husband now. We’re married. You’re just a discarded ex-wife. Who do you think you are, playing the victim?” Her assistant chimed in, “Exactly. Learn your place.” “Miss Serena is the true Mrs. Kingsley now. Why even waste your breath on her?” “How did security even let her back here? Don’t they know a major guest is about to go on?” “Mr. Kingsley only let Serena come back here because he wanted her to enjoy the guest’s performance. Since when do we let stray dogs wander around?” Serena sneered, looking me up and down with open contempt. “It makes sense, I suppose. It’s hard to accept being cast aside. But let me make one thing clear: he chose me. No matter who you are, or what you used to be to him, I am the one standing by his side now.” I remained silent, keeping my eyes on the host. Just then, the host raised his hands. “Please join me in welcoming our final guest of the evening, a legend who has been gone for three long years!” The lights plunged the venue into sudden darkness, followed by a collective gasp from the audience. A single spotlight pierced the dark, focusing squarely on the center of the stage. I stepped into the light, microphone in hand. I didn’t speak immediately. As the crowd quieted down in anticipation, I slowly raised the microphone and spoke my very first words in that familiar, resonant voice. “Hi everyone. It’s been a long time.” The silence lasted for a heartbeat, then someone stood up. Then another, and another. In the front row, journalists stared in disbelief, their cameras nearly slipping from their hands. “I am Echo.” The room erupted. Screams, applause, and gasps fused into a wave of noise that shook the auditorium. People shouted her name, reporters scrambled to make calls, and flashlights flared like lightning, turning the stage as bright as day. Standing in the center of the brilliance, my heart raced. I looked down at the front row. William had stood up. He looked as if he had been nailed to the floor, his face devoid of color, his mouth slightly open, his eyes locked onto me in pure disbelief. His associate tugged at his sleeve, saying something, but William didn’t hear a word. He tried to move forward, but the crowd of reporters, staff, and guests blocked his path, keeping him trapped. He parted his lips to speak, but his voice was swallowed by the roaring cheers. In the shadows of the wings, Serena stood frozen. Her face was paler than William’s, her lips trembling as she muttered a single phrase over and over: “Impossible… It can’t be… This is impossible…” No one paid her any attention. Every eye in the house was fixed on the stage. I withdrew my gaze, offered a soft smile to the audience, and walked off the stage. The thunderous applause followed me, but I didn’t look back. Entering the quiet backstage corridor, I slowed my pace. My high heels clicked against the concrete floor. Soon, frantic, disorganized footsteps echoed behind me. “Echo!” William’s voice called out. I didn’t stop. Whatever William wanted to say, I no longer had any desire to hear.
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