Chapter 72: When the Song Ends
As the final note of my song trembled into silence, I turned on my heel and walked off the stage. Not with the poise of a performer satisfied with their act—but with the urgency of a boy holding back a dam that threatened to burst. Each step I took was to escape the crowd, to distance myself from their cheers and applause. I didn’t want praise—I wanted solitude. I needed to hide the pain that was clawing at my throat, the tears that burned behind my eyes, threatening to explode.
But fate had other plans.
Standing right at the edge of the backstage corridor, leaning casually against a pillar as if she’d been waiting for this moment, was Cecilia.
Her silver eyes narrowed with amused curiosity. "Looks like the guy with a heart of stone actually has emotions."
I didn’t stop. I didn’t even look at her. I brushed past, hoping she’d take the hint and leave me be.
Of course, she didn’t.
"Today might be the best day of my life," she said with a mocking laugh. "First, Rayne gets knocked down by some nobody. Then a song completely hijacks the entire festival’s spotlight. And now I get to see you like this—Ashen, the strong, unshakable one, with tears in his eyes."
I paused mid-step.
She was goading me, enjoying the spectacle, but her words weren’t what stung. It was the truth in them. I was breaking. And that alone shattered the image I had worked so hard to maintain.
I turned slightly, just enough for her to hear me clearly.
"You’re wrong," I said quietly. "Men do cry. They just don’t let others see it. Because that’s how we’re raised, isn’t it? People say ’men don’t cry’ as if it’s a rule, a requirement for strength."
I clenched my fists.