Chapter 94
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Pujimaki
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Behind The Spotlight Chapter 94
"I'm sorry, but I think I'm going to leave now," Wyatt said quietly, admitting defeat to himself. He realized that bars like this just weren't for him.
"Wait, what? But I thought we were having a good time?" the woman asked, visibly shocked, her eyebrows twitching in disbelief. She had planned to use Wyatt to land a role or at least secure a valuable connection.
On top of that, she hated being rejected, especially by someone like him. In her eyes, a fat guy like Wyatt shouldn't have the audacity to say no to her. It bruised her ego as an attractive woman.
'Fatso, I'm giving you a chance here. Don't waste it. You can have sex with me. I know you probably won't last long in bed since you're fat, and I know I won't enjoy it. So I'm already a saintess by giving you the chance to tap my ass.' She scoffed inwardly, masking her irritation behind a forced smile, her teeth clenched behind it.
"I'm sorry, it's just me. I don't think I belong in places like this. Going to parties, meeting strangers, having one-night stands, it's not the kind of lifestyle I should be chasing. If I keep walking this path, I'll ruin myself. Fortunately, I realized that just now... before it's too late."
Wyatt apologized sincerely and began walking away, his steps slow and heavy. The woman tried to grab his arm to stop him, but the crowd of dancers became a wall between them, blocking her way.
Outside, Wyatt inhaled deeply as the cool night air brushed against his face. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Smoking had become a habit during film productions, a coping mechanism against stress and emotional turmoil. Whenever things became too much, a cigarette helped him calm down. And right now, he needed it.
"... I just realized how hard it might be to find someone who will truly appreciate me for who I am, not what I can offer. Is there even someone out there who can truly love a person... and sacrifice everything?" he asked softly, as if the wind itself were the only one listening.
Someone had almost fit that description once, a long time ago. But he suffered terribly for it. Since then, that guy chose to trust only his family and closest friends.
Wyatt walked away from the bar, making a quiet promise to himself: never again would he look for love in places like that. Especially not in Los Angeles, where the nightlife crowd, men and women alike, were known for being promiscuous and opportunistic.
.........
......
...
Collin received a call from Axel, who told him he was at a high-class bar. The kind that played soft jazz music and offered a quiet calming atmosphere for people who wanted to drink in peace.
Collin and Axel had been friends ever since they first met. Their first conversation happened when both were tipsy, and despite being strangers, they opened up to each other like old friends. Axel shared how his ex-wife had betrayed and destroyed him, and from that moment, Collin felt a strong connection. A friendship forged through shared pain. In return, he shared his own story.
He told Axel about his ex-girlfriend, who had nearly convinced him to raise a child that wasn't his. He had almost gone through with the wedding, until the real father showed up at the reception, claiming the baby in her womb and exposing the lie in front of everyone.
It shattered him.
After that, Collin signed Axel not just for business reasons but because he believed in redemption. He saw himself in Axel, and helping him rise to fame felt like helping himself, too. It was more than professional, it was personal. Maybe, deep down, Collin wanted to prove that they could both come back stronger.
He arrived and spotted Axel sitting alone at the bar counter, rubbing the rim of a wineglass with his thumb, his eyes fixed on the swirling red liquid inside as if searching for answers at the bottom.
"Axel, what happened?" Collin asked, his voice low and careful to match the heavy mood.
Axel looked up slowly. He was far from okay.
Collin immediately recognized the pain in his friend's eyes. It reminded him of the day he learned he wasn't the father. That hollow, broken look, a face twisted by grief and betrayal.
"Collin, remember when you said you'd make me famous?"
"Yeah, I remember. We talked about it when I offered you the contract," Collin replied, sitting down beside him.
"Back then, I was skeptical and scared. I had already given up on my dream of becoming an actor. All I wanted was a job that paid well enough so I could send money to John... So he wouldn't end up living a miserable life like mine."
He let out a bitter smile.
"I got shot in the shoulder and leg when I was a soldier deployed to the Middle East, my second tour. After retiring, I was lost. I was broken. I didn't have a family. My parents abandoned me. They divorced and chose their own paths without me. But then I met Cynthia... and she changed my life. When John was born, I thought I'd finally found my home. I thought I had a place in this world."
Axel choked up, and Collin stayed quiet, letting him speak.
The bartender nearby watched silently, as if respecting the emotion unfolding in front of him.
"I can't believe she'd do this to me. She lied. She lied!" Axel's voice cracked, the pain raw and deep.
"I did my best, Collin. I swear to God, I did my best. I worked so damn hard, just to make sure I never missed a single child support payment. I thought... I hoped it would at least make John's life a little better."
He sobbed harder.
"But then he looked me in the eyes and told me he hates me. Do you know what that feels like? It's like a knife carving your heart out, over and over, and you can't even breathe."
"What's worse is that he said I abandoned them. But I didn't leave! I spent three whole years trying to find them! I begged the court, I knelt just to get information. And nothing helped. Night after night, I'd lie awake, thinking of my son, staring at the ceiling, pretending I was okay. But I wasn't. I was doing all of it for him. I love him... but when he looked at me like I was some monster, it destroyed me."
He clenched his fists, trembling.
"Collin, I did my best. I swear I did my best. So why? Why is this happening to me!?"
Axel broke down completely, sobbing uncontrollably. His shoulders shook with each breath, unable to hold anything in anymore.
Collin didn't say a word. He gently tapped Axel's back and sat with him in the silence, knowing that nothing he said right now could fix what had already been broken. But he could at least stay, so Axel wouldn't be alone.
"I'm sorry, but I think I'm going to leave now," Wyatt said quietly, admitting defeat to himself. He realized that bars like this just weren't for him.
"Wait, what? But I thought we were having a good time?" the woman asked, visibly shocked, her eyebrows twitching in disbelief. She had planned to use Wyatt to land a role or at least secure a valuable connection.
On top of that, she hated being rejected, especially by someone like him. In her eyes, a fat guy like Wyatt shouldn't have the audacity to say no to her. It bruised her ego as an attractive woman.
'Fatso, I'm giving you a chance here. Don't waste it. You can have sex with me. I know you probably won't last long in bed since you're fat, and I know I won't enjoy it. So I'm already a saintess by giving you the chance to tap my ass.' She scoffed inwardly, masking her irritation behind a forced smile, her teeth clenched behind it.
"I'm sorry, it's just me. I don't think I belong in places like this. Going to parties, meeting strangers, having one-night stands, it's not the kind of lifestyle I should be chasing. If I keep walking this path, I'll ruin myself. Fortunately, I realized that just now... before it's too late."
Wyatt apologized sincerely and began walking away, his steps slow and heavy. The woman tried to grab his arm to stop him, but the crowd of dancers became a wall between them, blocking her way.
Outside, Wyatt inhaled deeply as the cool night air brushed against his face. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it. Smoking had become a habit during film productions, a coping mechanism against stress and emotional turmoil. Whenever things became too much, a cigarette helped him calm down. And right now, he needed it.
"... I just realized how hard it might be to find someone who will truly appreciate me for who I am, not what I can offer. Is there even someone out there who can truly love a person... and sacrifice everything?" he asked softly, as if the wind itself were the only one listening.
Someone had almost fit that description once, a long time ago. But he suffered terribly for it. Since then, that guy chose to trust only his family and closest friends.
Wyatt walked away from the bar, making a quiet promise to himself: never again would he look for love in places like that. Especially not in Los Angeles, where the nightlife crowd, men and women alike, were known for being promiscuous and opportunistic.
.........
......
...
Collin received a call from Axel, who told him he was at a high-class bar. The kind that played soft jazz music and offered a quiet calming atmosphere for people who wanted to drink in peace.
Collin and Axel had been friends ever since they first met. Their first conversation happened when both were tipsy, and despite being strangers, they opened up to each other like old friends. Axel shared how his ex-wife had betrayed and destroyed him, and from that moment, Collin felt a strong connection. A friendship forged through shared pain. In return, he shared his own story.
He told Axel about his ex-girlfriend, who had nearly convinced him to raise a child that wasn't his. He had almost gone through with the wedding, until the real father showed up at the reception, claiming the baby in her womb and exposing the lie in front of everyone.
It shattered him.
After that, Collin signed Axel not just for business reasons but because he believed in redemption. He saw himself in Axel, and helping him rise to fame felt like helping himself, too. It was more than professional, it was personal. Maybe, deep down, Collin wanted to prove that they could both come back stronger.
He arrived and spotted Axel sitting alone at the bar counter, rubbing the rim of a wineglass with his thumb, his eyes fixed on the swirling red liquid inside as if searching for answers at the bottom.
"Axel, what happened?" Collin asked, his voice low and careful to match the heavy mood.
Axel looked up slowly. He was far from okay.
Collin immediately recognized the pain in his friend's eyes. It reminded him of the day he learned he wasn't the father. That hollow, broken look, a face twisted by grief and betrayal.
"Collin, remember when you said you'd make me famous?"
"Yeah, I remember. We talked about it when I offered you the contract," Collin replied, sitting down beside him.
"Back then, I was skeptical and scared. I had already given up on my dream of becoming an actor. All I wanted was a job that paid well enough so I could send money to John... So he wouldn't end up living a miserable life like mine."
He let out a bitter smile.
"I got shot in the shoulder and leg when I was a soldier deployed to the Middle East, my second tour. After retiring, I was lost. I was broken. I didn't have a family. My parents abandoned me. They divorced and chose their own paths without me. But then I met Cynthia... and she changed my life. When John was born, I thought I'd finally found my home. I thought I had a place in this world."
Axel choked up, and Collin stayed quiet, letting him speak.
The bartender nearby watched silently, as if respecting the emotion unfolding in front of him.
"I can't believe she'd do this to me. She lied. She lied!" Axel's voice cracked, the pain raw and deep.
"I did my best, Collin. I swear to God, I did my best. I worked so damn hard, just to make sure I never missed a single child support payment. I thought... I hoped it would at least make John's life a little better."
He sobbed harder.
"But then he looked me in the eyes and told me he hates me. Do you know what that feels like? It's like a knife carving your heart out, over and over, and you can't even breathe."
"What's worse is that he said I abandoned them. But I didn't leave! I spent three whole years trying to find them! I begged the court, I knelt just to get information. And nothing helped. Night after night, I'd lie awake, thinking of my son, staring at the ceiling, pretending I was okay. But I wasn't. I was doing all of it for him. I love him... but when he looked at me like I was some monster, it destroyed me."
He clenched his fists, trembling.
"Collin, I did my best. I swear I did my best. So why? Why is this happening to me!?"
Axel broke down completely, sobbing uncontrollably. His shoulders shook with each breath, unable to hold anything in anymore.
Collin didn't say a word. He gently tapped Axel's back and sat with him in the silence, knowing that nothing he said right now could fix what had already been broken. But he could at least stay, so Axel wouldn't be alone.