Chapter 3
272words
Father sat in his mahogany-paneled study, a cloud of cigar smoke hanging around him as I explained my plan to step back from the spotlight.
"Are you out of your mind?" He stabbed his cigar into the crystal ashtray. "You just won Best Actress. Your career is skyrocketing, and you want to throw it all away for some man?"
"Dad, I'm not giving up," I insisted. "I'm just temporarily moving behind the scenes. I want to support his career..."
"Support?" Father sneered. "You're a Walton. Who the hell do you need to support? Others should be falling over themselves to support you."
"But I love him."
"Love?" Father stood up and walked over to me. "Alice, listen carefully. Love in this industry is smoke and mirrors; only interests are real. Daniel is nice to you now because you have value. The moment you lose that value, he'll be gone faster than you can blink."
"He's not that kind of person."
Father stared at me for a long time before finally letting out a heavy sigh.
"You're dead set on this, aren't you?"
"Yes."
"Fine." He turned his back to me. "Then go ahead. But remember my words. You will regret this."
I said nothing, just nodded slightly and turned to leave.
As I reached the door, my father's voice followed me.
"When you regret this—and you will—your old man will always be here for you."
At the time, I dismissed his words as mere pessimism. I thought he simply didn't trust my judgment, and I stayed angry with him for days afterward.
