08
Before long, I landed several gigs.
I was flitting between different film sets.
As I sat in the makeup chair, my eyes shone. I felt like I was finally rediscovering my
confidence and myself.
Now I finally understand what they say – a woman should never, ever give up her career and dreams for a man, no matter what.
Because you have to be yourself first, learn to love yourself; only then will others respect and cherish you.
I never needed empty promises; I needed inner strength.
Slowly, the resentment faded, and I hadn’t thought of Ricky Lancaster in ages.
Ever since his last scandal broke, his agency has dropped him like a bad habit.
He’s been spotted in entertainment news, decked out in disguises, scurrying around like a cornered rat.
Ricky Lancaster never saw it coming. In a matter of days, he went from being a beloved A–List Celebrity to a pariah everyone avoids.
The glittering, booze–soaked lifestyle of the entertainment industry completely eroded his
sense of self.
He was just a nobody before, and he only clawed his way to the top thanks to Cynthia
Thompson’s support.
Now that he’s an A–List Celebrity, he’s drowning in a sea of sycophants.
Only Cynthia Thompson remained the same, still raining on his parade whenever his ego
inflated.
But he couldn’t stomach it anymore, becoming increasingly resistant to Cynthia’s words.
Then Jasmine Sue appeared, and in her, he thought he saw a younger Cynthia.
Equally pure, equally dazzling.
But he never considered separating from Cynthia, never actually intending to go through
with the divorce.
But Cynthia Thompson was so damn stubborn, so he decided to teach her a lesson.
Cynthia Thompson loved him so much, surely she’d come crawling back, begging for
forgiveness.
But Cynthia Thompson didn’t. He panicked, but no matter how he threatened her, Cynthia Thompson simply wouldn’t back down.
He lost Cynthia Thompson, and with her, he lost everything.
It was only then that he realized Cynthia Thompson was the only one who’d ever been truly
sincere with him.
And he’d thrown her away.
4:09 pm G DDG-
He couldn’t accept it. Even stripped of fame and fortune, he’d give it all up if it meant getting
her back.
So, one bright, sunny morning, Ricky Lancaster ambushed me outside my studio.
The man once adored by millions now looked utterly broken, his eyes haunted with
exhaustion.
“Cynthia, please, come back to me? It took losing everything to realize you were the only one who ever gave a damn about me.”
“For the sake of our past as husband and wife, can you please find it in your heart to forgive
me?”
Seeing him again stirred nothing within me, and I said, with a chilling calm:
“Ricky Lancaster, you had your chance with me, but that ship has sailed.”
“I will not forgive you, and you are forbidden from seeking me out again.”
Ricky Lancaster’s face was ashen, his eyes bloodshot, and tears threatened to spill.
“I saved you once, too. Over the years, we leaned on each other, weathering so many storms together. Now that I’ve fallen into the mire, can you truly abandon me? Can you honestly live with yourself if you do?”
Gazing at the man I once deeply loved as he groveled before me, a maelstrom of memories swirled in my mind.
The tide of memory surged, dragging me back to that bleak, unforgiving winter.
An orphan from a destitute family, I was a magnet for the cruelties of my classmates.
Ricky Lancaster and his buddies intervened, stopping those lowlifes. He shielded my torn
skirt with the pristine shirt he carried.
In that instant, he was a shaft of sunlight tearing through the suffocating darkness that
enveloped me.
Thereafter, under his watchful eye, those bullies never dared to lay a hand on me again.
And I, fool that I was, allowed Ricky Lancaster to take root in my heart, growing into a
towering tree.
He pulled me from the darkness back then, gave me the courage to face life.
I regarded Ricky Lancaster with icy composure.
“Eighteen–year–old Cynthia Thompson adored Ricky Lancaster, grateful for him rescuing me
from the depths of despair.”
“But twenty–seven–year–old Cynthia Thompson feels nothing for Ricky Lancaster, because
he’s the one who shoved me into the abyss.”
“I won’t forgive you, and there’s absolutely no chance for us. Ever.”
Ricky Lancaster clenched his fist, a picture of frustrated desperation, his voice a ragged whisper.
“Cynthia, can you please, just give me another chance? If you come back to me, I know I can rebuild everything.”
4:09 pm G DDG
“Let’s have a baby together, alright? I’ll give you everything you could ever want.”
Looking into his pleading eyes, I couldn’t help but smile wryly.
A man begging for reconciliation isn’t doing it out of love; it’s because, after going full circle
he realized you were the cheapest fallback option.
He loves no one but himself.
The boy who once saved me from darkness is no more.
He’s been replaced by a selfish, cold–blooded, and utterly ruthless man.
No matter how much Ricky Lancaster pleaded, I refused to look back.
I left amidst his heart–wrenching cries.
For the longest time afterward, I didn’t hear a peep from Ricky Lancaster.
The next I heard of him, Ricky Lancaster had already been committed to a psychiatric
hospital.
Word was, he initially pulled some strings to land a job, living a humdrum nine–to–five
existence.
But before long, he’d had it up to here.
Once, he was adored by the masses and could splash the cash like it was going out of style
Now, utterly ignored and utterly forgotten.
The devastating contrast crushed him, leaving him gasping for air.
So, desperate for cash, he peddled his looks and became a kept man.
Having tasted the good life, he only grew more avaricious.
He drifted between several wealthy women, indulging in the extravagant lifestyle he’d once
known.
But the good times were fleeting; he was eventually discovered by one of the wealthy
woman’s husbands.
They taught Ricky Lancaster a brutal lesson, breaking both his legs and dumping him in the
street.
Having lost the use of his legs, Ricky Lancaster went completely mad, screaming, “I’m a huge star!” at anyone who’d listen.
He even turned violent, lashing out at anyone who displeased him. Eventually, he was committed to a mental institution.
09
