I heard the knock before i even saw the notification from the intercom.
And i knew deep in my chest, in that space where breathing had felt heavy since yesterday, I knew it was him.
Sebastian.
He came anyway.
Even after i ended things… even after i begged the universe to keep him away so i wouldn't crumble again.
I opened the door.
He stood there with the same eyes that had looked at me like i was something rare, something he didn't deserve, but fought to keep anyway.
Now they just looked lost.
"Can we talk?" His voice was quiet.
Gentle. Almost scared.
I stepped back and let him in.
My unit was dim.
I didn't turn on the lights.
The sun had already dipped below the buildings, casting long shadows through the half-closed blinds.
It felt easier to do this in the dark, where i wouldn't have to see my reflection in his eyes.
He stood in the middle of the room like a stranger, unsure of where to begin. "I don't understand," he said, finally. "Why are you doing this?"
I stared at the floor, holding my breath.
If i looked at him, I'd break and i couldn't break now.
Not when i was doing this for him.
"You know why," I whispered. "You saw what happened."
"That doesn't matter." He took a step forward. "Margaux, I told you i don't care about any of that. I don't care if people talk. I want you. I don't want to lose you because of a headline."
"It's not just a headline," I said, louder this time. "It's your life, Sebastian. Your career. Your group. Your fans. You think this will just go away?"
"I don't care—"
"Well i do!" My voice cracked.
He flinched.
I hated myself for that.
I turned away.
Bit my tongue until i tasted blood.
"You're being selfish," I said coldly. "This was never supposed to be serious."
"What?"
I inhaled.
Deep.
Painful.
I turned to face him, finally.
"This was just a distraction. I got bored, okay?" I forced a smile that didn't reach my eyes. "You were fun. Sweet. But it was never going to last. We were never going to last."
He shook his head slowly.
Like he couldn't believe what he was hearing.
"Don't do this," he said, voice tight. "Don't lie."
"I'm not lying," I said, sharper this time. "You were convenient. That's all."
"Stop."
"You were just a way to pass time. I liked the attention. The thrill. But i'm over it now."
His face crumpled, just a little.
"You don't mean that," he whispered.
I wanted to scream I don't, but i had to. I had to.
"I do." I stepped back from him. "You don't get it, Sebastian. I was never yours to keep."
Silence.
It stretched between us like a chasm.
I saw the moment something inside him gave up.
His shoulders sagged.
His lips parted like he wanted to say more, but couldn't.
Then, without another word, he turned around.
And left.
The door clicked behind him.
And i collapsed.
My body hit the floor like i had no bones.
Just a mess of skin and heartbreak.
I covered my mouth with both hands as the sobs tore out of me.
The pain was loud.
Raw.
It echoed through the empty unit like a song i never wanted to hear again.
Because i had just given up the one person who made this unfamiliar world feel like home.
The boy who knew the language of my silences, who never flinched when i took off my mask, literally and emotionally.
The one who held my trembling hand when i told him i had never been loved like this before.
I gave him up to protect him.
And now, I would never get him back.
-
That night, the internet exploded again.
"SOLSTICE's Sebastian Blair Gutierrez Confirms Breakup With Non-Showbiz Girlfriend"
I saw the post while curled under my sheets, still wearing the same hoodie i had cried into hours ago.
The agency's statement was clean. Professional. Painfully sterile.
"We confirm that Sebastian Blair Gutierrez has ended his relationship with a non-showbiz individual. We ask for respect and privacy for both parties."
The comments underneath were a battlefield. Some rejoiced.
Others speculated.
A few begged to know who the girl was.
None of them knew it was me.
Not one soul guessed that the girl in the shadows of those blurry photos, the one always looking away from the camera, the one whose face never quite made it into the spotlight… was Margaux Serene Imperial.
A girl who once ruled screens but had now chosen anonymity over applause.
A girl who had fallen for a boy who glowed too brightly for the world to share.
I didn't sleep that night.
I stared at the ceiling until dawn, suitcase by the door.
-
By morning, I was gone.
The plane ticket had been booked the night before, moments after Sebastian walked out.
I didn't even tell anyone i was leaving.
No goodbye texts.
No airport photos.
No dramatic send-offs.
Just me, a passport, and a heart that still smelled like his cologne.
I slipped through the airport unnoticed.
A hoodie pulled over my head.
Face mask on. Sunglasses, even indoors.
I was just another traveler.
I boarded my flight alone.
No one recognized me.
Not as Margaux Serene, the scandal-plagued starlet.
Not as Sebastian's secret.
Just another girl running away from a love too dangerous to keep.
-
The flight back to the Philippines felt endless.
Every hour in the air was a reminder that i was leaving behind something i'd never have again.
But i couldn't stay in Korea.
Not when every corner of that place smelled like him.
Not when every cafe we visited played the songs we used to hum while walking home. Not when the elevator dinged and i half expected him to be there, hoodie over his head, with that lazy grin on his lips.
I couldn't stay where my heart had been broken in silence.
So i came home.
Not as a star.
Not as a lover.
But as someone trying to forget.
The thing is… I didn't regret loving him.
Not even for a second.
I only regretted that the world we lived in didn't allow us to love out loud.
Because loving Sebastian Blair Gutierrez had been the most natural, most terrifying, most real thing i had ever done.
And even though he would never hear it…
Even though i told him the cruelest lies to push him away…
My heart would always whisper the truth in every lonely moment after:
You were never just a distraction.
You were the only thing that felt like home.