Chapter 74

The stage performance continued, with supporting actors stepping in to portray the two joyful elders clapping from the sidelines.

The young man dropped to one knee. "Marry me. Be my wife."

The young woman looked stunned. "But in the entertainment industry, isn't it better for one's career to marry later?"

Yet the man insisted, "You're the one I want in my life, no matter what. Sooner or later makes no difference. We can keep it secret if you prefer, though I know that’s unfair to you."

The woman hesitated, but seeing the delight on their parents' faces and the sincerity in his eyes, she finally nodded in agreement.

In an instant, the images of the female lead's life on the right side of the massive screen shattered into fragmented black-and-white scenes. They shrank and shifted upward, making space for new images below—charts of company stocks, rising and falling like waves.

The man performed on stage with a group, while the woman sat in an office, buried under paperwork, phone pressed to her ear. The scene painted a picture of a couple managing their careers side by side.

Then, abruptly, the performance between them ended. All light vanished, converging solely on Evelyn. Breaking free from her role, she stepped forward and delivered a sharp slap to Julian, who stood shrouded in darkness.

It was as if her future self had stormed back to confront the scoundrel.

"You proposed to me because you were afraid I’d chase my dream of becoming a photographer and leave you behind. You couldn’t bear the thought of losing me, so you trapped me—stripped me of my freedom, forced me to live in your shadow, to be nothing but your dutiful wife. I was a fool, believing love meant sacrifice, compromise, and surrender. But tell me—after I gave up everything for your career, how could you abandon me? Where is your conscience?"

Evelyn’s voice was raw from shouting. She unleashed a torrent of accusations, each word dripping with fury.

Though the performance was unpolished, the audience was riveted. Even if they couldn’t separate truth from fiction, they were eager to dissect every detail.

The truth was clear: it wasn’t the parents who had rushed them into marriage, nor had Harrison simply gone through the motions. No—he had been the one to propose, begging Natalie to stay, to sacrifice for him. And after she did, he never considered divorce. She hadn’t clung to him—she had supported him with everything she had.

Yet Harrison still claimed he owed her nothing. The lie was sickening.

If Team A-List was performing the truth, then Team Young Again’s so-called "clarification" was nothing but a twisted farce.

There was nothing crueler than a heartless man. She had given him everything, and in return, he betrayed her for his mistress. The crowd seethed.

Not only were the live spectators stunned, but the online comments had exploded into chaos. Half were curses, the other half frantic speculation.

People scoured YouTube for evidence.

In the hospital room, Natalie listened to Evelyn’s final monologue, her eyes wide with realization. That’s right. I was going to leave. I hesitated because we were in love—but why was I the one who had to sacrifice from the start? If Harrison truly loved me, shouldn’t he have supported my dreams too?

Some things shouldn’t be examined too closely—like cold, unfeeling math. Because once you did, the truth became unbearable.

But when someone took another’s sacrifices for granted, when they grew numb to kindness and forgot gratitude—they no longer deserved a single ounce of devotion.

Backstage, Harrison felt as if he’d been slapped a thousand times. The stark contrast between the two versions of events left him furious, humiliated, barely holding onto his composure.

His frustration at the truth being exposed faded—all he wanted was to deny it. In love, someone has to compromise. How else do two people become husband and wife? I only wanted to act—I had no choice!

Margaret and Richard watched as the audience whispered among themselves, some glancing at the backstage live feed where the rebellious cameraman had boldly zoomed in on Harrison and Vanessa.

Everyone studied their expressions. Is that discomfort from being exposed—or anger at false accusations?

On stage, a special guest joined the performance.

Lillian realized then that Evelyn and Julian had kept parts of the script from Marcus. She almost pitied him—he’d only been trying to recruit more staff. Now, who would dare work with such troublesome artists?

As they spoke, Maxwell stormed over, livid. "What the hell are you doing? Stop this now!"

It seemed the mistress was about to make her entrance. Were they really going to act out the whole scandal?

This bold move was unprecedented in the entertainment industry. Preston and Donovan were practically vibrating with excitement. The live chat erupted into chaos.

The second female lead smiled sweetly. "Thank you."

The woman at the desk remained absorbed in her work, oblivious.

Then, four elderly figures appeared before the second lead.

The man continued performing, ignoring the disruption. The second lead exited, vanishing for a time.

The woman worked tirelessly, but as the documents piled higher, she grew overwhelmed. Eventually, she enlisted help, stepping further from the spotlight. The company’s image on the screen faded, replaced by a hospital room where her parents lay.

She reappeared, now caring for them.

Only after her parents were gone did the second lead return, throwing herself into the man’s arms in tears. Both turned to glare at the woman, eyes burning with resentment.

The lighting shifted again. Evelyn stepped away and delivered another slap.

"You hypocrite! You claim we had nothing in common—but you were the one who refused to share my interests. I could have been an artist, but you turned me into a money machine. And then you dare blame me for your infidelity? If you couldn’t commit, you should never have proposed!"

Another slap. "You accused me of driving her away with my power—but I didn’t even know her then! You kept saying I owed her. What nonsense! She worked for our company—she knew you were married. Since when is seducing a married man considered true love? Soulmates? More like two rotten souls!"

She spun and struck again. "And you—you’re truly shameless. Were you forced to leave? No. The elders gave you a choice because they saw you trying to break up a family. You chose to go abroad for your career. If you were really forced, why didn’t you ever contact this scoundrel for help?"

Evelyn sneered at the shadows. "You had every opportunity abroad, yet you failed. Then you came back and dragged him into blaming me? What, upset I didn’t step aside so you could be the mistress? Should I have handed you a successful career too?"

The live feed cut out. YouTube’s servers crashed. The audience erupted.

Those four slaps had landed—hard. Their faces paled, bodies swaying, pupils shrinking to pinpricks.

The truth was out. And there was no taking it back.