Transcending To You

Chapter 38: THE LUCKIER ONE

The doctor had advised Bright to rest, but how could he? His mind was a storm, his heart an open wound. Sleep felt like a distant luxury, drowned beneath the weight of everything churning inside him.

A soft knock on the door interrupted his thoughts. Barbara stepped in, carrying a tray of food.

"How are you, my boy?" she asked gently.

Bright didn't answer. He simply stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.

Barbara sighed, setting the tray down. "I heard your mother say you're thinking of walking away from your career."

Bright smiled, but there was no joy in it. "I'm sorry," he murmured. "I know this must be hard for you too."

"It's not," Barbara replied, calmly unpacking the food onto a plate. "This is life. No one ever said it has to be perfect. We live, we fight, and when our time is up, it just ends. No matter how special we are, the world moves on. Maybe not for us, but for others."

Bright frowned. "What are you trying to say?"

Barbara lifted a spoonful of rice and held it up to his lips. "I think you're beautiful."

Bright chewed slowly, watching her with curiosity. "No tantrums? No scolding me about penalties and contracts?"

Barbara chuckled. "Oh, don't get me wrong—I'd love for you to keep going. You're brilliant at what you do. Sometimes, when I watch you on TV, I get goosebumps." She fed him another bite before continuing. "But then I see your eyes when you look at Win. They soften in a way the cameras never capture. The world has been cruel to you, yet you remain kind. That takes more courage than any stage performance ever could."

Bright's throat tightened. His vision blurred at the edges.

"It's hard," Barbara whispered, wrapping her arms around him. "Let's just admit it. It's hard. It doesn't have to be grand or perfect—it just has to be simple and happy."

Bright nodded, his voice lost somewhere between gratitude and sorrow.

"If you need to go to him, go," she said firmly. "I'll handle things here. Don't worry."

Bright blinked at her, a slow smile forming through his tears. "What's gotten into you?"

"Maybe I just finally understand you," Barbara said with a small shrug, then promptly stuffed another spoonful of food into his mouth before he could get too emotional.

Bright chewed, trying to suppress a grin.

"Can you do me one more favor, then?" he asked.

"Anything," she promised.

Restlessness gnawed at him. The earliest flight wasn't until tonight, which meant he'd arrive far too late—Win's big launch would already be underway. The hours stretched painfully before him. He reached for his phone, scrolling through their old videos together.

Each one tugged at his heart—Win's laughter, the way he crinkled his nose when he teased Bright, the way their hands always found each other even in the smallest, quietest moments. Sometimes Bright chuckled, and sometimes he just zoomed in on Win's face, memorizing every detail like a lifeline.

Then, his phone rang.

His heart leaped. He answered immediately.

"Were you sitting on your phone, waiting?" Win teased, his voice full of warmth.

"I was waiting to hear your voice," Bright admitted, his lips curling into a soft smile.

Win giggled, his voice soft and drowsy. "Glad you're okay. Finally, I could get some sleep," he murmured, his words melting into a yawn.