Golden Melody (Editing)

Chapter 129

Chapter 129

Back to school.

Again.

Junior year.

New notebooks. New teachers. Same uniform—just a shorter skirt now.
Because apparently… Jayson doesn’t care anymore.

He stopped talking to me after the beach concert.

Not even a “don't pull my blanket” or “you forgot your lunch again, dumb girl.”
Nothing.

We still shared the same room. Same bed. Same schedule.
But I’d become a ghost.

I tried. I hugged him one night in bed, whispering something dumb like,
“Jayson, hug me... I'm cold.”
But instead of pulling me close like he used to…
he gently removed my arm, covered me with blanket.

And he slept on the couch.

He didn’t even scold me when I wore my pink ribbon skirt last Friday. It was so short that I shivered from the cold.

Somehow, that hurt more than yelling.

I don’t love him romantically—I know that.
But I thought we were something.

Someone in class made the grand announcement during homeroom:
“They broke up, right?”

Another chimed in:
“Finally! Jayson is FREE!”

They clapped.

I looked at him.

He was smiling. Laughing at something Asha said.
Ofreigha joined in.

Zatariel slept through it all.
The teacher didn’t even try to wake him.

Asha was still Asha—loud, unapologetic, fabulous.
Ofreigha still treated me like always. She even teased at lunch,
“Now that you’re not tied down, maybe my brother finally has a chance?”

I giggled, picking at my grapes.
“I’m actually with someone now.”

Ofreigha blinked.
“Wait, what?! Who?”

Who? That's too complicated to answer.

I just smiled. Sweetly.
“A handsome prince charming who loves me truly”

It was a lie.
But it felt better.

After class, I passed by the studio.

Xymph was there—practicing harmonies, arguing over snacks.
I asked for the mic. Just once. Just to sing a verse.

Because even when I feel like I’ve lost every part of me…

My voice—was still mine.
And so was the dream.
To sing.
To stand on a bigger stage.
To perform until my heart was too full to ache for boys who wouldn’t love me back.

Someday… I’ll be too busy for heartbreak.

Someday… I'll find someone for me.

-----

Junior year passed like wind. Swift. Almost cruel.

Xymph’s name—soared beyond borders.
Foreign stages. Blinding lights.

But something always felt… hollow.

My sixteenth birthday came.
Cake. Laughter. Glitter-wrapped gifts.
Matching charms from Musika.

We made memories.

But the other side of my bed stayed cold.

Our first wedding anniversary arrived with silence.