EVERGLOW

Prologue

Shen Yue struggled to place the coffee cup safely back to the saucer.

The clatter it made, as her shaking hand missed and spilled the black liquid on the tray, echoed across the empty New York apartment.

She drank black coffee now. Her straight jet-black hair had grown to well below her shoulders. She wore a nightgown for sleep, instead of pajamas like she used to. She had changed so much, willed herself to change so much, over the last two years.

But just his name on Weibo hot topics was nearly enough to turn her back into the mess that she was two years ago.

Dylan Wang spotted on holiday with stylist Zou Lin!

As always, over the last two years, the tears started their trek down her cheeks. This was never going to stop. She would always be a masochistic idiot, checking the internet for any news of him every day, and then breaking down like this when she found one. Which was often.

It was not always as bad as today. Sometimes, it was about a new project, or a new endorsement, or photos from a red carpet event, or just some fans ranting about how there was no trace of him for days, sometimes weeks. But today was one of a few when his name shared the same line with a woman's other than hers.

That's my husband! she screamed internally.

She cursed the gossip writers who had kept speculating about the status of their marriage. She cursed them for feeding her news of his infidelity, if these even counted. She cursed them for finally opening her eyes to what she needed to do. What she should have done years ago. What she had kept putting off for some godforsaken reason.

But she had enough of starting her day like this. She needed freedom. And she had to set him free to have that.

She dialed her manager's number and when she picked up, she told her what she needed to do.

"I'm going back. I'm ready to face him now. To ask for divorce."

________________________

Dylan Wang slouched on a chair inside the small conference room.

He had been called in early, right after his return from Thailand. When he arrived Hao Ge, his manager, was already wearing the carpet thin with his pacing.

"They decided I should speak to you alone for now."

The cowards. Couldn't even clean up the mess they made.

"This is bad, Dylan." Hao Ge had always been more like a brother, and him using his English name meant this was more than just bad. For both of them.

Normally, he couldn't care less about what those damned writers came up with. If she didn't care, then he just refused to give a flying fuck.

But he didn't want his personal problems affecting Hao Ge. He brought his hands to his face and heaved a sigh. The laugh that came out of his mouth was anything but amused.

Why was it that no matter how hard he tried, nothing was going right?

"Tell me. Everything. Don't mince words."

"Louis Vuitton and Trendiano are threatening to pull out. We've got middle managers ironing it out with them since seven this morning. Your appearance in Happy Camp for the House of Ravens promotion has been postponed until further notice. The producers are pissed. Bench has been trying to reach us but we've fielded that for now. All the slots for this year's Super Penguin Celebrity Basketball are filled, and your name is nowhere on it. And that script for that action series you wanted, it never arrived over the weekend."

"Have you tried my mailbox at home?"

"Yes!" Hao Ge finally stopped pacing and faced him.

"It should have been here 5 days ago, Di." He ran a hand through his hair. Hao Ge rarely got agitated and Dylan knew he was in a huge pot of boiling trouble right now.

"Look, this is partly my fault. And I appreciate what you did. Even if it dragged you down further. But as for the rest...you need to stop this Dylan. It's costing you everything. The expense sure isn't helping your finances either."

He stood and turned away from his manager turned friend. When everything had gone south, Hao Ge was the only one he could turn to.

"I can't. You know I can't. She is everything."

His voice broke in the end. But he couldn't care less. Hao Ge had seen and heard worse. He had seen him after his wife had broken him. And now here he was, chasing whatever piece of heaven he could glimpse. Not even Hao Ge could stop him.

"If this goes on and all your endorsements pull out, and no other jobs come in, you know you can't afford to do any of this anymore, right? How is that supposed to help you?" Hao Ge hoped that got through his friend's thick skull. He wondered at how fast everything had gone downhill for his charge, when two years ago he had everything in the palm of his hand.

The young man's shoulder drooped, and he tilted his face up to the ceiling as if asking for answers nobody had.

"Then tell me what to do. I'll do it."

He'd been nothing but a puppet over the last couple of years, this was nothing new. He'll do anything to keep a little piece of happiness for himself.

"Find a way to bring back Shen Yue."

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