Chapter Thirteen

Maggie

It’s over. The months of rehearsals, the late nights, the stress —it’s all done. And it went brilliantly. The applause is deafening as we take our final bow, the audience rising to their feet in waves of appreciation. My family stands out, of course, cheering the loudest. Rosie and Phoebe are waving like maniacs, and Ruby and June are jumping up and down like they’ve just won a contest. Their pride and excitement make my heart swell, even as it feels heavy with everything else.

The moment is surreal. I should be basking in it, soaking in the realization that I’ve finally stepped into the kind of performance I’ve always dreamed about. But all I feel is a quiet ache under the surface, whispering that something’s missing.

As we line up for one last curtain call, Jonah’s hand suddenly grabs mine.

A shiver races down my spine, sharp and electric like it always does when he touches me. His presence tonight has been impossible to ignore —every brush of his hand, every time our voices blended on stage, every moment of his intense gaze. Even now, with everything I overheard, he still has this pull on me that I can’t shake.

I hate that I still feel like this. Hate that his touch still sends sparks through me, that my heart still skips like a lovesick teenager when he’s near. Why do I still feel so much for him when I know it was all a lie?

The applause swells louder, the audience roaring its approval, but it feels like it’s coming from far away, muffled by the storm in my head. Tears sting my eyes. I blink them away quickly refusing to let anyone see them. Not now.

The curtain falls, and I let go of his hand, pulling away as his touch burns me. My only thought is to escape, to hurry to my family, to be with the people who have always supported and loved me unconditionally. The people who aren’t a source of heartbreak.

But as I start across the stage, something makes me glance back.

Jonah is standing there, still as stone, his hand falling uselessly to his side. His expression…it’s wrecked. There’s no other word for it. He looks at me like the world is crumbling around him, his distress so raw it’s written all over his face.

And damn him. Damn him for making me care.

Even now, after everything, I can’t just walk away. I stop, swallowing hard, willing my voice to be steady. “What’s wrong?”

His gaze locks onto mine, and when he speaks, his voice is low, almost breaking. “I don’t want to leave the stage.”

I frown, confused. “Why not?”

He hesitates, his jaw tightening, and his shoulders stiff. Then he steps closer, his eyes blazing with something raw and unguarded. “Because it means giving you up,” he says, each word trembling with emotion. “And I can’t do that, Maggie. I won’t.”

His words hit me like a punch to the chest, knocking the air out of me. My breath catches as my heart lurches, pounding so hard it feels like it might bruise my ribs.

“Jonah…” My voice is a whisper, his name barely making it past my lips.

“I’m in love with you,” he says, the words tumbling out like they’ve been clawing at him, desperate to escape. His voice is rough, trembling with the weight of the confession. “I’ve been trying to tell you, but I screwed everything up. I didn’t know how to fix it, and I thought I lost my chance. But if I walk off this stage now…it feels like I’ll never have another chance to tell you how much you mean to me.”

I stare at him, frozen. The world tilts, spinning on its axis, and all I can do is try to breathe. Those words, I’m in love with you , are everything I’ve wanted to hear. They’re everything I’ve been afraid to believe.

“Please, Maggie,” he says, stepping closer. His voice is barely a whisper now, trembling with vulnerability. “Don’t leave me behind.”

The applause outside is fading, the stage lights dimming, but I can’t hear anything beyond the sound of my own heartbeat, pounding like a drum in my ears.

Jonah stands there, waiting. His eyes bore into mine, full of something so unguarded, so real, it steals my breath. And I realize, at this moment, I have to make a choice. I have to decide if I believe him, if I trust that this time he’s being honest.

The ache in my chest deepens, and as I look into his eyes, I know one thing for sure—whatever choice I make, it’s going to change everything.

***

Jonah

I’ve never been more terrified in my life. Not onstage in front of thousands of people, not in any bar fight, not even when I realized I was falling for Maggie.

This moment—waiting for her to decide if she can believe me if she’ll give me another chance—feels like standing on the edge of a cliff with no guarantee of a safe landing. The ground beneath me is shaky, and I know that whatever happens next could either save us or tear us apart forever. My heart is hammering in my chest, and I can’t tell if the tension is from the fear of losing her or from the hope that she’ll choose to stay with me.

Her gaze is fixed on me, her beautiful green eyes wide, full of emotion I can’t read. The silence stretches between us, each second feeling like an eternity. My mind is racing, my thoughts jumbled. I want to explain everything, to tell her how much I love her, how sorry I am for the mess I’ve caused, but words seem so insignificant compared to what I’m feeling right now.

“Maggie,” I whisper, the word trembling out of me like a prayer, a plea for her to see the truth in my eyes.

For what feels like forever, she doesn’t say anything. She just stands there, her expression unreadable. My heart sinks, and I wonder if I’ve lost her for good. But then, just when I think I can’t take the waiting anymore, she nods. It’s small, almost imperceptible, but it’s there. A lifeline.

And with that single movement, everything inside me shifts. Hope rushes through me like a tidal wave, knocking me off balance. “I believe you,” she says softly, her voice trembling as if she’s unsure, but her words are everything I need to hear.

Relief crashes into me, so overwhelming that I almost buckle under the weight of it. “Thank you,” I breathe, stepping closer, unable to keep the distance between us. “I swear to you, what you heard wasn’t what it sounded like.”

She looks up at me, waiting for more, and I know this is my chance to make things right. To finally explain everything.

“Vera…” I start, then stop, trying to find the right words. “She’s been pushing this narrative about us being together for PR. I didn’t agree to it, Maggie. I would never do that to you. Everything between us —every touch, every kiss— it’s been real.” My voice shakes with the truth of it. “I’d walk away from everything —the fame, the career, the spotlight— before I’d use you like that. You have to know that.”

She opens her mouth like she wants to argue, but then she just exhales shakily, her face softening. “Why didn’t you tell me?” Her voice is quieter now, hurt and confusion still lingering, but there’s something else too. Something that looks like hope, like maybe she’s willing to believe in us again.

“I was trying to protect you,” I say, shaking my head, frustrated with myself. “That was the wrong call, I know that now. I thought if I kept quiet, we could make it through the performance and then I could fix things. But it only made everything worse. I promise Maggie, no more secrets. Not ever. I’ll always be honest with you.”

She searches my eyes, and for a long, painful moment, I wonder if she’s going to walk away. But then, she takes a step closer, as if drawn to me despite everything. “You mean that?” she asks, her voice barely above a whisper, the vulnerability in her eyes making my heart ache.

“Every word,” I say, my voice firm now, because I know with every fiber of my being that this is the truth. “I’m in love with you. I’ve never felt like this about anyone, and I don’t want to lose you.”

She looks at me for a heartbeat longer, and then, finally, she places her hand over my racing heart, her touch so soft that it feels like she’s holding my soul in her palm. “I love you too, Jonah,” she whispers, and those words, the ones I never thought I’d hear, are like a balm to my wounded heart.

Before I can even think, before I can process the weight of what just happened, my arms are around her, pulling her close. I bury one hand in her hair, feeling the softness of it beneath my fingers, and press my lips to hers in a kiss that carries all the relief, gratitude, and love I’ve been holding inside for so long.

The kiss is everything. It’s the culmination of every unspoken word, every broken moment we’ve had, and every hope for the future. I pour everything I have into it, letting her feel how sorry I am, how much I love her, and how much I need her in my life.

In the corner of my eye, I catch a flash of light from a camera snapping a picture of us. Someone gasps nearby and I know that the moment is being captured, that this photo will probably be splashed across tabloids tomorrow.

But I don’t care. Not one bit. Let them take the photo. Let them write whatever they want about us. Let the whole damn world see.

Because I’m never letting her go.