​If You Stray, I Won't Stay

"Mr. Getty, one last question!"

At the global launch event for Summit Innovations Group's flagship game "God's Instructions," a reporter managed to snag the final question as the event drew to a close.

Countless camera flashes instantly converged, pushing the venue's atmosphere to its peak.

"Mr. Getty, Luna, the heroine in 'God's Instructions,' has been incredibly successful. Her stunning beauty and cool voice have turned her into a superstar-level virtual idol. Rumor has it that you personally selected the voice of this character. Could you share with us what inspired Luna's creation?"

This question immediately piqued everyone's curiosity.

Under the spotlight on stage, Thaddeus Getty stood in a perfectly tailored bespoke suit, his features profound and his demeanor cool and dignified, like a deity.

In the inconspicuous shadows of the last row, Scarlett Savoy's heart leapt to her throat, momentarily forgetting to breathe.

Because she was Luna's voice actress.

Scarlett wore an understated black velvet gown, no makeup, with oversized black-framed glasses and a mask that concealed nearly half her face.

She looked quietly at the radiant Thaddeus on the stage.

Thaddeus.

Her husband of two years, in a marriage kept secret from the world.

Under the spotlight, Thaddeus's typically expressionless face remarkably softened with a trace of tenderness.

That tenderness diffused in his deep eyes, making his entire presence gentler.

His gaze moved past the crowd, landing on the first row of the VIP section.

The camera knowingly followed.

Sitting there was the currently popular and highly sought-after idol, Lavinia Collins.

She wore a white gauzy dress, her hair slightly curled, her makeup flawless, and she was wonderful as a fairy.

Facing the cameras, she smiled gracefully, her eyes conveying a mixture of playful reproach and delight.

Thaddeus's calm, magnetic voice carried throughout the entire venue through the microphone, reaching Scarlett's ears with perfect clarity.

"I created Luna to fill a void, to fulfill a dream that was delayed for many years," he said.

His gaze remained fixed on Lavinia's direction, his voice carrying an unprecedented tenderness.

"Luna represents the most perfect existence in my heart, the one I most yearn to protect."

Thaddeus paused, his voice growing even softer.

"Her soul originates from a light that pulled me from darkness many years ago."

"Today, I want to present this gift to her."

In front of everyone, Thaddeus walked toward Lavinia, took her hand, and spoke with a reverence Scarlett had never heard before.

"Lavinia, you are my only Luna."

As his words fell, the venue erupted in thunderous applause and screams.

Countless flashes illuminated the couple on stage, bathing them in radiant light.

Scarlett stared blankly at the passionate Thaddeus on stage, feeling like a fool amid the deafening cheers.

The work into which she had poured her soul.

Her twenty years of silent love.

At this moment, it all became a joke.

Suddenly she began to wonder if it had been wrong, from the start, to promise Thaddeus's grandfather, Owen Getty, to marry a man who didn't love her?

Thaddeus and Lavinia were surrounded by media and celebrities at the center, looking like a couple.

Scarlett, holding a glass of champagne, made her way through the mingling crowd to the secluded terrace of the venue.

The cold wind, mixed with snowflakes, hit her face, bringing a moment of clarity to her confused mind.

Footsteps approached from behind.

Thaddeus appeared, seemingly having just escaped the crowd, his brow showing a hint of impatience.

Seeing Scarlett, that impatience deepened.

"What are you doing here?" He asked coldly, as if interrogating an employee who shouldn't be present.

Scarlett turned around, removing her mask to reveal a face that was plain yet undeniably sad.

Meeting his icy gaze, her voice carried a tremor she herself didn't notice.

"Why?" She asked.

Thaddeus frowned slightly. "Why what?"

"Luna," Scarlett's nails dug deep into her palm. "Why did you say Luna was inspired by Lavinia?"

"You know perfectly well how much of myself I poured into that character!"

In the project's early stages, Luna had only a basic visual concept. It was Scarlett who wrote thousands of words detailing the character's backstory, who even improvised those famous, brilliant lines that became iconic.

It was she who breathed life into the character.

Scarlett had humbly hoped that when Thaddeus heard the voice she created for this character, he might appreciate the character itself, if only for a moment.

Hearing this, Thaddeus first looked startled, then, as if he'd heard the biggest joke, his lips curving into an utterly mocking smile.

"Scarlett, are you confused about something?"

He stepped forward, his tall figure completely overshadowing her, his tone filled with contempt.

"As a voice actress, you completed your job and received the industry's highest compensation."

Thaddeus coldly interrupted her, his words cutting deep.

"Scarlett, that was your job, a commodity with a price tag. Don't assign it meaning it shouldn't have."

"Giving you this role was an opportunity from Summit Innovations Group. As for who inspired me, that's my business."

"What right do you have to question it?"

Scarlett froze.

He was right.

What right did she have?

She's just a woman who relied on Owen's favoritism to get her to marry him.

An accessory he could summon or dismiss at will.

A wife whose name he didn't even deem worthy of making public—kept hidden in shadows.

Scarlett smiled, yet tears welled up uncontrollably.

Looking at the handsome but incredibly cruel Thaddeus before her, something she had held onto for twenty years crumbled at that moment.

Two years of marriage, and he had always remained cold toward her.

She thought it was just his nature, that if she was gentle and considerate enough, she could eventually melt this iceberg.

So she gave up the glory and opportunities that came with being "Hymn," dimmed all her brilliance, and strived to play the role of a perfect wife.

Scarlett recalled how, six months ago, she had twisted her ankle on the stairs and couldn't stand from the pain. When Thaddeus came down, he merely glanced at her before walking past and out the door.

Not a single word of comfort.

She had consoled herself then, thinking he was just too busy with work, too cold by nature.

But today at the launch, she saw the tenderness and affection in Thaddeus's eyes when he looked at Lavinia.

It turned out he wasn't incapable of tenderness; his tenderness simply never belonged to her.

It wasn't that she hadn't tried hard enough.

It was that she, as a person, had been wrong from the start.

"I understand now."

Scarlett withdrew her gaze. Without looking at Thaddeus again, she turned and left the bustling reception hall.