Chapter 10: What the Screen Never Knew

I stood there holding the ring, unable to say a single word.

The floating comments continued flashing in front of my eyes.

[ERROR.]

[Unable to continue storyline.]

[Main plot has changed.]

[Searching for the female lead...]

[Search failed.]

For the first time since they had appeared...

The comments sounded confused.

Elias gently took the ring from my trembling hands.

"Nancy," he said softly.

"I'm done guessing what you're thinking."

"If I've done something wrong, tell me."

"If you're scared, tell me."

"If you're unhappy, tell me."

"But don't disappear without giving me the chance to fight for us."

My vision slowly blurred.

"I..."

"I thought you hated how clingy I was."

Elias looked genuinely stunned.

"Hated it?"

"Nancy, do you know what happened after you moved into the guest room?"

I shook my head.

"I woke up three times every night."

"Every time I reached beside me..."

"You weren't there."

"The house suddenly felt empty."

He laughed quietly at himself.

"I even walked to your door several times."

"I wanted to knock."

"But I thought forcing you would only make things worse."

"Then... why did you say we should break up?"

He let out a helpless sigh.

"Because you asked to move out."

"You already had one foot out the door."

"I thought..."

"If you didn't need me anymore..."

"Keeping you here would only make you unhappy."

"I wasn't asking you to leave."

"I was asking whether there was any reason left for you to stay."

I covered my mouth.

All this time...

We had both been trying to protect each other.

We had simply chosen the worst possible way to do it.

The comments slowly floated across my vision again.

[Wait...]

[Did we misunderstand everything?]

[The male lead never disliked the side character?]

[Then why did every scene look like rejection?]

Another comment appeared.

[Because we could only see what happened.]

[We could never hear what they were too afraid to say.]

I stared at those words.

For the first time...

The comments sounded almost human.

Elias gently reached for my hand.

This time...

I didn't pull away.

"Nancy."

"I can't promise I'll suddenly become good at expressing myself."

"I'm awkward."

"Sometimes I say the wrong thing."

"Sometimes I don't say anything at all."

"But I've never wanted anyone else."

"Not before."

"Not now."

"Not ever."

He slowly opened the ring box again.

"I bought this because I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you."

"Not because I felt responsible."

"Not because I pitied you."

"Because every ordinary day became my favorite day when you were there."

My tears finally fell.

"You really are terrible at talking," I laughed through my tears.

He smiled for the first time in days.

"I know."

"So..."

"Can I try this properly?"

He knelt on one knee.

"Nancy Carter—"

He stopped himself and smiled.

"Hopefully Carter someday."

"Will you marry me?"

I didn't let him finish.

I threw my arms around him exactly the way I always used to.

He stumbled backward onto the sofa, laughing as he caught me.

"Is that a yes?"

"It's a very obvious yes."

"Good."

"Because I was afraid you'd ask for personal space again."

"Never again," I whispered.

He slid the ring onto my finger.

It fit perfectly.

Outside, rain began tapping softly against the windows.

Inside, I rested my forehead against his.

The floating comments became fewer and fewer.

[Maybe... there was never a side character.]

[Maybe there was never a female lead.]

[Maybe we only watched pieces of someone else's life.]

One final comment appeared.

[The screen could predict every scene...]

[But it never knew what was inside their hearts.]

The glowing words slowly faded.

One by one...

They disappeared forever.

I waited.

Nothing else appeared.

For the first time in weeks, the world was completely quiet.

I smiled and looked at Elias.

"What are you smiling about?" he asked.

"Nothing."

"I just realized something."

"What?"

"Sometimes..."

"The people watching the story understand it the least."

Elias looked confused.

"I have absolutely no idea what you mean."

I laughed and hugged him tighter.

"You don't have to."

"Because this story was never theirs."

"It was ours."

And in the end...

The screen had predicted countless futures.

But it never knew the only thing that truly mattered.

Love was never written by spectators.

It was written by the two people brave enough to choose each other.

The End.