Chapter 4: Fate’s Detour

The female lead of "Spring Song" should have been me. This was not only my debut, but the signature role of my life.

I feel both bewildered and uneasy.

Could my second chance have caused some kind of butterfly effect? Where did things go wrong?

In my previous life, Matthew told me that the moment he saw my audition, he knew the female lead had to be me.

"Natalie, you were born for movies."

"You were only nineteen when you auditioned for 'Spring Song,' and hadn’t played a lead before, but I immediately knew your future as an actress was limitless."

Those words, which Matthew later whispered to me, made me both shy and happy.

But why did he choose someone else now?

I clench my palm, my fingertips trembling with unease.

Without "Spring Song," how will Matthew and I cross paths in this life?

In the previous life, it was during the filming of "Spring Song" that Matthew and I got to know each other and started to develop feelings.

But because of the seven-year age gap, we didn’t rush into a relationship.

What truly brought us together was—

The failure of "Spring Song."

That art film, which Matthew poured his heart into, bombed at the box office after release.

Audiences complained about its slow pace, the confusing plot, and even questioned Matthew’s skills, calling him pretentious and saying he didn’t understand movies at all.

Yet, this failed "Spring Song" made me a star.

Because in the movie, Matthew made me look so, so beautiful.

A top review said the heroine under his camera was like the moon hanging high in the sky—fragile yet stubborn, lonely yet free.

After that, I gained a huge fanbase for my looks and acting, while Matthew faced a storm of criticism.

Some even said his bad movie wasted my beauty and talent.

I felt extremely guilty about this.

So I often comforted him on Facebook Messenger, encouraged him, and affirmed his talent.

We started talking more and more—about movies, about life, about dreams.

Later, we often went out together to relax.

Finally, on a starry night, he held my hand.

"Natalie, I don’t want to wait anymore. If you like me too, I..."

I tiptoed and kissed him. "Let’s be together."

And so, we loved each other for a lifetime.

Even now, I can almost feel the soft Georgia night air from that first kiss, the cicadas humming, the distant sounds of cars on Victory Drive. The past and present are braided together in my veins, making my skin prickle with memory.