"I’m sorry, there’s nothing else to talk about," Elara muttered as she stepped away from the chair. "I have to go."

She turned and started walking toward the path, but after a few steps, she stopped. Her gaze dropped to her wrist and it stayed there for some seconds. Then she turned back.

Slowly, she reached for the bracelet, unclasped it, and placed it gently on the table between them.

Mrs. Vale’s eyes widened, her voice trailing off in surprise. "Elara... what are you doing?"

Elara looked at the jewelry for a moment before lifting her gaze again, her expression calm. "When you first gave this to me, I didn’t understand its worth," she said quietly. "But now I do."

Her fingers pulled back from it and returned to her sides. "It belongs to the Vales. And I don’t want to carry anything that I haven’t earned myself."

Elara didn’t wait for a response. She gave a small nod in farewell, then turned and walked away, leaving the bracelet resting on the table behind her.

–

It didn’t take long before Ziva found an apartment in the eastern part of Solmere, a quieter area compared to the rest of the city.

Solmere was the administrative capital, and while it didn’t have the same entertainment buzz as Starfall, it was still a good place for singers.

There were no major music companies based there, only recording studios, small performance venues, and a few independent production spaces where artists could promote their work.

And unlike Starfall, where spotting a famous singer on the street was almost a daily occurrence, things were different here. People minded their business more. But still, because of the scandal, there was a high chance someone might recognize Elara, so moving around freely, especially during the day, wasn’t a good option.

But that didn’t trouble her much. She had already decided to sing independently. Also, she and Ziva had enough money to support themselves for the next few months.

The apartment was on the eighth floor of a modest residential building. It had two large bedrooms, both spacious enough to pass as master bedrooms.

Ziva planned to rent out her condo in Starfall and move in fully with her, using the extra income to help with expenses. Once everything was settled, she arranged a press conference.

That day, Elara stood in front of a crowd of reporters and cameras, her expression calm and composed.

"Yes, I pushed her," she answered simply. "That was my response to the situation, and I have no intention of explaining it. But I’ll say this once... I don’t make a habit of hurting people without a reason. You can take that however you want."

Before anyone could press further, she turned and walked away, leaving the questions hanging in the air behind her.

Over the next five days, she and Ziva completed their move to Solmere.

"This place is already better than Starfall," Ziva said as she dropped onto the couch in the living room, stretching lazily. "Fewer people watching, less gossip. Most of the journalists here are busy with political news. I doubt they even have time to chase singers around."

Elara gave a small nod but she didn’t respond. She walked to the window and looked out over the city below. The streets were much calmer. But even after everything, she still felt somewhat uneasy.

* * * *

One night, when Ziva wasn’t home and had gone back to Starfall to handle a few things, Elara returned late from the studio. The apartment was quiet when she stepped in. She went straight to the kitchen and opened the cabinets, scanning through what was inside before letting out a small sigh.

Most of it needed time and effort to prepare, and she was far too tired for that. After standing there for a long moment, she closed the cabinet and decided to step out and get a few packs of noodles from a nearby store instead.

She changed quickly into a simple T-shirt and pants, pulling a baseball cap low over her face before heading out.

The store wasn’t far and it didn’t take long for her to get what she needed. She had already picked up the noodles and a few other things when she remembered the milk. Turning her cart, she headed toward the next aisle.

But just as she was about to walk in, her steps paused as her eyes landed on the figure moving past the shelves.

Her eyes lingered for a second before she turned away immediately, changing direction smoothly. Her pace quickened as she moved toward the cashier, hoping to leave without being noticed.

At first, it seemed like it would work. Then...

"Frostiebun... is that you?"

Elara’s steps faltered, just for a second, before she continued walking as if she hadn’t heard. Maybe he would give up. But he didn’t.

"Frostiebun," the voice called again, closer this time.

She tightened her grip on the cart and kept moving, but his footsteps followed quickly.

"Frostiebun..."

Elara stopped. With a quiet sigh, she let go of the handle and turned around.

"It’s really you," Tonio said the moment their eyes met, quickly closing the distance between them. "Where have you been all this time?"

Elara stood still, her gaze calm as it rested on his face.

Tonio pressed his lips together when he saw her expression. Then, without saying anything else, he reached out and took hold of the cart.

"Let me help you," he said, already turning it toward the cashier. "We’ll talk after. There’s a place nearby... I know somewhere we can sit."

Elara didn’t argue. She just stayed in place, wondering if this was a good idea. But she finally stepped forward and followed after him anyway.

Once they paid, they left the store and walked to a small eatery not far away.

Tonio cleared his throat and looked up at her as they sat across from each other on a small seat. "I went to Voice so many times after the..." he paused briefly, "...incident. But you were gone. I asked around, even spoke to the manager. She said you weren’t there anymore. I went to the restaurant too, but they said you resigned."

He leaned back in his chair, shaking his head. "I thought you had disappeared or something. Like you changed your name and joined one secret cult in the mountains." He looked at her again. "So... you moved here?"

Elara gave a nod in reply. "Yeah."

Tonio went quiet, then let out a soft breath. He picked up the handkerchief on the table and started folding it into a triangle. "I knew it," he muttered. "A girl with that much talent doesn’t just vanish into thin air unless there’s a big plan behind it. But Solmere? Seriously? You couldn’t pick somewhere a little more... fun? I thought you’d at least go somewhere with loud music and better food."

A soft laugh slipped out of Elara before she could stop it, followed by a small snort. "There are places like that here too," she said casually. "You just haven’t looked properly."

"I know, I know," Tonio said with a small chuckle. Then his expression turned a bit more serious.

"You know how people are," he continued, pursing his lips tightly. "They watch one short clip and suddenly they think they know everything." 𝘧𝓇ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝘣𝓃ℴ𝓋𝑒𝑙.𝑐𝘰𝑚

He suddenly paused, his voice wavering slightly. "So... what’s the plan now? You’re in a city full of offices and paperwork. Don’t tell me you’ve given up on singing."

"No," Elara replied, her lips curving up faintly.

They didn’t talk about it much after that, and when Elara stood up to go home, Tonio also stood to walk her there. From that day on, Tonio started coming around more often.

At first, Ziva refused to let him in, watching him like he might be trouble. But Tonio didn’t give up. Eventually, she had no choice but to let him in.

And because of that, when there was a knock on the door one hot afternoon while Elara was resting, she assumed it was him again.

She got up slowly and walked to the door. But when she opened it, it wasn’t Tonio.