Chapter 4: something has changed

I sat in front of my laptop, eyes glued to the screen, refreshing the page for what had to be the hundredth time today. My fingers trembled slightly as I clicked again. It was a habit I couldn't break—an obsession I had no control over. Nick Andrews. I needed to know everything. Where he was, what he was doing, who he was with.

Then, suddenly, a notification popped up.

Nick Andrews is performing live in town. Limited tickets available.

My breath hitched.

Wow. This was it. My chance.

I barely hesitated before purchasing a ticket. It cost me everything—every last penny I had saved—but that didn't matter. What mattered was that I was going to see him. Not through a screen. Not through carefully curated social media posts. But in real life.

The moment I stepped inside the venue, the air vibrated with excitement. The stage glowed under soft lights, and the crowd buzzed with anticipation, their voices blending into an electrified hum.

I clutched my ticket tightly, weaving my way through the packed space. My heart pounded. Somewhere behind those curtains, Nick was waiting. Preparing. Breathing the same air as me.

I shivered at the thought.

And then, the lights shifted. A pulse of energy ran through the crowd.

He was coming.

Backstage, Nick Andrews paced, running a hand through his already-messy hair. His jaw was tight, his frustration barely concealed.

"I don't know if I can do this," he muttered under his breath.

His manager, Liam, stood beside him, arms crossed. "Nick, you've done this a thousand times."

"That's the problem," Nick snapped. "I don't feel it anymore."

I held my breath. I wasn't supposed to be here, but I had planned everything down to the smallest detail. The venue's layout, the security blind spots—I had studied it all. That's why I was able to slip past unnoticed, pressing myself into the shadows, just watching.

I knew everything about Nick. Every interview he had given, every little detail he had ever shared with the world. But this? This was raw. Unfiltered. The side of him no one was meant to see.

Liam placed a firm hand on Nick's shoulder. "Nick, the crowd is waiting."

Nick exhaled sharply, closing his eyes for a second. Then, as if flipping a switch, he straightened. Without another word, he turned and strode toward the stage.

The moment he stepped into the spotlight, the auditorium exploded with sound.

Thousands of voices screamed his name, their energy washing over him like a tidal wave. He lifted the mic, his expression unreadable, and then—

He started to sing.

The first note hit, and my chest tightened.

Every word, every melody, it felt like he was singing directly to me. His voice wrapped around the lyrics like silk, smooth and effortless. The way he moved, the way the crowd responded to him—it was hypnotic.

I was drowning in him, in this moment that felt bigger than life itself.

And then, just as suddenly as it had begun, it ended.

Nick ripped out his earpiece and stormed off the stage.

The audience kept cheering, oblivious to what I had just seen. But I saw it. The way his hands clenched into fists, the tension in his body as he disappeared into the wings.

Something was wrong.

I pushed forward through the sea of people, my pulse racing. I needed to see him again.

Just for a second.

I slipped past security, keeping my head low. I was close. So close. Just a few feet away.

And then—

He was gone.

He didn't see me.

He didn't know I was there.

But I was. And I would always be.

As the venue emptied, a strange unease settled over me. A chill crawled up my spine, and a nagging feeling twisted in my gut.

Something wasn't right.

The moment I had dreamed of, the moment I had spent so long waiting for, was slipping through my fingers.

What was happening to him?

What was happening to me?

I lingered near the now-empty stage, unwilling to leave. The echo of Nick's final words still hung in the air.

Then, my phone buzzed.

One new message.

It's not over yet, Rosa.

I froze.

The words felt like a threat. Or a warning.

A shiver ran through me as I stared at the screen. Who could have sent this? I had no enemies. No one even knew me like that. I wasn't the type to fight or cause trouble.

So why did it feel like I had just stepped into something much bigger than myself?

I swallowed hard, my grip tightening on my phone.

Something was coming.

And whatever it was, it was going to change everything.