The photograph spread across social media faster than anyone could follow. That was all it took. Eira sat at the kitchen table wearing one of Ares's hoodies, both hands wrapped around a mug she had forgotten to drink from. Her phone was lying beside her, screen lighting up every few seconds.
Across the kitchen, Ares stood by the window. His phone had been vibrating for almost twenty minutes. He hadn't answered once.
Another call.
Then another.
Then another.
The screen lit up again. MANAGEMENT. Ares stared at it. Jun noticed from the other side of the kitchen. He didn't say anything. Neither did Maya.
Eira looked at Ares.
"You should probably answer."
Ares shook his head.
"They'll stop."
Maya raised an eyebrow.
"They've called you seventeen times."
"Eventually they'll get bored."
Jun glanced at the phone.
"They won't."
Ares gave him a look.
Jun shrugged.
"I know your company."
The phone stopped. For half a second, everyone relaxed. Then a message appeared. Ares opened it and his face changed. That was what scared Eira. The warmth disappeared from his eyes. His shoulders became completely still.
"What?" she asked.
Ares locked the phone.
"Nothing."
Eira frowned.
"Ares."
"I'm handling it."
He slipped the phone into his pocket. Maya watched him carefully. "So," she said, deliberately casual, "the entire internet knows you're in Slovenia, you're apparently in love, and your management is calling like the building is on fire."
Ares gave her a tired smile.
"Pretty much."
Jun leaned back against the counter.
"Except buildings can be rebuilt."
Ares looked at him. Jun's expression didn't change. Neither of them smiled. Eira looked between them.
"What did they say?"
Ares hesitated then his phone rang again. This time, he answered.
"Hello?"
He listened. His jaw tightened.
"No."
A pause.
"No, I'm not coming back today."
Another pause.
"I understand what the contract says."
His eyes drifted toward Eira.
"But I'm not leaving her because somebody in an office decided my personal life is inconvenient."
Eira's breath caught. Maya looked down. Jun stared at the floor. Ares turned toward the window.
"No."
His voice became firmer.
"I said no."
He ended the call. For several seconds, nobody spoke. Then Maya quietly said,
"Well."
Ares looked at her.
"That sounded healthy."
He laughed once. There was no humor in it.
"They want me back."
"Immediately?" Eira asked.
Ares nodded.
"They wanted me back before the photograph even finished spreading."
Jun's expression darkened.
"They're already in damage-control mode."
Ares looked at him.
"Yeah."
Eira stood.
"What happens if you don't go?"
Ares looked at her.
"Nothing."
Jun's eyes lifted.
Ares corrected himself.
"Nothing good."
The calls didn't stop. Ares stopped answering them. Then came emails, then messages, then calls from numbers he didn't recognize. He ignored those too. For a few hours, they tried to pretend they could still have something resembling a normal day. Ares cooked lunch. Eira teased him for burning the vegetables. Maya and Jun argued over whether instant coffee should legally be considered coffee. For a little while, they were just four people in an old house.
Then Ares's phone buzzed again.This time, the sound was different. Ares looked down. His expression emptied. Eira noticed immediately.
"What?"
He didn't answer.
Jun walked closer.
"Ares?"
Ares handed him the phone. Jun read the message. His face hardened.
Maya stood.
"What is it?"
Jun didn't answer. Ares took the phone back.
"It's a warning."
Eira stepped closer.
"About what?"
He looked at her.
"Everything."
Another message arrived. A link and a photograph, not the original one. Something private. Something that had never been posted publicly. Eira's face appeared on the screen. Her heart stopped. Ares immediately locked the phone. Maya's expression changed.
"That's not okay."
"No," Ares said quietly.
Jun stepped forward.
"What did they send you?"
Ares stared at the screen.
"They're telling me they have more."
Silence.
The room seemed to shrink. Eira's voice came out smaller than she wanted.
"More pictures?"
Ares shook his head.
"Not just pictures."
He swallowed.
"Messages. Private recordings. Travel details. Everything they've collected."
Maya's jaw tightened.
"So they're threatening you."
Ares didn't answer.
"They wouldn't be sending this if they didn't already know exactly how far they're willing to go."
Ares said nothing.
The agency called again at six. This time Ares answered. He stepped outside. Eira watched him through the window. He stood beneath the bare branches of the garden, one hand pressed against his forehead. His voice couldn't be heard through the glass. But she could see his face. The call lasted forty-three minutes. When Ares finally came inside, he looked exhausted. Eira stood immediately.
"What did they say?"
He didn't answer.
She approached him.
"Ares."
He looked at her.
"They gave me a choice."
Her stomach dropped.
"What choice?"
He laughed softly.
It sounded broken.
"Stay with you."
A pause.
"And lose everything."
Eira stared at him.
"What does that mean?"
"My contract. My upcoming album. The tour. My publishing arrangements."
He swallowed.
"My name."
She shook her head.
"They can't just—"
"They can."
His voice was gentle.
"That's the problem."
Jun's hands curled into fists.
"So what are you going to do?"
Ares looked at him.
"I already decided."
Jun's expression softened.
"What?"
Ares looked at Eira.
"I'm not leaving her."
Eira's eyes filled.
"Ares..."
He reached for her hand.
"I'm not."
His phone rang again. He ignored it.
Then again.
Ignored.
Again.
He finally pulled the phone from his pocket. The screen showed dozens of missed calls. He turned it off completely. The room became silent. For the first time since the photograph appeared, there was no buzzing.
"That's one hell of a way to turn your phone off."
Ares gave her a faint smile.
"Felt good."
For a moment, they all smiled. Then Ares's phone still in his hand lit up.
A notification.
LEGAL NOTICE
His smile disappeared. Night settled over the house without anyone noticing. Eira eventually went upstairs, exhausted from the endless stream of notifications and the emotional weight of the day. Ares stayed downstairs. The contract was open in front of him. Forty-eight pages. He had read it twice. Then three times. There was no loophole, no clever escape. The agency had built it carefully. If he refused, they could freeze releases, terminate partnerships, block scheduled performances, withhold unreleased material, drag his private life into the press. Ares rubbed his eyes. Jun came closer but he didn't speak immediately. He simply pulled out the chair opposite Ares and sat. Ares looked at him.
"You should be asleep."
"So should you."
Ares smiled faintly.
Jun looked at the contract.
"You signing?"
Ares didn't answer.
Jun leaned back.
"You don't have to explain."
"I might lose everything."
"I know."
Ares stared at the pages.
"I don't know who I'll be without it."
Jun was quiet for a moment.
Then he said,
"Maybe you'll finally find out."
Ares looked up.
Jun nodded toward the ceiling.
"You've spent years being Ares."
His voice softened.
"Maybe she just wants the guy who burns vegetables."
Ares laughed. Quietly. For the first time that night, genuinely. Jun smiled. Then the smile disappeared.
"Whatever you choose..."
Ares looked at him.
"I'm still here."
Ares nodded.
"Thanks."
Jun stood.He started toward the stairs, then stopped.
"Don't make me regret saying that."
Ares smiled.
"I won't."
Jun disappeared upstairs. Ares looked down at the contract again. His smile faded. He picked up the pen. Upstairs, Maya was sitting on the floor outside Eira's room. Jun stopped when he saw her.
"What are you doing?"
"Thinking."
"On the floor?"
"Apparently."
He nodded.
"Fair."
He started walking past. Maya spoke quietly.
"He's going to sign, isn't he?"
Jun stopped.
"I don't know."
"You do."
Jun looked toward the staircase leading downstairs.
"Yeah."
Maya sighed.
She moved over, making room beside her. Jun sat. For a while, neither said anything. Then Maya quietly said,
"You know you don't have to pretend with me."
Jun looked at her.
"I'm not pretending."
"You've been pretending for weeks."
He gave her a tired smile.
"You're very observant."
"I have a best friend. It's survival."
Jun looked toward Eira's closed door.
Maya's expression softened.
"I know."
Jun looked at her sharply.
She smiled.
"Don't worry. I'm not going to make it weird."
He let out a breath. Maya nudged his shoulder lightly.
"You'll be okay."
He looked at her.
"How do you know?"
"I don't."
A small pause.
"But you don't have to be okay tonight."
Jun looked down. Something in his face finally loosened.
"You're strange."
"I've been told."
He smiled. So did she. It wasn't romantic. Just two people sitting in a quiet hallway, deciding that neither of them had to carry everything alone. Downstairs, the clock moved past midnight. Ares read the final page. His hand trembled once. Only once. He thought about the first song he'd ever released. The first time thousands of people sang his lyrics back to him. The years of work. The people who had believed in him. The career he'd built piece by piece. Then he thought about the photograph. Eira laughing beneath the porch light. Her fingers curled into his jacket. The way she had looked at him before he kissed her. The way she'd told him not to destroy himself for her. He closed his eyes.