My Sacrifice For You

"Damn!"

Zoe cursed as she saw the elevator queue. It was so long, so she reluctantly changed direction and headed for the stairs. Her destination was the sixth floor; her leg would go limp if she ran. But waiting for the elevator would make her late.

Zoe had no other choice; her morning had been filled with her boyfriend's curses, demanding her to fetch an item he considered a lucky charm. She won't make any more mistakes.

Zoe ran up the stairs with her hand on her stomach. She wanted to be cautious, not to disturb her pregnancy. But she didn't want to ruin Max's appearance—her boyfriend. With stumbling steps, Zoe headed towards the dressing room where Max was waiting.

"Here!" Zoe burst in, rushing to open the door, and hastily tossed the pair of socks—a good luck charm owned by Max—into the air.

Max didn't have the confidence to sing without those smelly socks—he believed his performance would fail without them. A foolish belief, but Max cared deeply about it. Max knew Zoe would support whatever he needed right now.

"Oh my God, Zoe! Don't startle me like that. You'll frighten Iris." Max, already dressed in costume, scolded while snatching the socks from Zoe's hand.

"Who..."

Wiping away sweat, Zoe looked at the stunningly beautiful woman with long straight hair sitting at Max's dressing table.

"Iris White!" Zoe exclaimed. She was the singer who was currently on the rise, her popularity even surpassing Max's.

Iris nodded slightly in response to Zoe before returning her attention to the paper.

"The Program Director of the show came by and suggested I duet with Iris as a final tribute to one of the legendary singers who passed away yesterday. We'll be performing his song," Max explained Iris's presence to Zoe, who looked puzzled.

"That's incredible!" Zoe exclaimed in joy. The opportunity to duet with Iris on a national television show with a viewership of over twenty percent—and broadcasted almost across the entire state of America—was a remarkable achievement. Many of Iris's fans would surely take notice of Max after this.

Zoe raised both hands, wanting to hug Max in celebration, but Max declined and furrowed his brow. It was both a reprimand and a gesture to keep Zoe composed, not to embarrass him. Though wordless, Zoe understood the message in Max's eyes, having seen it often enough.

"Who is she?" Iris asked, pointing at Zoe.

"This is Zoe. My manager. Zoe Anderson."

Max introduced before Zoe could speak. In such situations, Zoe was forced to smile. She understood Max needed to protect his name. Most of his fans were women. His producer had sternly warned them to keep their relationship discreet.

"Zoe Anderson." Zoe extended her hand towards Iris.

Iris merely nodded and then turned back to Max, sitting beside her, as if Zoe's hand was invisible.

Zoe quickly withdrew her hand, keeping herself busy. She blamed herself for assuming Iris would want to shake her hand. A famous singer like Iris wouldn't consider Zoe on the same level.

Zoe grabbed a water bottle after feeling her throat parched from running. Occasionally, her eyes glanced over at Max and Iris, engrossed in discussing the parts of the song they would perform.

Zoe felt jealous. Not jealous of Iris being close to Max but envious of their opportunity.

Zoe started from the same starting line as Max. They both dreamed of shining together, but now Max had surged far ahead while Zoe remained at the starting line or regressed. Zoe couldn't remember the last time she had practised her singing. Being Max's manager was time-consuming.

But that was all she could do for now. Max's producer had promised her a chance to sing again, maybe after her child was born.

"You need to get ready!" One of the production crew entered to inform them.

Swiftly, Zoe took Max's guitar, which Zoe had polished to a shine, and placed it near the door.

"Get yourself together. You embarrassed me, Zoe," Max whispered with a scowl before leaving, slamming the door in front of Zoe's face. She should have followed Max to assist with whatever he needed, but Zoe didn't open that door.

"I messed up because of you," Zoe muttered. She wouldn't dare to protest loudly.

Lately, Max's emotions have been easily triggered. He'd get angry over the tiniest things—like an overcooked egg or a slightly open window. He even threw away a cup of coffee she had made because it wasn't sweet enough. Zoe didn't want to cause any more trouble, considering all that.

She hadn't even talked to Max about her pregnancy yet. She hadn't found the right time amidst Max's busy schedule. However, Zoe understood that the burden of fame wasn't easy either. She would try to understand more today.

Zoe slumped onto the couch, closing her eyes to alleviate her fatigue. She gently caressed her slightly sore stomach from the run.

***

"Where's Max?"

Zoe woke up startled as someone shook her shoulder.

"Sing... singing," Zoe answered, her eyes darting to the clock in shock. She had fallen asleep for over two hours. Zoe had missed the entire shooting session.

The man who woke her—Max's producer—was now glaring. He was standing with two impatient-looking individuals. One of them was carrying a camera, a journalist.

"You're useless! How does a manager lose their artist?!" He shouts.

"I'm sorry, maybe Max is with Iris. They were doing a duet," Zoe pointed out towards the door. Iris's dressing room was two doors down from Max's. Zoe had seen it while running earlier.

"Oh, I saw her earlier. They were amazing together. Their voices blended perfectly. Are they going to work together after this?" The journalist seemed intrigued.

"Later... please don't write about it yet."

Not wanting to hear anything more, Zoe hurriedly walked out, looking for Max, while tidying her hair. The others followed suit.

"Max? Are you in there?" The producer shouted from outside Iris's dressing room. Without waiting for a reply, he immediately opened the door.

"Max..."

Zoe saw Max's naked butt as he frantically searched for his scattered clothes while Iris reached for her dress on the floor.