Taeyeon watched in silence as Tiffany stood in the middle of the dimmed stage. She heard the MC introduce her.

“And this week, we have a new upcoming star, Tiffany singing her song from her newly released album…”

Yet, instead of singing the arranged song, she had chosen another song.

It was….

“Isn’t that the song….’Whatever you like’?” Someone uttered from the back,

“Mmmm… Interesting way of singing it,” the producer nodded his head, allowing Tiffany’s recording to be carried on.

Taeyeon watched in stunned silence. She still remembered this song! And not just that, Tiffany had managed to sing it perfectly even though she had only heard it once from 3 years back...

Well baby, you can have whatever you like…I said you can have whatever you like…

Taeyeon was about to rush down to see Tiffany, perhaps there was some truth in what she has been saying all this while…?

She wanted to confront her properly, once the song was over, she decided she was about to do all that…. when someone tapped on her shoulders. It was Jessica who was holding today’s newspapers.

---

Tiffany sang till her voice gave out.

She knew she could never sing again. Her heart stopped when she saw Taeyeon standing at the edge looking at her quietly.

This was it.

She was about to move towards her when a video flickered in the back. She choked back when she realised it was a video of her in the hotel room –

Yet instead of the scenario that had happened to her, the video had been edited to show that she was ‘putting herself out’ for fame….

What atrocity! She was about to open to protest – that it wasn’t like that!

That it was the other way round and she had been the one who had been taken advantage of, when she saw Taeyeon’s face and Jessica who was watching her intently.

And just like that, she knew she couldn’t possibly say anything to convince Taeyeon.

It was a lost cause aleady… this love.

Taeyeon was holding onto a newspaper in muted anger, and she handed over to Tiffany stiffly when Tiffany stood beside her. Tiffany read it and she sighed. Really, she didn’t have to explain anymore…. What was the point truly?

It was one hole after another of doubt and mistrust.

And she was so, so tired of all these…

Forget about it all.

With a long sigh, Tiffany looked at Taeyeon. She realised, she was really tired… Not just physically, but emotionally…

Enough, wasn’t it? 

Surely, she would have forgiven Taeyeon by now if she had pulled a stunt like she did…Surely she would have forgiven her by now… If she was in her shoes… 

Tiffany thought sadly before she said the next few prepared words.

She’ll raise the white flag. With her hands tied behind her back.

Taeyeon left her with no choice.

With her hands tied behind her back, Taeyeon really was pushing her off this cliff…

… How could she?

“You know I’ve got nothing, except for myself, to prove that I’m not what you think I am. I’ve given you everything that I could possibly imagine… Everything.” Tiffany started slowly, she sighed and clenched her fists in anguish.

“This video…” she pointed to the false video that was playing, “I was the victim, believe it or not,” she looked at Jessica angrily as her voice was beginning to falter.

It sounded hoarse, like metal scraping metal.

She tilted her head back to stop the tears from falling again, “This article… has nothing to do with me and I did not leave Mike because of his bankruptcy,” she said.

“Yet despite all that, I don’t care for the two things, I honestly don’t care how others view me. They can say everything about me but it wouldn’t matter, because they don’t matter, Taeyeon. No one else does, but you. So what I want to know is this… Do you still love me? Do you still love me as you said you did 3 years ago?” Tiffany asked earnestly. She had placed herself out in the open

Just like that. Like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.

---

She had literally given up everything, her voice, her pride, her sanity, to prove to Taeyeon. Yet, was her ‘everything’ not enough?

Was her ‘love’ not enough to win back Taeyeon?

Apparently not.

---

Taeyeon could have chosen so many memories to recall. She stood looking at Tiffany, frail Tiffany who was standing alone in front of her, while the rest were looking at her in judging eyes.

Yet instead of recalling something good, she had to pull up the memory of Tiffany in her wedding dress – the one that had hurt her the most.

Taeyeon whispered, she didn’t know how she said it but she did. It almost felt as if had a life of their own…

“No…I’m sorry, but It’s…. not enough, Tiffany. It’s just not enough. ”

“Right…” Tiffany nodded her head, so much for a love that could change Taeyeon. She was utterly defeated, she couldn’t love this new Taeyeon, and if she couldn’t love this Taeyeon…

What did she have?

She couldn’t trust herself at all. She had nothing. Taeyeon was her everything. She couldn’t….

She was so sure she could win back her Taeyeon.

Yet, she had… Lost, after all.

“You win.” Tiffany said after awhile, looking at Taeyeon before closing her eyes.

“You’re right. I can’t prove to you anything, but you’re not the Taeyeon that I have loved all these while,” Tiffany said with tears welling up in her eyes, she looked at the new Taeyeon - the one she could not possibly love, and she continued as she wiped the tears away from her eyes, “Because the Taeyeon that I have loved for all these years, the one that I have been fighting for all this time…would never hurt me the way you just did…”

And just like that, she had give up on her love, it was easy, just like that, it was like a shot that went right through her bleeding heart.

Effortlessly.

Her heart stopped.