My Husband Is An International Idol

The following morning arrived much later than either of them expected.

After days of exhausting schedules, interviews, rehearsals, and sleepless nights, both Chris and Liliana had accidentally overslept.

When Chris finally looked at the clock, his eyes widened.

"We’re late."

At almost the same moment, Liliana opened the door of her suite after receiving Emily’s message.

Everyone already left for the morning meeting. We’ll start without you two. Come directly to the studio.

She sighed quietly. Just her luck.

Chris stepped out of the neighboring suite at nearly the same time.

Their eyes met briefly. But neither spoke. Without another word, they walked toward the elevator together.

The hallway was silent. So was the ride down. The elevator doors closed. Only the soft hum of the descending cabin could be heard.

Liliana stood on one side while Chris stood on the other. Neither looked at the other. The silence between them felt heavier than the steel walls surrounding them.

Then, the elevator suddenly jerked violently. The lights flickered. And everything stopped.

Liliana instinctively grabbed the handrail to steady herself.

Chris frowned.

"What happened?"

A warning alarm flashed above the control panel.

Liliana immediately pressed the emergency button.

Nothing.

She pressed it again.

Still nothing.

Chris tried several buttons.

No response.

"It must’ve lost power."

Liliana took a slow breath and reached for her phone.

"No signal..."

Chris checked his own.

"Mine too."

The elevator remained completely still. Then silence returned.

Five minutes passed. Then ten. Fifteen. Neither of them said a single word. The confined space suddenly felt much smaller than before.

Chris finally let out a quiet sigh.

"Lily..."

She didn’t answer.

He lowered his eyes. "I’m sorry."

Silence.

"I know saying it again won’t fix everything."

Still nothing.

Chris leaned against the wall.

"I’ve replayed everything in my head." She sighed. "The gala. Ruby. The rumors. Our argument."

He closed his eyes briefly. "Emily was right."

Liliana remained motionless.

Chris laughed bitterly. "I’ve been a coward. I kept worrying about reporters. About public opinion. About timing. But I never stopped thinking about how alone you must’ve felt."

His voice softened. "I should’ve stood beside you. I should’ve protected you."

Instead of answering, Liliana continued staring at the closed elevator doors.

Chris looked at her.

"Can you at least look at me?"

Slowly, she turned. Her expression remained calm. Almost unreadable.

Chris took a careful step closer.

"I’m really sorry. I never wanted to hurt you."

After several long seconds...

Liliana finally spoke. "I’m listening."

It wasn’t forgiveness. But it was more than silence.

Chris nodded gratefully. Then another thought surfaced. One that had been tormenting him since yesterday.

"Lily... What do you think about Raphael?"

She blinked. "What?"

"And Alexandre."

Chris swallowed. "What do you honestly think about them?"

For the first time in days, Liliana looked directly into his eyes. She understood exactly why he was asking. The question irritated her.

A sarcastic smile slowly appeared. "What do I think?"

Chris nodded.

She folded her arms. "They’re wonderful."

Chris’s expression stiffened.

"They’re both respectful. They’re honest. They’re gentlemen. They confessed openly. They don’t hide what they feel."

Her words landed one after another.

Chris felt something tighten painfully inside his chest.

Liliana continued with quiet sarcasm.

"They’re handsome, successful, kind. They’re very considerate. I suppose any woman would be lucky if she ended up with either of them."

Chris’s jaw clenched. The image of Raphael handing her flowers and Alexandre giving her a necklace filled her thoughts.

The headlines and their confessions, everything came rushing back at once.

Before he realized what he was doing, he crossed the small distance separating them.

"Lily."

She looked up. "What?"

"You don’t mean that."

She lifted an eyebrow. "How would you know?"

Chris’s emotions finally overcame his composure.

He gently—but firmly—caught her wrist before she could step away.

"Lily."

She looked startled. "What are you doing? Are you crazy?"

Without thinking, he backed her toward the elevator wall.

She stopped when her shoulders lightly touched the polished metal.

"Chris, stop!"

"What? We’re alone. No cameras. No reporters. No fans. Just us."

"What do you want?" She asked.

"Tell me you don’t mean that."

The elevator suddenly felt impossibly small.

Chris released a shaky breath. Their faces were only inches apart. Neither of them spoke.

Liliana could hear his heartbeat. Chris could see the tears she had tried so hard to hide over the past few days.

For a long moment, they simply looked at each other.

All the jealousy, the misunderstandings, the anger and the unspoken love, everything hung silently between them.

Chris’s gaze slowly drifted toward her lips. Oh God, he missed her.

Almost unconsciously, he leaned closer.

Liliana didn’t move. She simply stared at him with wide green eyes. But her heart pounded strangely.

He’s going to kiss her. She thought inwardly.

Her heart was in a frenzy, but she couldn’t let him notice it.

Chris slowly leaned closer when Liliana didn’t move.

But just before the distance between them disappeared—

Ding!

The elevator lights suddenly returned. The doors slid open.

Several maintenance workers stood outside.

"There you are!"

"We’re terribly sorry!"

"There was an unexpected system malfunction."

Chris immediately stepped back. He released Liliana’s wrist at once. The maintenance staff looked apologetic as they inspected the control panel.

"Are both of you alright?"

Liliana quickly nodded. "Yes. We’re fine."

Chris cleared his throat. "No injuries."

The technicians apologized repeatedly while escorting them out of the elevator.

Neither Chris nor Liliana spoke as they walked through the hallway toward the studio.

Only after several steps did Chris secretly glance at her. It was his chance to be alone with her, but he missed it again.

Liliana kept her eyes forward. Her cheeks were still warm and pink. Then her expression had become unreadable once again.

Yet the memory of those few suspended seconds inside the elevator refused to leave either of them.

For the first time since their fight...

They had come closer than ever to tearing down the wall between them.

Instead, fate had opened the elevator doors.

And with them, the moment slipped away once more.

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