Three's a Crowd: Quitting My Couple Channel

On the day the channel Edith Parker and I run as a couple surpasses 30 million followers, I finally step in front of the camera for the first time as a fan event reward. I woke up at 5:00 am to get styled and try on more than ten suits. But right before filming starts, Edith stops me. She says, "Holden, let Caden appear on camera instead. He looks better on screen. The fans will like him more." Caden Sparks is my best friend. I stand there stunned for a long time, but I eventually nod. From that day on, Edith and Caden pretend to be a couple on camera for three years. I remain behind the camera. I write their scripts, set up the lighting, and edit their videos. I watch the comments flood in again and again. Someone writes, "They really look like they love each other. I'm obsessed!" I also watch Edith grow more comfortable holding Caden's hand. Then, on the three-year anniversary livestream, the host asks them, "What was the moment that made your hearts race the most?" Edith and Caden smile at the same time. "The day we appear on camera together for the first time." At that moment, the entire comment section explodes. And I sit alone in a dark corner, suddenly barely able to breathe. So, for three years, they pretend to be a couple. But I am the only one who still believes that is all it is. After the livestream ends, I remove all my access from the channel dashboard. Then I open the overseas filming invitation sitting in my inbox for half a month. I calmly reply, "I accept." From now on, I won't play a part in their romance anymore. Chapter 1 After the livestream ended, the backstage erupted in cheers. "We hit 70 million followers!" "Happy Third Anniversary, 'Eden'!" The staff rolled in a cake. A photo of Edith Parker and Caden Spark was placed on top, with the channel's name written beside it. Caden's eyes crinkled as he smiled. Edith stood beside him, carefully blocking the streamers that were about to land on his jacket. "Stop messing around. Don't get it on his clothes." Her tone wasn't harsh, but it sounded natural. It was so effortless, like she had been protecting him this way forever. I sat behind the control desk, my headset still on. The screen was frozen on the final frame of the livestream. Edith was looking at Caden, and he gazed down at her and smiled. The light fell perfectly across their faces, making it look like they had been falling for each other all along. Someone walked past me and patted my shoulder. "Holden, that shot of them locking eyes was perfect. The clip is going to blow up when we post it tonight." I nodded and said, "Okay." For the past three years, it felt like this was the word I said the most. "Okay, I'll write the script." "Okay, I'll edit out the mistakes." "Okay, I'll make them look more in love." When it was time to cut the cake, everyone cheered for Edith and Caden to cut it together. Caden smiled at Edith and asked, "Is that okay?" Without hesitation, Edith placed her hand over his. They held the knife together. The room erupted in cheers and applause. I looked down to organize the cables, and the connector scratched my fingertip. It stung a little. But the pain was quickly swallowed by the ache in my chest. People thought the channel had always been about Edith and Caden. It was actually something Edith and I built together. Back then, she still got nervous in front of the camera. She could mess up a simple opening line more than ten times in a row. I would sit behind the camera and remind her repeatedly. "Edith, look at the camera and smile." "Say that line a little softer." She would always run her fingers through her hair awkwardly. "Holden, am I hopeless?" I smiled from behind the camera. "Not at all. You're beautiful." Back then, she would look at the camera, but it felt like she was looking at me. "When this channel gets popular, you have to appear on camera with me," she said. "I want everyone to know you're my leading man." I believed her. That was why, for three years, fans kept asking what the guy behind the camera looked like. But I was never in a hurry to show myself. I thought that one day, she would take my hand and bring me in front of the camera. But on the day we reached 30 million followers, Edith looked at me, dressed up carefully for the occasion. She said, "Holden, let Caden be the one on camera instead. He looks better on screen." Edith wasn't the only one who thought so. From the day I met Caden, I had always been in his shadow. Back in school, my classmates would say, "Caden stands out wherever he goes. Holden is much easier to overlook." Even my mom once sighed with a smile after meeting Caden. "Caden, you're so good-looking. If only you were my son." But Caden immediately put his arm around my shoulder and laughed. "Mrs. Smith, don't say that," Caden said. "Holden is way better than me. He's such a good son. I'm honestly jealous of you." He made Mom laugh with that, and I lowered my head with a smile. Back then, I truly considered Caden my best friend. Because whenever people compared me to him, he was the only one who stood up for me. Later, I told Edith all about this. She held me then, her brows tightly furrowed. "Holden, don't listen to them," she said. "You're not anyone's shadow. To me, you'll always be the best." I truly believed her back then. I trusted she would always be the person who truly saw me for who I was. But later, she said Caden looked better on camera. She knew how much I hated being compared to Caden, yet she pushed me into his shadow. Chapter 2 After that day, Caden became Edith's leading man. Fans naturally assumed that all those flirty lines and romantic moments that went viral were written by Caden. Tens of thousands of comments flooded in overnight. "So this is what her boyfriend behind the camera looks like. No wonder Edith kept him hidden for so long." "He's handsome, and he can write scripts too. He really has it all." "He and Edith are such a perfect match. They look good together, and their chemistry is amazing!" I sat in front of my computer, staring at those comments. A chill ran through me, and I stayed frozen for a long time. They didn't know I was the one who wrote those scripts. I taught Edith everything, from the exact moment she should turn around to the way she should look into the camera. But because Caden was the one standing in front of the camera, all the romance became his natural talent. All the hard work I put in became his credit. I was the one who created their love story, yet they erased me from it in the end. That night, Edith watched the finished video over and over. She pointed at Caden on the screen and said, "He really is made for the camera. He has a memorable face, and he's very expressive." I sat beside her and quietly hummed in response. She seemed to have noticed my silence. Leaning into my arms, she said, "Holden, you're great too. It's just that your presence is a little too subtle. "You're not really suited for this kind of intense emotional performance." She said it gently, almost like she was trying to comfort me. "You're more suited for behind the camera. You're calm, thoughtful, and better at keeping everything under control," she added. I used to be happy when she said things like that. It felt like she understood me. But at that moment, I studied Caden's sharp features. Then I saw my own pale, ordinary-looking face reflected in the dark screen. There was a sharp pain in my chest. There was no wound, but it hurt enough to make my breathing falter. The celebration continued. Caden suddenly looked down and rubbed his ankle. Edith noticed it immediately. She turned around and took out a pair of sneakers from a bag nearby. "Didn't I tell you to wear this?" As she spoke, she crouched down and changed Caden's shoes for him. Everyone around them started teasing again. "Edith is spoiling him way too much." "No wonder fans say it doesn't look like they're acting." I stood not far away, still holding a coil of cable. Suddenly, I remembered the time I was supposed to appear on camera three years ago. I wore a new pair of leather shoes that day too. They were meant to go with the white suit I had spent so long preparing. I stood for six full hours that day. My heels were rubbed raw, and blood stuck inside my shoes. When Edith noticed, she only frowned and said, "Holden, just hold on a little longer. Today is important. Don't delay the schedule." I nodded, gritted my teeth, and stepped back under the lights. But in the end, I wasn't the one to show up in front of the camera. After changing his shoes, Caden walked over to me with a glass of champagne. "Holden, when you edit tonight, could you leave a few extra seconds of the part where Edith and I look at each other?" he asked. "The fans seem to really love that part." I hummed in response. Caden suddenly seemed to look guilty and lightly patted my shoulder. "You know, sometimes I feel uneasy too," he said. "You're the one who's really dating Edith, yet I'm the one pretending to be her boyfriend on camera." He looked down, and his voice grew softer. "If it weren't for the channel and everything you and Edith spent years building, I wouldn't have done any of this. "I wouldn't have held her hand, hugged her, or filmed those intimate scenes with her. "Holden, you don't blame me, right? It's just work, after all." Work. That word could excuse anything. Edith holding his hand was "work". So was her changing his shoes. But what about the ache in my chest that kept getting heavier? Was that part of the job too? If it was, then this job hurt too much. It hurt so much that quitting felt like running for my life. The business manager, Irene Brown, came over with a new contract. "Holden, the brand partner wants the next campaign to be a proposal-themed video. "It'll ride on the attention from the third anniversary livestream." I looked up in shock. "A proposal?" Chapter 3 Irene smiled excitedly. "Yes. The brand partner wants that feeling of two people destined for each other. "Edith and Caden are at the height of their popularity right now. This is guaranteed to go viral." I froze. After Edith and I got together, she once said she would marry me when the channel reached 10 million followers. But when we hit that follower count, she said she was too busy and asked to wait until 50 million followers. When we reached 50 million, she said the channel was still growing and going public with our relationship would affect its future. And now, the account had 70 million followers, and the proposal theme had finally arrived. Yet the person who would propose to her in front of the camera still wouldn't be me. Edith walked over and glanced at the contract. "That works." She turned to me and said, "Holden, you write the script. Caden said he wants a snowy mountain, a ring, and a declaration of love. "You're the best at capturing this kind of feeling." She said it like it was the most natural thing in the world. So casually, it was as if she had completely forgotten. A proposal in the snow was once the moment I wanted most. A long time ago, I showed her a photo of a snowy mountain. I said, "Edith, if I ever propose to you, I want it to be in front of a snowy mountain." Back then, she hugged me and laughed. "Okay," she said. "When that day comes, you'll be the most handsome man standing in front of that mountain." I looked down at the words "Proposal-Themed" on the contract. I felt my chest tighten slowly. The pain wasn't sharp, but it lingered until I could barely breathe. I asked Edith, "What about me?" Edith froze for a brief moment. Then quickly, she spoke in a gentle tone. "Holden, don't read too much into it. It's just a commercial shoot. "When it's over, we'll have our own engagement." I stared at her. Suddenly, I couldn't say a word. So the snowy mountain proposal I had waited years for could simply come after Caden's. He would be the one to wear the suit and propose to Edith first. Everyone would hear his declaration of love first, and he would receive everyone's blessing. And only then would it be my turn to use the same snow Caden had already filmed in and the romance Edith had already given away. It was just like everything I had gotten over the years. It would always come after Caden. It felt as if I was forever getting someone else's leftovers. I looked down at the contract. My chest ached until it went numb. Forget it. I didn't want something that someone else already had. Edith, I don't want you anymore either. Chapter 4 When we got home, Edith finally seemed to remember that I had been upset. She hugged me from behind, her voice gentle. "Holden, don't be mad. I'm sorry I didn't pay enough attention to you today." Her hands rested on my waist with the ease of old habit. Whenever she held me like this before, I would always give in. But this time, I gently pushed her away. "I'm just a little tired." Edith froze. She looked at me briefly before letting out a quiet sigh. "Then get some rest early," she said. With that, she took her phone and went into the bathroom. When the sound of running water started, the tablet beside the bed suddenly lit up. Edith's WhatsApp was still logged in. Caden asked, "Did you smooth things over with him?" Edith replied quickly, "No. He even pushed me away earlier." Caden sent a smirking emoji. Then, he wrote, "That must really hurt." A short while later, Edith replied, "I'm fine. Honestly, it's better that he turned me down. We've been together for so many years that I'm starting to get tired of it. "Lately, I just haven't been feeling much interest in him." I stared at those lines of text, my fingertips slowly turning cold. So, even being intimate with me had become something Edith had to force herself to do. There were no tears. I just kept scrolling upward. The chat history went on for so long that I could barely see the beginning of it. It was dozens of times longer than my chat history with Edith. At first, their conversations were still mostly about me. Caden asked, "Holden filmed all day today. Are his feet still hurting?" Edith replied, "They are, but he's too stubborn to admit it. I'll get him some medicine later." As I read those messages, I felt a small flicker of warmth. So, there was a time when they both cared about me. But the more I scrolled, the less my name appeared. They started talking about filming, sunsets, and the new cufflinks Caden bought. Slowly, I became nothing more than an occasional mention between their conversations. Edith wrote, "Holden has been getting more sensitive lately. It's just work, but he always acts like I've wronged him." Caden replied, "Don't say that about him. He just cares a lot about you." But his next message said, "But he really isn't suited for being in front of the camera. His kind of presence will make the scene feel flat." I couldn't help but smile bitterly. After witnessing the betrayal of both my girlfriend and my best friend, I suddenly felt exhausted. I was so tired that even sadness felt unnecessary. Fortunately, in three days, I would be flying overseas. I would no longer be in the background of their love story. … The day I was supposed to leave happened to be on the same day as the proposal shoot. The wind was strong at the foot of the snowy mountain. Caden stood in the center of the shot wearing a white suit, looking like a picture-perfect dream. Edith wore a black dress, and she reached out her hand with excitement written all over her face. I stood behind the monitor. My fingers were stiff from the cold. I finished writing the script for this proposal last night. The snowy mountain, the ring, and the declaration of love. Every detail was exactly what I had once secretly dreamed of. When Edith finished reading the script, she even smiled and said, "Holden, you understand me best. Caden will definitely love it." Back then, I merely looked down and smiled. I didn't tell her that this was never written for Caden. The cameras started rolling. Caden got down on one knee, looked up at Edith, and recited the love declaration I had written. "I want to spend countless snowy nights with you," he said. "I want everyone to know that you're the only leading lady in my life." With tears in her eyes, Edith reached out her hand. Caden slipped the ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly. Chapter 5 I stood behind the camera, watching Edith and Caden embrace on screen. It was as if I were nothing more than an outsider watching them. After filming ended, everyone gathered around the monitor to watch the final cut. With the snow, the white suit, and the ring, the shot of Edith and Caden holding each other looked too perfect to be real. Edith suddenly walked over to me. As if afraid someone would notice, she quietly took my hand. Then she took another ring out of her pocket and whispered, "Holden, that was just for the shoot. This is the real deal." I had waited so long for this moment. I had always wanted her to choose me when the cameras weren't rolling. But now, as I watched the ring slide onto my finger, I felt nothing at all. Because the ring slipped down loosely. It was one size too big. It would have fit Caden's finger perfectly instead. Edith froze for a moment before quietly explaining, "I might have bought the wrong size. I'll exchange it when we get back." I looked at the ring that didn't fit. Suddenly, I felt too tired to even smile. Someone shouted from nearby, "Edith, the celebration dinner is starting!" Edith looked at me. "Holden, I'm going to join them for a bit," she said. "Head back once you're done with the editing." I nodded. "Okay." That was the last time I would ever say that to her. But I would never go back. While they went to the celebration dinner, I went back to the hotel alone to pack. All the footage on my laptop had already been organized. On the channel, I removed all of my access permissions. In the early hours of the morning, I boarded the plane alone. The snow outside grew farther away, and I never looked back. It was the last love story I would ever write for them and the last shot I would ever film for Edith. From then on, no matter which snowfield or coastline I traveled to, I would never return to Edith's side. Meanwhile, at the celebration dinner, Edith opened the final edit. Her hand stopped in midair for a second. She stared at the words "The Final One", and an uneasy feeling settled in her chest. A moment later, a notification popped up on her phone. Edith stared at the notification, the smile on her face instantly fading. She shot to her feet, her face slowly turning pale. The message was a system notification from the channel dashboard. It read, "Holden Smith has relinquished all admin access. All scripts, footage, and editing projects for the channel have completed their final handover." Edith stared at those lines, and the shock instantly cleared half the alcohol from her mind. People around her were still raising their glasses. "Edith, tonight's final cut was amazing!" someone said. "The 'Eden' proposal video is definitely going to blow up." Edith didn't respond. She kept staring at the words "The Final One", and her chest suddenly felt hollow. It felt as if something important had quietly disappeared from her life. She immediately called me. The first call went unanswered. The second call was the same. The third call only gave her an automated message saying the phone was turned off. Edith shot to her feet, knocking her chair backward. Caden was startled. He asked, "Edith, what's wrong?" Edith didn't even look at him. She grabbed her car keys and rushed out. When she returned to the hotel, the room was already empty. My suitcase and the camera I usually used were gone. All that was left was the ring that didn't fit on the table. It sat quietly beside a white note. There was only one sentence on the paper. "Edith, the final cut is finished. From now on, you'll have to film your own love story." Edith stood frozen in place for a long while. Only then did she remember the way the ring had slipped loosely down my finger when she put it on me. Back then, all she said was, "I might have bought the wrong size. I'll exchange it when we get back." But she never stopped to think. How could something I had waited years for be dismissed as nothing more than a mistake? What was even more ridiculous was that she had bought Caden's size. Edith held onto the edge of the table, her knuckles slowly turning white. Her phone buzzed again. It was a message from Irene. "Edith, what's going on with Holden? He revoked all his access to the channel. "Who's going to handle the scripts for the next episodes?"