Sorry, I love you.

The talk show host’s voice echoed in my quiet apartment. It was Jason’s post-Oscar interview, and the ratings were through the roof. The host announced a surprise segment: Jason had to call the person he regretted losing most. Then my phone rang.

“Why did you leave, Sarah? Was it because I was broke?” His voice, even through the phone, sounded strained, thick with unspoken things. I glanced down at my skeletal arm, a faint smile playing on my lips. "Jason," I asked, my voice barely a whisper, "Could you lend me ten thousand dollars?"

The line went dead. On the screen, Jason was saying, "I don't have any regrets now. Only relief." And in that moment, my smile turned genuine, a weight lifted from my chest.

Jason and I had broken up five years ago. No calls, no texts, nothing. I figured he’d deleted my number long ago. The call had caught me completely off guard. The silence on the other end stretched on, each second an eternity. I could practically hear the studio audience buzzing, the internet exploding with speculation.

Then he spoke, his question a low rumble that vibrated through me. The internet, I knew, was losing its collective mind. My request, delivered with a forced lightness, hung in the air.

Jason’s laugh, the one that made hearts flutter across America, was bitter. The outpouring of support in the live chat was overwhelming. "Don't even worry about it, Jason! She doesn't deserve you!" "Queen behavior, Jason! She’s obviously just after your money now!"

He hung up. The mask of composure slipped back into place. "No regrets now," he repeated to the host, "Just gratitude for what I have." The host, ever the professional, chimed in with some platitude about moving on.

The interview moved on. Ashley, his co-star and rumored girlfriend, was next. She dialed a number. The ringing tone filled the studio. It was Jason's phone. He looked at her, surprised. She smiled, urging him to answer.

The internet went wild. “Jashely is real! Oh my god!” "They're perfect together!"

Ashley’s voice trembled as she confessed her years-long love for him, from high school, through college, to their acting careers. “Now,” she choked out, “now that you’ve moved on… can you give us a chance?”

The pressure was immense. The chat was a tidal wave of "Say yes!" "You two belong together!"

He hesitated. Ashley's tears shimmered under the studio lights.

“Okay,” Jason finally said.

Ashley’s face crumpled with joy. The internet erupted in celebration. I, too, smiled. A real smile this time. A smile of release.

Then, my phone buzzed. A notification: $10,000 deposited.

I kept the money. I needed it. For Jason, it was probably just a way to close the chapter. I didn't expect to see him again.

But then he showed up at the hospital, filming a scene for his new TV show.

"Oh my god, is that Jason Cross?" the woman in the next bed whispered. "He's even hotter in person!" She pressed her face against the window. "Susan, you gotta see this!"

I couldn't resist. I peek...