Chapter 3

I watched Julian, hoping to see some flicker of nostalgia for what we once had. That would at least prove he'd cared about me, once.

Instead, he grabbed a nearby ornament and hurled it against the wall.

"The evidence of her affair was irrefutable! And she still has the audacity to lie!"

"Keep reading!"

"I want to hear what other bullshit she spews!"

Silas glanced at Julian, then continued.

"My leg is broken. I need rest.

But Julian hasn't visited once during my recovery. He won't answer my calls.

Mom and Dad came, though. I thought they were here to see me. I was wrong. They came to tell me to stop calling Julian.

They said: 'Isabella failed to get into the Vienna Dance Academy again. She's devastated. Julian is helping her through it. Please don't disturb them.'

'Isabella has never asked for anything her whole life. Just this once—let her have him!'

Mom and Dad knelt before me, begging. My heart shattered. They're my parents. Now they're on their knees in front of me.

But I couldn't agree.

My whole life, Isabella took everything. My toys, my princess dresses, my parents' love. Now she wants Julian too—the only thing I have left?

When I didn't answer, they cried harder. They were ready to kowtow.

I finally nodded. Even though it felt like a knife twisting in my chest."

"Julian pulled strings to get Isabella into the dance academy after all.

That's wonderful. I wish I hadn't seen that entertainment news segment.

On TV, a reporter asked if Julian and 'Miss Vane' would be making an announcement soon.

They didn't specify which Miss Vane, but everyone knew they meant Isabella standing beside him. After all, Julian and I were already married.

Julian smiled. He didn't deny it. The media took it as confirmation.

I was devastated. Confused.

Another reporter asked if Isabella got into the prestigious academy through Julian's connections.

Julian denied it. Then he said my spot at the school had always rightfully belonged to Isabella. That I'd stolen what was hers.

I turned off the television, trembling. I couldn't bear to hear more.

Everything was gone. Even Julian had left me.

In the end, they even took ballet—the only thing I had left, my soul's purpose.

I stared at my useless legs and sobbed."

After these diary entries, the crowd fell silent.

Only Julian spoke, voice cold.

"Still pretending? Aren't you tired? Is it that hard to admit you wanted to meet your lover?"

Isabella wrapped her arms around Julian, soothing him.

"Julian, don't be upset. Seraphina was just lashing out because she couldn't dance anymore. She didn't mean it."

I watched them, so intimate—the way their eyes wove invisible threads between them. I sighed softly.

I remembered when Julian and I were that sweet, in the early days of our marriage.

But Isabella visited me constantly. One thing led to another. They ended up in bed together.

That's when I realized they'd been having an affair.

I confronted Julian, crying, demanding an explanation.

He ignored me. Said Isabella was pregnant and needed to be handled delicately.

Then he barred me from his office. He moved into Isabella's house. He stopped answering his phone. I had no way to reach him.

I never got to tell him: I was pregnant too.

Julian, irritated by the diary, snatched it from Silas and read ahead himself.

"Isabella is pregnant. Julian moved into her house.

I can't see him anymore. But Isabella visits me constantly to mock me.

She says our parents, our man, our dreams—everything belongs to her. I deserve nothing. I'm worthless. A complete failure.

I tried to avoid confrontation. I turned my wheelchair to leave.

But she deliberately walked toward me. As she passed, she threw herself to the ground.

Julian and our parents rushed in.

Isabella claimed I pushed her. I denied it. No one believed me. They called me a monster.

Julian was furious seeing Isabella suffering from the miscarriage.

He had me locked in this remote manor estate.

This massive house—and I'm completely alone. The servants only clean and bring food. They never speak to me.

My only companion is a crow that built a nest outside my window.

People say crows sound harsh and grating. But to me, that cawing was the most beautiful sound in the world."