Chapter 2

After packing up, I headed back to my small rented apartment. Stella came over to help.

She was an apprentice at the hair salon downstairs, sweet-natured and always willing to lend a hand when she saw how tired I was.

"Nora, that handsome guy in the luxury car stood by your stall for ages today," she said, scraping fish scales off my apron while fishing for gossip.

"Yeah."

"You know him?"

"Kind of."

Stella blinked.

"The way he looked at you didn't look like 'kind of.'"

I didn't answer and hung up the cleaned net.

As she mopped the floor, she dragged an old cardboard box out from the corner, coughing as dust flew into the air.

"Nora, do you still want this box? If not, I can toss it. It takes up so much space."

I walked over and wiped away the dust.

Written across the top in bold black Sharpie was a note:

"To Nora—May music stay with you forever."

Signed by Julian Vance.

Stella leaned in, her eyes going wide.

"Wait! Julian Vance? As in the prodigy violinist Julian Vance who won all those international awards?"

She grabbed my arm, practically vibrating.

"Nora! You know him? He gave you presents?"

I opened the box.

Inside were yellowed sheet music, a few dusty trophies from youth competitions, and right on top, a small silver music-note brooch.

The very first gift he gave me after we started dating.

"More than just know him."

My voice was quiet, stripped of emotion.

Stella leaned closer, eager. "What happened? Tell me, tell me!"

With her prompting, I sat down and began to recount the past I thought I had buried forever.

Julian and I studied under the same classical music instructor.

He was a prodigy, the teacher's prized pupil.

I was average, getting by on sheer stubborn practice and a bit of intuition.

Yet he always told me, "Nora, your playing has soul and warmth. That's the one thing I lack."

We made a pact to stand on the grandest stages together, performing our own duet concerto.

Back then, his entire world consisted of music and me.

The day his parents were killed in a car accident, he vanished.

I searched for hours through pouring rain, finally finding him soaked and shivering in an alley near his old apartment.

I brought him home and begged my parents to take him in.

My dad smoked in silence while my mom wrung her hands.

Eventually, they agreed.

Julian got down on his knees and swore he would repay them, swore he would treat me right for the rest of his life.

I thought we would last forever.

Until college, when Clara Sterling showed up.

She was the daughter of a major arts sponsor, studying as an exchange student.

She fell head over heels for Julian and pursued him relentlessly.

At first, Julian turned her down.

He held my hand, saying, "Don't worry, Nora. My heart belongs only to you."

Slowly, Clara’s name crept into our conversations more and more.

He started showing up at private galas where Clara was present.

He started wearing custom-tailored suits Clara bought for him.

He began to look down on the cheap street food we ate and the crowded subway rides we took, calling them "unprofessional and a waste of time."

The arguments piled up.

I felt he was changing, becoming ruthless, opportunistic, and a stranger.

He felt I was petty, unable to understand his drive to succeed.

"Nora, you don't understand my ambition," he said, rubbing his temples with an exhausted sigh.

"Staying in one place is fine for you, but I want to fly higher."

Then came the international conservatory showcase, with only one performance slot available.

The professors had naturally chosen Julian.

Yet he came to me and said:

"Nora, withdraw your backup application and let Clara have the spotlight. She needs this credential to boost her portfolio."

"Besides, her family promised that if she wins recognition, they'll use all their industry connections to launch my career."

I couldn't believe what I was hearing.

"What about me?" I asked. "What about our dream?"

He remained silent for a long time before replying, "Nora, dreams don't pay the bills. Be realistic."

The reality was, I watched him board an international flight with Clara Sterling.

The reality was, they placed in the competition, and their relationship grew closer by the day.

The reality was, I received a breakup text from him.

"Nora, I'm sorry. Clara and I are together now. She can give me the life you never could."

That year, I lost my first love, and I lost the courage to ever touch a piano again.