Chapter 3

"What an absolute jerk!"

Stella’s face flushed red with anger.

"He dumped you just because she was rich?"

"Rich, and connected," I added quietly. "Clara’s family gave him a twenty-year head start."

"And you just let it go?" Stella asked, frustrated.

Let it go?

How could I?

Back then, like anyone who had been cheated on, I was consumed by rage, pain, and betrayal.

I called him repeatedly, demanding an explanation.

All I got was radio silence and blocked numbers.

I tracked them down to confront them in person.

Julian shielded Clara behind him, looking at me with cold disappointment. "Nora, get a grip. Stop humiliating yourself in public."

Clara clung to his arm, looking frail and tearful. "Nora, you can't force love. Julian and I did wrong by you, but blame me if you must."

She played the victim so well, making me look like the unhinged villain.

Overwhelmed by fury and humiliation, I wrote long letters to the academy board, exposing how competition spots were bought and traded behind closed doors.

They vanished into thin air.

At their debut homecoming concert, I stormed backstage, determined to expose them.

Security dragged me out.

Julian came out to see me thrashing around like a lunatic, his eyes filled with pure disgust.

"Nora, look at yourself. You're pathetic."

Clara leaned into his side, whispering, "Julian, she's just hurt. Don't be too hard on her."

The stagehands and musicians around us whispered, staring at me with a mix of pity and contempt.

In that instant, my pride shattered into dust.

I was a joke.

Against wealth and elite connections, my truth didn't stand a chance.

Through Clara’s family, Julian had me blacklisted from every local music circle.

No orchestra would hire me; no professor dared teach me.

He even tracked down my parents, dropping subtle warnings for them to keep me in check so I wouldn't ruin his rising career.

My parents were sick with worry. My mom cried every night, and my dad’s hair turned gray almost overnight.

They couldn't understand how the boy they took in out of the kindness of their hearts could turn around and destroy their daughter.

After endless tears and shouting matches, I gave up.

I sold my piano, burned all my sheet music, and deleted every trace of Julian.

I left the city and moved back to our small coastal hometown.

A family friend helped me lease a small fish stall at the market.

The early days were rough.

The smell of raw fish lingered on my skin no matter how much soap I used.

At night, my dreams were haunted by piano melodies and Julian’s cold stare.

My father's health deteriorated, and he passed away heartbroken. On his deathbed, he held my hand and whispered:

"Nora, I'm sorry. Your old man was too weak to protect you."

As he closed his eyes, his final words were:

"I just wish... I could hear you play one last time..."

Holding his cooling hand, tears streamed down my face.

I knew the Nora who danced across the piano keys was dead.

But the Nora who survived was still worth keeping alive.

I had broken down before, left faint scars on my wrist that never quite faded.

It was my mother who noticed them under my sleeve.

She didn't scold me; she just held me and wept through the night.

From that day on, I never harmed myself again.

I learned how to identify fish, scale them, clean them, and haggle with customers.

I went from clumsy to fast and efficient.

The vendors around me were kind, and having a friend like Stella brought warmth into my days.

Life was modest, but peaceful.

With the money I saved, I rented a slightly nicer apartment for my mom.

By the time I finished the story, Stella was sobbing.

"Nora... that's horrible..."

I patted her back gently. "It's all in the past."

"What should we do with this box?"

I looked down at the tarnished silver brooch, dull under the dim bulb.

"Throw it out."

Stella snatched it away immediately.

"No! Don't throw it! Maybe... maybe we can pawn it for some cash one day!"

I knew she just wanted me to keep a piece of my past, so I didn't push it.

"Whatever you want."