nca

llet training was my anchor, the one constant in my chaotic life. I planned to go to my private practice space, the small, sun-drenched s

ar, was closed. A faint, unfamiliar scent drifted from within – not the familiar scent of w

d the d

rumpled, was draped across the piano bench, giggling. Hunter leaned over her, his hands on either side of her, his shirt butt

lled with the ghosts of my movements, felt suffoca

as his eyes met mine. He straightene

e a normal morning encounter. "Ashley was just cu

blush rising on her cheeks. But her eyes, as

d, his voice devoid of warmth. "This space... it's quite lovely,

design, knowing how much it meant to me. He was

e skin. He did that to her. Here. In my space. The image of his lips on her, the echoes of

the words wouldn't come. My voice was trapped, choked by the raw, visceral pa

was a piece of my soul. And he

They were Adolfo' s. They were Hunter' s. And now, they were Ashley' s. Just like ever

be worth the fight. It wouldn't be

out a word, I turned on my heel, the sound of my ballet slippers disturbingly loud on the polished floor. I pul

in a haze of exhaustion, escaping to a tiny, sparsely furnished apartment I' d secretly rented near the city center. The thought of encountering H

, agonizing pain. My old enemy, gastritis, was back with a vengeance. I s

had the antacids ready, a glass of water waiting. He would sit beside me, his hand gentle on my fore

c jumble of brightly colored candy wrappers, half-eaten bags of chips, and crumpled fast-food containers. Ashley's detrit

hed over me. He had systematically stripped away every

y hands searching blindly for a bottle of water. A low murmur, the

a morbid curiosity seizing

tracing the curve of her waist. She giggled, a sound that pierced through my pain-fogged brain. The

Ashley shrieked, pulling away from him, her face f

ter snapped, his voice sharp wi

stole my breath. I sagged against the doorframe,

loves to interrupt, doesn't she? Always seeking attention." She

t it was quickly replaced by annoyance. "Bianca, you need to stop. Whatever this is, it's over. It has been for

swam. The pain in my gut intensified, twisting into a burning knot. I opened my mouth to explain, to tell

she said, her voice laced with false concern. "Maybe she needs some rest. Or maybe she's just upset tha

shley, his expression grim. "That's enough, B

hen, as her eyes met mine, a flicker of something else – a cold calculation. "Unle

ith anger. He took a step towards me, his hand

fingers digging into my flesh, and physically propelled me out of the librar

ring movement. My mind raced, trying to process the sheer crue

med shut behind me, the sound echoing through the silent, empty hallway. I was alone. Lo

agony of abandonment. I sank to the cold marble floor, my body shaking unc

e, my fingers clumsy. I dialed m

epy and annoyed. "Bianca? D

isper. "I'm sick. My stomach... It's

dn't ask if I was okay. She didn't ask where I was. "And Hunter wouldn't just 'throw you out.' You must have provoked him. You always do." She paused, then lowered

ed again, my

ut me off. "Just... take some

ne wen

emptiness settling over me. My mother. She had chosen him. Agai

slid further down the cold marble, my body trembling, my consciousness fading. The last t