Chapter 3

I stood in the corner of the gallery, watching Victoria's manicured fingers trace the edge of a painting. Her presence had transformed the space—or perhaps just transformed Ethan. He hovered near her like a satellite caught in orbit, his eyes never straying far from her face. The same face that had haunted me since the moment she walked through those doors a week ago.

The gallery was crowded with the usual suspects—critics, collectors, and social climbers—but the energy had shifted. Everyone seemed to sense the electric current flowing between Ethan and Victoria, leaving me as an awkward spectator to my own relationship's unraveling.

"Is that a cello case?" Victoria's voice carried across the room, cutting through conversations as she pointed to the corner where my Stradivarius rested against the wall.

My heart stuttered. I'd brought it for a rehearsal scheduled after the exhibition—the London Symphony Orchestra audition was approaching, and I needed every minute of practice I could steal.

"Yes," Ethan answered before I could. "Isabella plays."

The way he said it—casual, dismissive—made my years of dedication sound like a hobby, something to fill time between supporting his career and warming his bed.

Victoria's eyes lit with calculated interest. "I adore the cello. May I see it?"

I stepped forward. "Actually, it's quite valuable and—"

"Of course you can," Ethan interrupted, already moving toward my instrument.

I froze, watching in horror as he lifted my Stradivarius from its stand—the cello my mother had sacrificed everything to give me, the extension of my soul—and presented it to Victoria like an offering.

"Ethan," I whispered, but he didn't even glance my way.

Victoria held the cello awkwardly, her red-bottomed stilettos clicking against the hardwood floor as she positioned herself near the gallery's best lighting. She didn't bother with the bow, simply rested her hand on the ebony fingerboard, her diamond bracelet scraping against the strings.

"Perfect," she purred, handing her phone to a nearby assistant. "Get a few for the 'gram. Make sure you catch the label inside—I want everyone to know it's a Strad."

I watched, paralyzed, as she posed with my instrument—the same instrument I treated with reverence, the one I'd spent thousands of hours mastering. In her hands, it was nothing but a prop, an accessory for her carefully curated online persona.

Ethan beamed at her, completely oblivious to my distress. Or worse—aware but uncaring.

"Careful with the—" I began, but Victoria had already shifted positions, the cello tilting precariously as she laughed at something Ethan whispered in her ear.

The flash of cameras continued. I turned away, unable to watch anymore, and found Marcus observing the scene with a grimace.

"You should say something," he muttered, nursing his whiskey.

"Would it matter?" I asked, the words bitter on my tongue.

His silence was answer enough.

---

Morning light filtered through the bedroom curtains as I knelt beside my cello case. Ethan had returned late last night—alone, thankfully—but we hadn't spoken. The hollow space between us in bed felt wider than ever.

I unlatched the case with practiced movements, my fingers trembling slightly. Something felt wrong even before I opened it fully. The cello had been hastily returned to its velvet nest, not positioned with the care I always took.

As I lifted the lid completely, my breath caught in my throat.

A jagged crack ran along the neck of my Stradivarius, ugly and violent against the polished wood. I traced it with shaking fingers, feeling the split beneath my touch. The damage wasn't cosmetic—it would affect the sound, the resonance, everything.

Tears blurred my vision as I carefully removed my phone from my pocket and recorded a close-up of the crack, documenting the injury to my most precious possession. The video was shaky, my breathing audible and uneven.

I texted it to Ethan, who was already at his studio: *Look what happened to my cello.*

His response came three minutes later: *Probably just surface damage. Don't overreact.*

I stared at the screen, disbelief washing over me in cold waves. Don't overreact? To the destruction of an instrument worth more than most people's homes? To the careless handling of the one thing that connected me to my dreams?

I set the phone down and carefully returned the cello to its case, closing the lid with a soft click that felt like the sound of something else ending too.

The London Symphony Orchestra wouldn't want a cellist with a damaged instrument. Victoria wouldn't want a man who chose someone else. And I was beginning to realize I didn't want a love that required me to keep breaking pieces of myself to fit into someone else's frame.