Chapter 3

Every word out of his mouth was like a sharp blade, slicing right through my heart.

I hadn't cried in ages, but out of nowhere, my nose prickled, and I felt tears threatening to fall.

From inside the room, the girl's playful laughter rang out again. "Seriously, how did you manage to tame her and make her so obedient?"

"That's nothing. Why don't I break you in and show you myself?" Victor teased.

Once again, the room was filled with those indecent noises.

So this was what he called working overtime, huh? It turned out that was the kind of business he was really handling.

I didn't knock or go in. I just slipped away, heading back to the bedroom we were supposed to share as husband and wife.

Staring at the closet packed with Victor's suits, I realized I couldn't even find enough of my own clothes to fill a suitcase.

Yeah, that was right. All these years, my whole life revolved around Victor.

People in our circle always praised me for being such a devoted girlfriend, but back then, the compliments I got were all about my looks.

I looked again at the wedding dress hanging there, every delicate thread woven with my love and devotion.

I held back my tears, even though my heart ached so much that it felt hard to breathe.

After packing up my clothes, I slipped the ring off my finger and quietly left it on the table, my heart heavy with finality.

And just like that, I left Feroville with nothing but my meager possessions.

After my mom passed away, I had nowhere left to go.

I ended up heading back to my old home, and when I saw the yard choked with weeds, a wave of bittersweet feelings hit me.

It had been so long since I'd last set foot there. I honestly couldn't even remember how many years had passed.

I pushed open the dusty door and saw the stove completely claimed by cobwebs, as if it had been cordoned off and left untouched for ages.

I glanced around, and it felt like traces of my mom lingered everywhere, yet somehow she was nowhere to be found.

The bed was buried in dust, but the only thing in the room still protected by a dust cover was the piano.

Sunlight streamed in, catching the dust swirling above the piano and turning it into a gorgeous display of light, shafts dancing through the air.

For a moment, I could almost see my mom up there on the world stage, her fingers flying over the piano keys, each note sparkling with life.

Those enchanting melodies came alive in my mind, one after another.

She used to be so radiant, but after my dad died, she let her shine be lost to the past.

I pulled off the dust cover, sending a cloud of dust swirling into the air.

The piano underneath was perfectly intact, though its old keys had yellowed and showed some small cracks.

As my fingers brushed over the keys, memories I thought were long buried came flooding back.

Growing up, my mom taught me a lot, and people used to call me a musical prodigy.

But once high school hit and the workload piled up, I had to stop playing for a while.

It wasn't until college that I picked up music again, and thanks to my own determination, I graduated with a double major from the music academy.

But right then, sitting in front of this piano, it felt both familiar and strangely distant at the same time.

After graduation, I spent two years with Victor, cooking, doing laundry, and taking care of the house so he could focus on his work.

We even tried hiring a housekeeper once, but Victor's stomach only trusted my cooking, so that idea didn't last long.

Thinking back, I'd poured every second of my life into him. In the end, I guessed I had it coming.

"I'm never coming back for you, Victor," I said, my voice cold, even though my heart felt like it was being ripped apart.

I finally let the words out from deep inside, but I couldn't help wondering why it hurt so badly.

As I sat down at the piano, it all came rushing back to me.

Almost without thinking, my fingers began to fly across the keys.

I was a little rusty at first, but soon the music started to flow smoothly and effortlessly.

The sweet notes floated out the window, and even the neighbors paused to listen.

As I kept playing, it felt like my mom's image was coming into focus in my mind, almost as if she was right there beside me.

When the last note faded, I felt exhilarated, as if I'd finally let everything out and could breathe again.

When I opened my eyes again, out of the corner of my eye, I noticed an envelope lying next to the piano.

I hadn't noticed it at first, completely swept up in the moment, playing with my eyes closed.

"Wait, is that..." I mutter to myself, my heart skipping a beat.

My hands trembled as I opened the envelope, and I saw that familiar handwriting.

It had been two years since I last came back, only for my mom's funeral, and I didn't even see this letter then.

I was almost too afraid to read it, but I kept bringing the paper closer, even though I was scared to look.

It was just a thin sheet of paper, but in my hands, it felt like it weighed a thousand pounds.

It read, [Lydia, by the time you read this, I'll already be with your dad.

[You're the one I worry about the most. I know you truly love Victor, but I'm afraid he's not someone you can easily manage.

[After you started college, I kept wondering, if I'd let you follow the path of piano from the start, maybe your life would have taken a different turn.

[I can see you're even more gifted than I ever was, and you work harder than I ever did.

[Before you went off to college, you asked me if you could study music. What I told you back then wasn't truly how I felt.

[Now, I want you to know that I hope you'll follow your own path.

[I have an old friend working at a music academy in Swonderland. If you ever want to get back into playing piano, reach out to her.

[I'm sorry, Lydia. I love you.]