Chapter 2

Doctors told me once I was a rare talent. But with such a serious injury to my hands, I'd never play piano again.

That slam just now didn't just break my bones. It shattered the only thing that ever gave me hope.

"No need," I said quietly, letting out a laugh that felt hollow and empty.

I wasn't crying or begging Irene for love like I used to. I wasn't even trying to explain myself to Charles.

When one hit true rock bottom, tears just didn't come anymore.

"No need for compensation," I continued, lifting my head and letting go of all the fear and desperate need to be accepted. "Since you're all so afraid I'll overshadow Emily, since these hands bother you so much..."

I held up my right hand, torn and bloody, completely out of place in this elegant room. "Fine. This is me settling my debt."

I turned and walked out, leaving drops of blood on the carpet behind me.

"Stop right there! Where are you going? To the hospital so you can play victim for someone else?" Irene's voice chased after me, frantic and angry. "Nina, if you walk out that door today, don't ever call me your mother again."

I paused but didn't look back. "That works perfectly for me."

*****

Hours later, I sat alone in the emergency room of a private hospital while rain poured outside.

The doctor studied my X-ray, and then shook his head with a heavy sigh. "Young lady, this hand is finished. The bone is shattered and the tendon is torn.

"Even with surgery, simple things like holding a fork will be difficult. Playing the piano? That's out of the question."

I had prepared myself for this, but hearing those words still crushed something inside me.

The piano was my whole life, and now that life was over.

I kept my voice steady. "It's alright. Just bandage the wound and give me something for the pain. That's enough."

He hesitated. "You don't want surgery? It won't restore function, but it might make it look better."

"No," I said without hesitating.

I wanted the scar. I wanted the flaw. I needed something permanent to remind me never to lose myself again.

It was two in the morning when I got back to the Sterling residence.

The whole place blazed with light, laughter spilling out from inside.

Through the windows, I could see Irene doting on Emily.

Emily sat in the center of the sofa like a princess, wearing a beautiful gown, while Charles fed her fruit.

Irene held an ice pack to Emily's finger, which was slightly red from playing the piano too hard.

What a warm and loving family.

I stood there in the rain, watching them through the glass, and all I felt was disgust.

I slipped in through the side door, the one they kept for the servants and for me.

My room was at the top of the house, a tiny space under the eaves that used to be a storage closet. When I first joined the Sterling family, Irene said the guest rooms weren't ready and I could stay here temporarily.

I could have moved out later, but then my dad passed away.

Temporarily turned into two years.

The room was filled with my sheet music and an old second-hand piano I bought with my scholarship money. It was the only friend I had in this house.

I found the lighter fluid in my drawer, left over from when I tried to fix the piano's action. Then I carefully gathered all my handwritten scores and stacked them on top of the piano.

Every single page was covered in my handwritten notes, representing hours of work and pieces of my soul.

I touched the cold keys and whispered, "I'm sorry. I couldn't save you." Tears fell silently as I lit the first page.

Flames climbed quickly, devouring the paper. The smoke alarm screamed.

I stood before the blaze, watching the piano warping and charring in the fire.

This was the only proof I ever existed in this house. If I burned it all, maybe I could finally leave with nothing holding me back.

"Fire! Fire!" A servant's scream shattered the night.

Irene and Charles burst through the attic door. Flames roared behind me as I stood there, thin and hollow, staring into the fire.

"Nina, have you lost your mind?" Irene shrieked. "Are you trying to kill us all?"

"Nina, what is wrong with you?" Charles snapped, his face twisted with irritation. "All this drama over a hand? Is it really worth it?"

I turned to face them, the flames casting flickering shadows across my pale face. My eyes glowed with something terrifying.

I raised my bandaged right hand and bowed deeply, the fire separating me from those so-called family members.

That bow was my goodbye to the life they gave me and my final break from every tie that bound me to them.

My voice cut through the crackling flames. "Mrs. Sterling, Mr. Goodman, my hand is broken and my piano is burning. From now on, I'll never play again and you'll never see me again. I've repaid whatever I owed you."

With that, I grabbed the small backpack I had packed earlier. Inside was nothing but my driver's license and a worn photo of the orphanage director who raised me.

While everyone panicked around the fire, I slipped toward the back door. Before I walked out, Emily's voice rang out behind me, feigning concern. "Mom, Nina's gone."

Irene's response came cold and steady. "Don't mind her. She only ever damaged the Sterling name and complicated the marriage alliance with the Goodmans. I never felt at ease after bringing her back. Now that she's finally gone, I can breathe again."

Something inside me shattered, but something else was also breaking free for the first time.

I pushed open the back door and vanished into the rain.