Chapter 2

Traffic was brutal, and by the time I arrived, the party was already in full swing.

I squeezed through the crowd, looking around for Victoria.

The next second, a melody that was all too familiar echoed through the room.

A beautiful, moving voice resonated across the hall, every word dripping with deep affection.

That was my song. And that was Victoria's voice.

I froze, turning my eyes toward the stage.

In the center of the hall, Victoria stood under the spotlight with a mic in hand, looking down at Julian with pure tenderness.

As the song came to an end, a faint blush rose to her cheeks.

"This song is for Julian. It's everything I've ever wanted to tell you. I hope you love it."

Amid the cheers and whistles of the crowd, Julian took Victoria by the hand.

To everyone watching, they looked like the perfect match receiving everyone's blessings.

Julian spotted me. As if asserting his dominance, he tightened his grip on her hand.

"I know Victoria and I had plenty of misunderstandings in the past," he announced, "but none of that matters now. I believe true love can overcome any obstacle."

Holding the mic and staring straight at me, he dragged out the word obstacle with malicious emphasis.

Victoria finally noticed me too. Panic flashed across her face, and she tried to pull her hand away, but Julian only held on tighter.

The guests around us began to notice my presence and started whispering.

"Is that the Hastings heiress's husband?"

"Yeah! Didn't you know? He and Julian went to college together! He totally played the victim to get between them back then."

"Right, I remember he accused Julian of plagiarizing his work, played the depression card, threatened to slit his wrists, and basically forced Julian to leave the country."

"Then why did she even marry him?"

"Probably just to protect Julian. Look at them today—it's obvious who she actually belongs with."

The chatter grew nastier and nastier, and Victoria's face grew darker by the second.

She whispered something to Julian, and only then did he let go of her hand.

With an icy expression, Victoria stepped off the stage and dragged me toward the corner of the hallway.

"What are you doing here?"

Her voice was frigid, dripping with absolute disgust.

"Shouldn't I be asking you that? Why are you here with Julian?"

I stared into her eyes, pronouncing every word clearly.

"Didn't you tell me yesterday that you wouldn't see him again?"

Victoria looked cornered, her lips curling into an irritated sneer.

"He's back in town now. We run in the same circles. We're going to cross paths sooner or later, so you'd better get used to it."

She didn't give a damn about how I felt.

That familiar numbness and overwhelming sense of helplessness washed over me again. My hands began to shake uncontrollably.

I closed my eyes and asked the one question that mattered:

"Why did you give that song to him?"

I wrote that song during the darkest three years of my depression. Every single bar was born from blood, sweat, and sleepless nights.

Victoria had seen me forget to eat and sleep; she had seen me clutch those music sheets even as I was hospitalized for stomach ulcers.

She knew exactly what that song meant to me. She knew what it meant when I dedicated it to her.

Yet tonight, in front of a whole room of people, she claimed it was what she wanted to say to Julian.

She gave it to Julian—the very plagiarist who had pushed me to the brink of suicide!

What about me, then?

Was all my pain and sincerity just something for her to step on?

Victoria's expression shifted, looking torn, but she said nothing.

In the heavy silence, Julian strolled over from the shadows.

He held several sheets of paper in his hand, looking at me with pure malice.

"You really are a musical genius, aren't you?"

"When I drop the track, I'll be sure to give you a shoutout."

Looking at the sheet music in his hands, my blood ran cold. I turned to Victoria.

"You gave him the original manuscripts too?"

Singing the song could have been written off as a thoughtless gesture.

But handing over the master manuscripts meant giving away my life's work on a silver platter.

Victoria avoided my eyes and said coldly, "I wrote the lyrics. It wasn't solely your work anyway. What's the big deal if I gave it to him?"

The rage suppressed deep in my chest finally erupted. All the pent-up anguish shattered its dam, and a metallic, bloody taste rose in my throat.

I opened my mouth to speak, but the world spun violently around me, and I collapsed.

Before darkness took me, all I caught was Victoria's panicked face.

"Lucas! What's wrong?"

"Why is your heart rate so high? Did you skip your meds today?"