SERA<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
I caught my reflection in the bathroom mirror, pale skin, puffy red eyes that screamed failure. My chest tightened as I heard the footsteps outside the door.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cJust a minute!\u201d I called out, grabbing my makeup bag with shaking fingers. I had to look perfect. If any guest saw me like this, Darius\u2019s family would have more ammunition.\u00a0<\/p>\n
See? She can\u2019t even hold herself together at her own party. Not that they\u2019d bothered showing up anyway.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I dabbed concealer under my eyes, trying to erase the evidence of my breakdown. My hands trembled as I applied lipstick, the red color mocking me\u2014almost as bold as Vivienne\u2019s dress.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Taking a deep breath, I opened the door.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vivienne stood there, arms crossed, a cruel smile playing on her lips.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cLook at you,\u201d she said, her voice dripping with fake concern. \u201cSo broken already.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Heat rushed to my cheeks. Even dying, she looked more alive than I felt.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThis isn\u2019t your business,\u201d I said, stepping around her. My shoulder brushed hers as I tried to pass.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cOh, but it is.\u201d Her voice stopped me cold. \u201cDon\u2019t you want to know what I told Luna in the toy room?\u201d She asked in a sickly sweet tone.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My blood turned to ice. I spun around, my heart hammering against my ribs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cStay away from my daughter!\u201d The words slipped out like a growl. \u201cThis is between us. If you drag Luna into your sick games, I swear\u2014\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019ll what?\u201d Vivienne laughed, the sound sharp as breaking glass. \u201cDid you see how they protected me? Your own husband and daughter chose me over you. Face it, Sera\u2014I matter more to them than you ever will.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Don\u2019t listen. Don\u2019t let her win.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My nails dug into my palms as I fought to stay calm. Without another word, I walked away, my heels clicking against the marble floor.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I needed air. Space. Somewhere she couldn\u2019t follow.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The greenhouse in our backyard has always been my sanctuary. Glass walls surrounded beds of roses and jasmine, their sweet scent usually calming my nerves. The party noise faded here, replaced by the gentle hum of the heating system.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But my peace was short-lived.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vivienne had followed me, her red dress a slash of color against the green plants.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cEven your hiding spots are pathetic,\u201d she said, running her finger along a rose stem.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I turned my back to her, focusing on a pot of white orchids.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGet out!\u201d I dismissed angrily but didn\u2019t hear her move.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The sound of metal scraping concrete made me whip around. Vivienne held a gardening shovel, and before I could react, she swung it at the glass wall.\u00a0<\/p>\n
CRASH!\u00a0<\/p>\n
The sound exploded through the greenhouse. Glass shards rained down like deadly confetti, and I stumbled backward, my ears ringing. The world tilted sideways as dizziness hit me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat are you\u2014\u201d I started, but stopped when I saw her reach for a large piece of broken glass.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cNo!\u201d I lunged forward, but I was too late.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vivienne dragged the sharp edge across her forearm without hesitation. Blood bloomed instantly, running down her pale skin in bright red streams.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I stared in horror. She was a pianist. Her hands, her arms\u2014they were everything to her career. Why would she\u2014?\u00a0<\/p>\n
The metallic smell hit me, and my stomach lurched. But even as nausea rolled through me, I moved. I grabbed the white tablecloth from the potting table and pressed it against her wound.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re insane,\u201d I whispered, applying pressure to stop the bleeding.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vivienne smiled through her pain, then threw her head back and screamed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHELP! SOMEBODY HELP ME!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her voice carried through the house like a siren. Within seconds, I heard running footsteps. Panic. Shouting.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Darius burst through the greenhouse door first, his face white with terror. Behind him came our guests, the household staff, everyone drawn by her cries.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cGet the first aid kit from the study!\u201d I shouted to Maria, our housekeeper. The woman ran off immediately.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Blood soaked through the tablecloth. My hands were stained red as I fought to keep pressure on the wound, panic filled my voice. \u201cWe need to get her to a hospital. I think she hit an artery.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDarius\u2014please help me,\u201d Vivienne sobbed, her voice weak and trembling. \u201cI\u2019m so scared I\u2019ll never play piano again before I die.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d Darius dropped to his knees beside us, his hands hovering over Vivienne like she might break.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Vivienne\u2019s eyes met mine for just a second. I saw the calculation there. Then her face crumpled with false innocence.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cSera and I had a little argument. She got upset and pushed me. I fell into the glass.\u201d Her voice was barely a whisper. \u201cBut don\u2019t blame her. She\u2019s trying to help me now.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Her words had me going still. My mouth fell open as I stared at her, this woman whose bleeding arm I was literally holding together.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cHow could you?\u201d Darius\u2019s voice was deadly quiet, but his eyes burned with rage as he looked at me. \u201cShe\u2019s dying, Sera. This could kill her faster.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t push her!\u201d The words exploded out of me. \u201cI was trying to stop the bleeding. We need to get her to a hospital right now!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
But I could see it in his face\u2014he\u2019d already decided I was guilty. In a room full of people, only Vivienne and I knew the truth. And she was the one bleeding.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cStop lying!\u201d His voice broke. \u201cAre you saying she cut herself?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
That was exactly what happened. But how could I prove it?\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDarius, please\u2014\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cDon\u2019t.\u201d He grabbed my shoulders and shoved me away from Vivienne. Hard.\u00a0<\/p>\n
My feet slipped on the glass-covered floor. I threw my hands out to catch myself, forgetting about the sharp fragments everywhere. Pain shot through my palms as glass bit deep into my skin.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, Vivienne swayed dramatically, her eyes fluttering closed.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cVivienne!\u201d Darius scooped her up like she was made of porcelain and rushed toward the house.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sat there on the greenhouse floor, surrounded by broken glass and my own blood. Slowly, I pulled shard after shard from my palms. Each piece sent fire through my nerves, but the physical pain was nothing compared to watching my husband choose her over me.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Again.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Our guests clustered outside the greenhouse, whispering behind their hands. Their looks said everything\u2014pity mixed with disgust. Poor jealous wife, finally snapped.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cMommy?\u201d Luna\u2019s small voice cut through the murmurs.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I looked up to see my daughter standing in the doorway, her nanny Lucy behind her. Luna\u2019s blue eyes were wide with confusion and something that made my heart shatter.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Disappointment.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did you hurt Vivienne?\u201d she asked, her bottom lip trembling.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cBaby, I didn\u2019t.\u201d I crawled toward her on my knees, not caring about the glass cutting through my dress. \u201cI would never hurt anyone. It was an accident.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Luna stared at my bloody hands, at the broken greenhouse around us. I watched her trying to make sense of what the adults had told her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI want to go see Vivienne at the hospital,\u201d she said finally.\u00a0<\/p>\n
She turned away without another word, her small hand slipping into Lucy\u2019s. Just like her father, she walked away from me when I needed her most.\u00a0<\/p>\n
I sat alone in the ruins of my sanctuary, tears mixing with blood on my cheeks. The truth burned in my chest like acid\u2014everyone I loved had chosen her.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maybe it was time I chose myself.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Maybe it was time to leave.<\/p>\n
Souls Remember What Matters \u2014 Corey Gibson 3 003 \u2013 Never Play Piano Again SERA \u00a0 I caught my reflection […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","ast-disable-related-posts":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"default","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-4)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[59],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-23449","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-day-i-signed-the-papers-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23449","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23449"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23449\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23449"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23449"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23449"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}