Chapter 19 Tears for Vanessa\u2019s Admiration\u00a0<\/p>\n
46\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan didn\u2019t believe her. He gently took her wrist, checking her pulse-steady, but her face was tight with tension. \u201cTell me what\u2019s wrong,\u201d he said, his voice soft but firm.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett sighed. She couldn\u2019t keep it from him. \u201cThe pianist-\u2018Night Rain\u2019-that\u2019s Sabrina. The same woman you met at the restaurant earlier. The one with Vincent.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan\u2019s eyes widened. He\u2019d had no idea Sabrina was the famous pianist everyone was talking about. He looked back at the stage, admiration in his eyes. \u201cI had no clue. She\u2019s talented-really talented. I\u2019ve heard her name before-my colleagues rave about her concerts. Now I see why.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sabrina\u2019s stage name-\u201cNight Rain\u201d-suited her. The veil, the white gown, the way she played like she was pouring her soul into the piano-it all added to her mysterious, ethereal vibe. People came for her music, but they stayed for her-the whole package.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett nodded, her throat tight. \u201cShe is. Dazzling, even.\u201d She meant it. If Vincent had fallen for her, how could she not be? Sabrina had everything Scarlett didn\u2019t-talent, beauty, confidence, Vincent\u2019s attention.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan turned to her, his expression serious. \u201cBut you\u2019re more dazzling.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett laughed, a bitter sound. \u201cDon\u2019t say that. I know what I am.\u201d She was a woman who\u2019d put her career on hold for a marriage that fell apart, a mother her daughter didn\u2019t want, a wife who\u2019d been replaced.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan leaned forward, his voice earnest. \u201cScarlett, you were top of our class. You could\u2019ve been a surgeon, a researcher-anything you wanted. You chose marriage, but that doesn\u2019t make you any less amazing. Sabrina\u2019s got the spotlight now, but once it\u2019s gone? We\u2019re all just people. You\u2019ve got something she doesn\u2019t-kindness, empathy, heart. That matters more.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
His words made her eyes sting. No one had spoken to her like that in years. She nodded, not trusting herself to speak.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The concert ended soon after. Sabrina bowed deeply, and the audience cheered so loud the walls seemed to shake. Scarlett clapped, too-she couldn\u2019t deny Sabrina\u2019s talent. As Sabrina stood\u00a0<\/p>\n
up, she glanced toward the front row, then did a double take when she saw Scarlett. Her smile faltered for a second, then she recovered, waving toward Vincent and Vanessa in the second row.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Most of the audience left, but Scarlett and Nolan stayed, waiting for the crowd to thin. Suddenly, Vanessa ran toward the stage, yelling, \u201cSabrina!\u201d She darted behind the curtain, and Scarlett heard her say, \u201cYou\u2019re so pretty! I want to be just like you when I grow up!\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sabrina laughed, her voice warm. \u201cWith a sweet mouth like yours? You\u2019ll be even prettier.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
15:30 Sat, Jan 3\u00a0<\/p>\n
Chapter 19 Tears for Vanessa\u2019s Admiration\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u767d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Scarlett froze. Her legs felt like lead. Tears pricked her eyes-her own daughter, admiring the woman who\u2019d taken her place.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan noticed. He stepped in front of her, blocking her view of the stage, and knelt down. \u201cScarlett? What\u2019s wrong?\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
She couldn\u2019t hold it in anymore. Tears streamed down her face. \u201cThat\u2019s my daughter,\u201d she whispered. \u201cVanessa. The little girl with Vincent.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Nolan\u2019s face fell. He looked toward the stage, where Sabrina was crouched down, chatting with Vanessa like she was her mother.\u00a0<\/p>\n
1.0K\u00a0<\/p>\n
1\u00a0<\/p>\n
15:30 Sat, Jan 3\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00c1(6)\u00a0<\/p>\n
Finished\u00a0<\/p>\n
Awakened Housewife Ignore Betrayer\u2019s Begs\u00a0<\/p>\n
Silent Dreams Never Die \u2014 Author: John Miller 19 Chapter 19 Tears for Vanessa\u2019s Admiration\u00a0 46\u00a0 Finished\u00a0 Nolan didn\u2019t believe […]<\/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":[81],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27383","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-the-impossible-condition-novel"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27383","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=27383"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27383\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27383"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27383"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/kezpres.xyz\/novelreading\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27383"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}