Chapter 2
With exactly one week left until the semi-finals of the National Duo-Piano Competition, I wasn't looking at our rehearsal schedule. I was looking at Lila Voss’s Instagram.
The photo showed Lila’s delicate hands resting on the keys of the conservatory's antique, crown-jewel Steinway—a piano strictly reserved for competition finals and tenured professors.
The caption read: “Late night practice. So incredibly grateful for my mentor who believes in me when I don’t believe in myself. 🤍🎹”
Directly beneath it, posted mere seconds after the photo went live, was a comment from Ethan Pierce: “Your hard work will pay off. Keep going. I’ve got your back.”
I stared at the screen, my expression completely flat.
While I was practically living in the library, obsessively practicing the arrangement of Light & Dust to secure our families' honor, Ethan was playing savior.
He hadn't just been giving Lila private lessons behind my back. He had used his power as the Student Representative and bribed the faculty, naming Lila as the official substitute for the competition.
And now, he had unlocked the antique Steinway for her personal use.
I simply locked the screen, grabbed my coat, and walked straight over to the Student Union office.
I walked into the Studio. Ethan was sitting at his desk, casually flipping through a stack of sheet music.
"Did you authorize Lila Voss to use the antique Steinway?" I asked, skipping any form of greeting.
Ethan looked up, his jaw instantly tightening. "Hello to you too, Daphne. And yes, I did. She needed a proper instrument to practice her phrasing."
"She is a freshman who isn't even officially competing," I said, my voice dangerously calm. "And you secured her the substitute spot. Without discussing it with your actual partner."
Ethan threw the sheet music down. He stood up, towering over the desk, his face twisting into a mask of righteous indignation.
"Here we go again," he sneered. "Is this what this is about? You’re tracking her social media now? Daphne, you are an Ashford. You have the world handed to you on a silver platter. Why are you so obsessed with crushing a girl who has absolutely nothing?"
"I don't care about what she has," I replied coldly. "I care about your utter lack of professional boundaries."
"Boundaries?" Ethan scoffed loudly. "She’s a freshman who looks up to us! She reminds me of Iris, okay? My sister would have been exactly her age. She needs guidance, and she’s fragile. But you wouldn't understand that. You're too arrogant, too cold-blooded. You're completely incapable of tolerating an innocent junior because of your twisted, narrow-minded jealousy!"
I looked at the man I had grown up with, the man I was supposed to marry, and felt nothing but absolute disgust.
"Let me get this straight," I stepped closer, my eyes locking onto his. "You let her touch our exclusive, unpublished score. You pulled strings to get her a competition spot. You broke conservatory rules to lend her the antique Steinway.”
“You are the one playing both sides, carrying on an emotional affair right in front of me. And you have the nerve to stand there and call me narrow-minded?”
Ethan’s face flushed dark red. He opened his mouth, but no words came out. He knew I was right, and that only made him angrier.
"You're impossible to talk to when you're this hysterical," he finally spat. He grabbed his jacket, shoved past my shoulder, and stormed out of the office.
I stood there alone, the heavy silence of the room pressing in on me.
For a brief, fleeting moment, I debated if this relationship was still worth salvaging for the sake of the family business.
I decided I would give him until the official pre-competition press conference to get his act together.
But a brutal reality check was waiting for me. Ethan’s next public move would completely erase any lingering hesitation I had left.
Three days later, the grand auditorium was packed. Flashing cameras, murmuring reporters, and elite faculty members filled the room. The semi-finals official press conference was the biggest media event of the semester.
I stood in the designated VIP area near the front row, dressed in a tailored Chanel blazer, waiting for Ethan to give his opening remarks as the Student Representative. We hadn't spoken since our argument.
Ethan stepped up to the podium. He adjusted the microphone. The auditorium fell silent.
He didn't look at me. He looked directly into the cameras.
"Thank you all for being here," Ethan began, his voice heavy with perfectly manufactured sorrow. "Before we discuss the competition, I have a difficult, personal announcement to make regarding my duo-piano partnership."
A collective hush fell over the room. My posture was completely rigid.
Ethan let out a long, weary sigh.
"Due to severe emotional instability and a rapidly declining mental state," Ethan announced clearly, his voice echoing through the massive speakers, "my partner, Daphne Ashford, will be voluntarily withdrawing from the National Competition."
The silence in the auditorium shattered. Gasps erupted from the faculty. Reporters frantically began typing on their laptops.
"It breaks my heart," Ethan continued, shaking his head, playing the victim to absolute perfection. "I have tried everything to support her through her recent... tantrums and erratic behavior. But for the sake of the music, and for the integrity of the competition, I had to make the agonizing choice to let her step down."
He paused, letting the character assassination sink in. Then, he raised his hand, gesturing to the side of the stage.
"However, I will not be dropping out. I am incredibly grateful to announce that Lila Voss, a brilliant and dedicated freshman, has agreed to step up as my new partner."
Lila walked onto the stage. Ethan reached out, taking her hand and pulling her to his side.
The media went wild. Cameras flashed like lightning, capturing the birth of Havenwood’s new tragic, romantic musical duo.
And then, the heads began to turn.
One by one, the students, the faculty, and the reporters realized I was standing right there in the front row.
The whispers hit me like a tidal wave.
“Emotional instability? Did she have a breakdown?”
“I heard she was bullying the freshman out of jealousy…”
“Look at her. She looks completely frozen.”
The probing, mocking, and pitying gazes swarmed me from every direction.
Years of shared history, our childhood promises, my endless nights composing the perfect piece for our future—it all disintegrated in front of those flashing cameras.
Yet, as the whispers grew louder, I didn't run out of the auditorium.
I stood perfectly straight, my chin held high. My eyes met Ethan’s from across the room. He looked away first, a flicker of cowardly guilt flashing across his face.
Ethan Pierce, I silently chewed on his name in my mind, crossing it out like a voided, worthless contract.
Using my work as your personal favor. Using my dignity as your stepping stone.
A cold, razor-sharp smile ghosted across my lips.
Fine. Since you want to play this game, I will walk this road with you to the bitter end.
Let's see just how many seconds you and your fragile little muse can survive on that stage without me.
Every single step you took today to elevate her by stepping on my spine... I will make sure you crawl back on your knees to repay it.
