Blaire's POV
I had been secretly in contact with Julian.
During the day, everyone thought I was completely blind and couldn't even use my phone. But when the night fell quiet and the world around me settled down, Julian and I would exchange messages. They were the only thing that kept me going. I hated being with Henry, being trapped, and how easily I let myself get lost in the fantasy of a life outside of this hellhole.
Also, I feel sorry for Julian. He had been dismissed from the hospital after reporting Vivian’s cousin, the ear specialist, for abusing his power. Of course, Vivian's cousin denied it all and made up some story that Julian had ulterior motives.
As if!
In the end, the hospital sided with Vivian’s cousin and tossed Julian aside. I hated seeing him lose everything he had worked for. Julian was young, driven, and had a future ahead of him, but now it was all gone.
And for what?
For sticking up for what was right? I couldn’t even begin to wrap my head around it.
One night, after another exhausting rehearsal, Julian sent me a message:
[It’s okay, Blaire. I have no regrets. I plan to study medicine abroad for a few more years and then join Doctors Without Borders.]
I had to smile at that. His resilience was something else. Even with everything that had happened to him, he still had hope. I couldn’t help but feel inspired, but then a pang of sorrow crept up on me.
I replied, "I want to perform stage plays abroad, show them what our nation’s art really looks like."
The idea of the future sounded so beautiful, but every day in this twisted situation with Henry felt heavier. Vivian was glued to Henry, flaunting their relationship with anyone who would look, and there I was, pretending to be his loving, obedient girlfriend. The suffocating pretense was killing me.
The worst part? Henry noticed the change in me.
He didn’t understand why, but he could feel it. He always had a way of sensing when I wasn’t all in, and it made him more desperate.
One afternoon, he asked, “Blaire, it seems like you’re paying less attention to me than you used to. Do you not love me anymore?”
It took everything in me not to scream at him. 'How could he even ask that? Why did he want me to love him when he was the one who had broken me over and over?'
I turned away from him and replied calmly, “The premiere of The Sapphire Blade is next week. I’m busy with final rehearsals.”
Just one more week.
That’s all I had left before I could finally get out of there. I’d leave him behind, pack my things, and fly away with Julian. It felt like freedom was right there, just within reach. But I hadn’t expected what was about to happen next.
The night after our final rehearsal, Henry was in the theater, tearing up over the play. The singing, the stage design, the lyrics—it was all perfect to him, and it hit him like a wave. He didn’t even realize it, but he was seeing me in every word, every note. He could feel the love I’d poured into the play, the love I’d given to him when I wrote it. The irony was almost too much to bear.
Vivian, of course, couldn’t handle it. She had to step in and try to ruin everything, just like she always did.
With a sickly sweet smile plastered on her face, Vivian offered, “I think the play could be improved. I’ll help you rewrite it, Blaire. For free, of course.”
The blood drained from my face.
No. Absolutely not.
She wasn’t touching my work. I couldn’t let her anywhere near it.
“No,” I said firmly.
Vivian wasn’t one to back down. She contended, “I’m just trying to help! Back when we were at the provincial theater, you were just a supporting role! If it weren’t for my car accident, you wouldn’t even be in this position!”
I felt my jaw tighten. She was still holding onto that grudge like it was her lifeline. And now, she was using it to destroy everything I had worked for.
“I also regret what happened,” I said, my voice cold. “But that accident wasn’t my fault. I don’t owe you anything.”
Vivian’s eyes filled with fake tears, and she immediately turned to Henry, shaking his arm. “Henry, she’s bullying me again! You’ve got to back me up! I just want to help rewrite 'The Sapphire Blade.' Don’t you want to support me?”
Henry’s eyes flickered between us, and I could see the shift in him. He was caught in the middle, and I wasn’t sure which way he’d fall. Vivian was playing him like a fiddle, but she had one hell of a hand to play.
Vivian wasn’t even trying to hide her manipulation anymore. She knew exactly what she was doing. “This theater is under your name, Henry. With just one word from you, Blaire’s play won’t be performed.”
I kept my eyes on him, watching for any sign of weakness, anything that would tell me he cared about the play, about me. He’d been moved to tears by it.
Surely he wouldn’t let Vivian ruin it, right?
“Henry?” I asked, my voice shaking ever so slightly. “This play represents my love for you. Don’t you like it? Please, don’t change it. Please.”
But his expression hardened, and he spoke with finality, “I’m not satisfied with the play. Let’s do what Vivian says. She’s talented, and she’ll help you improve it.”
