Blaire's POV
I couldn’t believe what I was reading.
It felt like I was watching my life spiral out of control, one word at a time. Vivian had completely rewritten The Sapphire Blade after two hours of revising.
I don’t even know how to describe the mess she’d made of it. All the soul-stirring, beautiful lyrics I had poured my heart into were gone. In their place were crude, vulgar lines that felt like they came straight out of an AI program with no soul behind them.
It was offensive.
This wasn’t just a play to me. It was my vision, my heart, and my soul. I had spent years making this script what it was, and now Vivian was tearing it apart. I couldn’t just sit back and watch her ruin everything.
“This can’t be changed,” I said, my voice tight with desperation. “The premiere is in three days! If we change the script now, the actors won’t have enough time to memorize the new lyrics.”
Vivian just rolled her eyes. “If they can’t memorize it, then let them get lost. This theater troupe deserves to close down. I offered to be the leading lady, but you didn’t want that. Honestly, I don’t even want to work with people who can’t remember new lyrics.”
I could feel my chest tighten. 'How could she be this cold?'
The actors all came down from the stage, rallying around me. Their anger was palpable as they denounced Vivian.
“If we don’t perform, we won’t perform,” one of the actors said loudly. “Blaire's play is a masterpiece. What you’ve done to it is like throwing manure all over it, Vivian. You have no idea what you’re doing. Stop pretending to be a master in front of real artists!”
Vivian, her face flushed red with fury and her eyes starting to water with fake tears, turned on the charm. She clung to Henry’s sleeve, putting on her best damsel-in-distress act.
“They’re bullying me!” she sobbed dramatically, her voice dripping with fake hurt. “They’re calling my work trash, Henry!”
Henry, predictably, jumped to her defense. “You all have some nerve! Do you really think I won’t cancel your premiere qualifications?”
I stood tall, gripping my cane for support. The pain in my chest was overwhelming, but I knew I couldn’t back down.
“Henry, do as you please,” I said, my voice steady even though my insides were anything but that. “Even if we can’t perform in your grand theater, we’ll take it to the streets. We’ll perform for anyone who wants to see it.”
The room fell silent, and I could feel Henry’s gaze shift.
He hadn’t expected me to stand up for myself like this, to have the guts to push back. My strength wasn’t lost on him, and neither was the loyalty I had from my actors. They respected me, and that meant something to him, even if he didn’t want to admit it.
“Mr. Kline,” the secretary whispered in a low voice, “The Sapphire Blade’s tickets have already sold out. If you cancel now, you’ll have a PR nightmare on your hands with all the ticket holders.”
Henry froze, the reality of the situation hitting him.
After a long pause, he made his choice. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, he knew this wasn’t just about Vivian and me. It was about money and reputation. The play had already been sold out. The last thing he needed was a PR disaster.
“Alright,” he said reluctantly, pulling my hand with an air of finality. “No need to change it. Are you happy now?”
I wanted to rip my hand away from his, scream at him, tell him to never touch me again, but I couldn’t. Not yet. For now, I needed his theater, even if every part of me hated him for what he’d done.
I swallowed my disgust, took a deep breath, and forced a smile. “Mm, I’m very happy. Thank you.”
Standing off to the side, I could see just how irritated Vivian was. She stormed over to Henry, dragging him into a quiet corner backstage.
...
“Why?” Vivian demanded, the frustration choking her voice. “Back then, Blaire took Difficult to Cry from me, and my career went down the drain. She’s thriving now, writing and directing, and I’m stuck in her shadow. How can you stand it? I can't stand it!"
Henry’s voice softened, a tone Vivian hated to hear from him. “I understand how you feel, Vivian, I really do. I’m on your side. But for the sake of business, I have to let the play go on. Don’t worry, I’ll only let them perform once. After that, they’ll never see another stage.”
Vivian threw myself into Henry’s arms, the tears coming easily, the act practiced but no less effective. “Not even once? You can’t just let her get away with it. You promised me, Henry. You said you would handle it! Unless you—”
Henry cut she off. “Unless what, Vivian?”
Vivian pulled back slightly, her face still drenched in fake tears, “Unless you get rid of Blaire after this performance, I’ll never forgive you. You can’t let her walk away unscathed, not this time.”
I watched everything unfold from the safety of the terminal software on my phone, trying to control my breath as I kept my eyes glued to the surveillance footage.
From the camera angle in the hallway, I could see everything clearly. Vivian and Henry’s conversation was unfolding right before me, and I felt my stomach churn.
What was I hearing? It was bad. Really bad.
Henry’s voice came through first, full of uncertainty. “No, no matter what... she doesn’t deserve to die.”
Vivian, already simmering with anger, reacted sharply. I could hear the smirk in her voice as she spoke, “Oh, I was just joking. I didn’t really mean to kill Blaire. I just wanted to teach her a lesson, like scaring her with a fire.”
I froze. My breath caught in my throat as Vivian’s words hit me like a slap.
It was a threat. A clear one.
Suddenly, a plan formed in my mind. 'If they were planning a fire… what if I faked my death?'
What if this was the way out, the way to escape from Henry’s manipulations for good? I’d vanish, leave everything behind, and he’d never come after me again.
It was the perfect plan.
...
That night, Julian and I went over the details.
Julian devised a plan to make it seem real. He would provide a blood pack and arrange for a charred body to match my outline, ensuring that when the fire happened, everything would be convincing.
We rehearsed everything, preparing in secret. We even made sure that everything backstage was set up so that no one would see what we were doing until it was too late.
Then, the day of The Sapphire Blade’s premiere arrived.
I could barely breathe.
My nerves were shot, every detail of the plan running through my mind over and over. I spent the day organizing the final touches, my stomach tight with anxiety.
By the time 9 p.m. rolled around and the performance ended, the applause was deafening, and it felt like a dream.
The last notes of the harp and violin echoed through the theater as the curtain fell, but that wasn’t the moment I was waiting for.
No, it was what would happen next.
Through the surveillance footage, I had already learned about their plans. Vivian and Henry were setting the fire in the prop room, where costumes would catch flame, and the fire would spread to the makeup room.
The theater staff was instructed to lock the back door for ten minutes, trapping me and the rest of the troupe inside. But I had the key to that door.
As soon as the fire started, I would let everyone out and lock the door behind me. It would look like I died in the fire.
And then I could finally be free from Henry and Vivian.
I smiled and dragged the fake corpse that Julian had prepared for me to the scene.
Henry, you hurt me and tortured me again and again for her.
This time it's my turn to torture you.
I left my phone behind, turned on the pre-recorded cry for help, and pressed play without hesitation.
"Help!!! I'm trapped in the fire here! Save me!"
After finishing everything, I resolutely left the theater according to the route planned in advance.
Soon, the alarm sounded at the theater, the smoke was thick, and the flames shot up to the sky, illuminating the night and my bright future.
