"This song—you only sing it for me."
The next morning, I was jolted awake by a sharp, searing pain in my throat.
I couldn't speak. Couldn't make a sound.
The opportunity I'd fought so hard for was gone.
I saw every specialist in the city. The best they could do was coax out a thin, ragged whisper that barely qualified as a voice.
After that, I couldn't bring myself to look anyone in the eye. I couldn't face my fans.
I buried myself in Hugh's arms and sobbed. He held me close and said, "Don't be scared, sweetheart. Even if the whole world turns its back on you, I never will. I'll love you for the rest of my life."
Only now did I finally understand.
The strangeness of that night had been deliberate. Every bit of it, planned.
While I stood frozen, I felt a gaze boring into me.
I looked up. Ann.
She was draped against Hugh's chest, watching me with the triumphant eyes of a winner, her stare announcing every ugly truth I'd been too blind to see.
I stepped back instinctively, retreating until my spine pressed flat against the wall.
Nowhere left to go. I turned and fled.
Behind me, I thought I heard Hugh's voice calling out, urgent, almost frantic. But I no longer had the courage to look back.
I ran out into the street and found a hidden corner to curl up in.
My mother's overdue hospital bill was still crumpled in my fist.
Then I remembered. Six years ago, my father had given me a bank card.
I'd never touched the money. I'd kept it locked away for the day everything fell apart—a safety net I prayed I'd never need.
I withdrew the funds and wired the payment to the hospital. Only then did I let myself breathe.
I braced a hand against the wall and stood slowly, then walked with no destination in mind.
Six years with Hugh. Six years of scraping by, drifting from street to street, singing for spare change.
Back then, I'd defied my father's wishes and come back to the States to help Hugh build his business from nothing.
My father was furious. He cut me off financially. Hugh hadn't made a name for himself yet.
So I followed him everywhere. Wherever he went, I went.
But back then, Hugh treated me like I was precious.
No matter how hard things got, he never let me suffer.
Every morning before dawn, he'd race to the factory to fight for whatever work he could get. But before he left, he always made sure there was warm milk and eggs waiting for me.
I never lifted a finger around the house. By the time I woke up, every chore was already done.
The first day I came back to him, he held me tight and swore, solemnly, that he would never let me endure a single hardship.
He kept that promise.
But now, after all those years of struggle, our lives had finally gotten better.
And he was the one who changed.
Under the guise of loving me, he'd destroyed my voice.
All so I could never leave his side.
Fine. Then I would do exactly what he didn't want.
On the way home, I pulled out my phone and booked two plane tickets out of the city.
Six full years of love and devotion, shattered the moment the truth came to light.
I should have realized sooner. I never belonged here.
Back at the apartment, I packed quickly.
Everything Hugh had ever given me, I left behind. I didn't want to owe him a thing.
But my father's jade pendant was gone.
It was the only keepsake he'd left me. I'd always kept it locked in the safe, never once taking it out.
The safe was empty.
I was still tearing through drawers when the hospital called.
My mother's condition had deteriorated rapidly. She'd just been rushed into the emergency room.
My mind went blank. My heart hammered so hard I could feel it in my teeth.
Instinctively, I reached for my phone to call Hugh for help.
But a trending headline caught my eye first.
Just thirty minutes ago, Hugh had publicly proposed to Ann. The wedding was set for next month.
My mother's failing health and the man I loved's betrayal crashed down on me at the same time, and the weight of it was crushing.
