On the eve of the piano competition, my right hand was accidentally scalded. The championship slipped through my fingers. As soon as Gideon heard about it, he rushed back from out of town overnight. Everyone said he was madly in love with me. Only I knew the truth. Gideon had someone scald my hand to please Lily, his long-time crush. At the hospital, the man carelessly glanced at my grotesque wound. He said lightly, “Does it really hurt that much? Stop pretending.” “I only told them to splash half a cup of water.” Hearing the man’s nonchalant tone, I didn’t make a fuss. Instead, I silently planned my escape for a month later, on our wedding day. In the quiet hospital room, Gideon lit up his phone screen once again. His eyes frequently darted to the screen, as if waiting for a message from someone. I noticed the blood starting to flow back into the IV tube. The man still looked distracted. I finally couldn’t help but remind him: “Gideon, the IV bag is empty.” Gideon responded perfunctorily, without even sparing me a glance. Just then, a message notification sounded. A smile immediately appeared on Gideon’s lips, his eyes softening noticeably. His fingers flew quickly across the phone screen. I looked away, no longer watching him. There was no need to guess – Gideon was replying to Lily’s message. Only she could make the usually cold Gideon treat her so tenderly. “Oh, by the way, go home by yourself after the IV is done,” Gideon instructed me without looking up. I turned to look out the window. A light rain was falling, but the wind was strong. Just then, Lily posted on her social media. It was a screenshot of a large bank transfer. [Thanks to CEO Gideon for the $52,000~] I suddenly remembered. On Valentine’s Day, Gideon had sent me a $52 red envelope. Only after I pestered him for a long time did Gideon agree, with an impatient look on his face. The man’s words still echoed in my ears: “Holly, when did you become so vain?” “It’s just an unimportant holiday, do you need to be so petty about it?” But to please Lily, he was willing to spend $52,000 without batting an eye. I curled my fingers awkwardly, as if that could ease the stabbing pain in my heart. Just then, Lily walked in carrying a bouquet of flowers. As soon as he saw Lily, Gideon jumped to his feet, his eyes filled with undisguised delight. He walked over and took the flowers from her hands. Lily pulled out a trophy from behind her back, acting as if I wasn’t there. “The championship is mine!” she said proudly. Gideon seemed even happier than her. He hugged Lily right in front of me. Watching this scene, I felt nothing but irony. In the previous two preliminary rounds, I had won first place each time, pulling far ahead of Lily who came in second. Even the competition judges couldn’t help but congratulate me in advance. “Miss Holly, no one here is a match for you.” At that time, almost everyone was certain. The championship would be mine. But Lily went to Gideon. She cried pitifully, clutching the man’s sleeve. Lily didn’t even have to say anything. Gideon couldn’t bear it. He felt extremely sorry for her. He immediately had someone scald my right hand. God knows how heartbroken I was when I called the staff to withdraw. “Miss Holly, are you voluntarily forfeiting?” the staff asked in disbelief. I let the tears flow into my mouth, suppressing wave after wave of heartache. “Yes, I’m voluntarily forfeiting.” Looking at the trophy that should have been mine, I slowly averted my gaze. I could lose to anyone, but I especially couldn’t lose to Lily. Gideon still didn’t know that Lily was the culprit behind my father’s death. Ten years ago, to save Lily who had fallen into the lake, my father jumped in without hesitation, ignoring all warnings. He rescued Lily. But the first thing Lily did when she got to shore wasn’t to thank my father. Instead, she insisted: “He touched my pants while we were underwater!” “He’s a pervert!” As a teacher, my father couldn’t bear the humiliation. Amid the public condemnation, he chose to take his own life. After the two finished their intimate moment, Lily finally noticed me. She offered me her trophy, smiling as she consoled me: “Holly, don’t be too sad.” “The championship, well, it’s not something just anyone can win if they want to.” “You touched the trophy, so that counts as being the champion too.” Looking at the woman’s seemingly kind face, I could no longer suppress the anger in my heart. I couldn’t help but laugh coldly. “You can be so at ease with something you stole.” As soon as I said that, Gideon frowned and pulled Lily behind him protectively. His face darkened frighteningly. Seeing this, Lily’s eyes filled with even more tears. They teetered on the edge of falling, looking utterly pitiful. “Holly, did getting an IV mess up your brain?” Gideon snapped. “Lily came to comfort you.” “She’s not here to be your punching bag.” Lily sniffled softly, tugging at the man’s sleeve. “Don’t say that,” she pleaded. “If Holly hadn’t injured her hand…” But Gideon wasn’t having it. He glanced at me, his eyes full of annoyance. “You don’t need to speak up for her.” “No skill is no skill.” “Just because she won a few awards, she really thinks she’s better than you.” The man’s particularly harsh words left me momentarily stunned. When Gideon and I first got together, he wasn’t the wealthy Gideon he is now. He saw how much I loved the piano and used all his savings to buy me one. I’ll always remember that day. Gideon stood in our tiny rented apartment, with a piano that looked completely out of place behind him. He hid his hands behind his back, which were covered in chilblains from working day and night. He said to me: “Congratulations, Miss Holly, on getting your first piano.” I cried so hard I could barely speak. “But I… I don’t really have any talent in this area.” Gideon hugged me gently and whispered in my ear: “No, Holly.” “In my heart, you’re the most amazing pianist.” Thanks to Gideon’s encouragement time and time again, I never gave up on my dream. But people always change. Like 31-year-old Gideon. He would never be like 22-year-old Gideon anymore. Always putting me first, loving me unconditionally. When Gideon left the hospital room, he slammed the door thunderously. He even threw some harsh words at me: “Holly, this is my last warning.” “If you make Lily unhappy one more time, I won’t go through with the wedding next month!” Gideon was used to threatening me with marriage. He always believed I couldn’t leave him. Maybe that used to be true. But now, I opened my phone and bought a plane ticket abroad for a month later. And that day happened to be Gideon and I’s wedding day. After the IV finished, the clock struck 4 AM. I didn’t bring my phone, so I had to walk home alone. When I opened the door as dawn was breaking, Gideon was in the kitchen cooking, wearing an apron. The once cold house finally had some warmth to it. Gideon looked up at me. He seemed to notice my wet hair and disheveled clothes. A rare flash of guilt crossed the man’s eyes. He rubbed his forehead as if he had a headache and walked over to me. “It was wrong of me to leave you behind this time.” “I ordered takeout, have some.” As if trying to break the ice, Gideon’s tone softened considerably. I glanced at the simple takeout on the table, feeling no appetite whatsoever. There was even a fried egg in the box. After all these years, Gideon couldn’t even remember I was allergic to eggs. Inadvertently, I noticed several lunchboxes on the kitchen counter. Vegetables, meat dishes, and even freshly cut fruit. There was even a pot of pork rib soup simmering on the stove. Gideon must have noticed my gaze. He shifted awkwardly, trying to block my view. He explained, “You know how it is.” “Lily gets really tired from practicing piano.” “I can’t just not take care of her.” Gideon spread his hands, as if he really had no choice in the matter. In the past, I would have made a fuss. But now, a sense of helplessness gradually spread through me. A year ago, when Gideon was on a business trip in another province, he accidentally lost his wallet. Lily helped him out. Since then, Gideon always had one phrase on his lips: “If it weren’t for Lily, I don’t know what I would have done.” No matter what trouble Lily got into, Gideon would always stand behind her without hesitation. Whenever I expressed my dissatisfaction with this, Gideon would get very impatient. “Holly, Lily isn’t just anyone. I already treat her like my own sister.” Thinking of this, I gently pushed the man away and said, “She does need to eat well.” Hearing this, Gideon looked at me in surprise. As if my current demeanor was utterly foreign to him. But he didn’t ask further. Instead, he pulled out a small, exquisite jewelry box from his pocket. I recognized it immediately. It was the diamond necklace I had asked Gideon for months ago. Even though I had mentioned it more than once, Gideon still hadn’t gotten it for me. Yet this time, Gideon wanted to give it to me. I watched as Gideon opened the box. The diamond necklace was just as dazzling as when I saw it in the jewelry store. But I couldn’t feel happy at all. Because I had seen an identical necklace around Lily’s neck before. I still remember her smug expression. “This necklace? I just mentioned it to Gideon once, and the next day it was in my hands.” What I had longed for, Lily could obtain effortlessly. In an instant, I felt nauseated and pushed Gideon away, walking towards the bedroom. This action angered him. The man snapped the box shut with a loud click, his brows furrowed in rage. “Holly, what do you mean by this?” “The food is right in front of you, and you won’t eat it.” “You won’t even look at the necklace I bought you.” “Are you still throwing a tantrum over that incident?” As for “that incident”, Gideon and I both knew what it was. Seeing my apparently unconcerned attitude, Gideon became visibly angrier. His chest heaved violently, like an enraged lion. He grabbed a nearby photo frame and smashed it on the ground. The glass frame instantly shattered into pieces. “Holly, you’ve really gone too far now!” I said nothing, just looking at the photo on the ground. It was the first photo Gideon and I had taken together. To show how precious it was, I had specially framed it. I still remember what Gideon said to me that time. “Holly, I won’t change my heart.” “So you’re not allowed to leave me either. We have to be together forever.” Back then, I was too naive and easily believed his words. So I teased him: “What if you do change your heart?” Gideon heard this and actually thought seriously for a moment. Finally, he said firmly: “Then you should never forgive me.” “No matter how pitifully I beg you to come back.” “Holly, you have to remember.” “Never look back.” The faces of young Gideon and adult Gideon gradually overlapped. My nose stung, and I struggled to resist the urge to pick up the photo frame. In the end, Gideon and I parted on bad terms. The reason this argument ended was that it was almost time to bring food to Lily. After Gideon slammed the door and hurried away, the room fell silent again. I looked at that old piano and didn’t hesitate any longer. I picked up a hammer and smashed it violently. After the piano was completely destroyed, I called a junk collector. The worker was shocked by the smashed piano. He asked me, “Are you sure you want to sell it?” I nodded calmly: “It’s just a pile of useless junk.” Two weeks passed. The wedding day was getting closer and closer. But Gideon seemed to have forgotten about me, not even willing to step foot in our home anymore. The man who used to always complain to me about being too busy with work was now willing to travel the world with Lily. I learned all this from Lily’s social media posts. During this time, she updated very frequently. Mostly photos with Gideon. Seeing the man’s smiling face, I couldn’t help but laugh to myself. You should know, it had been a long time since I had seen Gideon smile. In front of me, he always had a stern face, devoid of any warmth. Many friends found out about this and asked me: “What’s the relationship between Gideon and that woman?” I was silent for a moment, then said: “Just ordinary friends.” “Are you still getting married?” I smiled. “Of course. You all must come to the wedding.” Hearing my seemingly normal tone, almost everyone believed that I was madly in love with Gideon. That’s why I chose to marry him even after finding out about his affair. Finally, three days before the wedding, Gideon came back. He brought back all kinds of gifts. Big and small, they almost filled the entire house. Gideon rubbed my head, saying with satisfaction: “If only you could always be this obedient.” I barely managed to suppress my nausea and not dodge the man’s touch. It was this very hand that had held Lily’s countless times. I found it disgusting. He handed me a card, saying in a patronizing tone: “You can pick out the wedding rings.” “Lily’s busy with a competition lately, I need to accompany her.” As if afraid I would throw another tantrum, Gideon warned me first: “This competition is very important to Lily.” “Don’t make trouble.” Contrary to the man’s expectations, I just nodded lightly. Gideon didn’t pay much attention to my unusual behavior. He just thought I had become more obedient, and left in a very good mood. So Gideon accompanied Lily for another three days without worry. On the day of the wedding, just before going on stage, the makeup artist was giving me a final touch-up. I listened to the host’s voice from the hall. Until I heard: “Let’s welcome the bride…” The rest of the words were interrupted by an urgent phone call. Under everyone’s watchful eyes, Gideon answered the phone with a panicked look. Lily’s tearful voice came through the speaker: “Gideon, the goldfish you bought me turned belly up.” “Is it going to die…” The phone was on speaker, so almost everyone could hear. Gideon’s face showed a conflicted, hesitant expression. I watched him from afar behind the curtain. Finally, Gideon raised his hand decisively. “I’m sorry, the wedding will be paused.” “We’ll resume in about 30 minutes.” There was an uproar among the audience. But Gideon pushed the door open and left without hesitation. This time, I didn’t hesitate either. I tore off my veil, took off my wedding dress. Under everyone’s shocked gazes, I got in a taxi and left.
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