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Chapter 9
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A New Melody Without Him Chapter 9
After countless days of rehearsal, the night of my first official performance finally arrived.The hall was packed. Every seat was full.I'd thought my confidence was fully restored, but as I waited backstage, my hands started to tremble.Kevin brought me a cup of warm ginger tea sweetened with brown sugar."Take a sip before you go on. Your technique is solid, Nora. Don't think about the audience—just disappear into the music." He smiled. "I'll be cheering louder than anyone."I took a sip, and the warmth spread all the way through me.I walked out onto the stage.The lights rose. The hall went utterly still, and every face turned toward me.I expected fear to swallow me. Instead, the instant my bow met the strings, the audience disappeared.There was only the violin, the melody, and the self I'd abandoned years ago.When the final note faded, the entire audience rose to applaud.I bowed, and tears slipped down my cheeks.For once, they were tears of happiness.I spent mo
A New Melody Without Him Chapter 8
Rachel thrust her phone toward me.A video was playing on the screen. Chloe faced the camera with swollen eyes and a haggard expression, sobbing as though her heart had been broken."Nora, please stop trying to destroy what Adrian and I have."I know you still have feelings for him, but we've already taken our wedding pictures. I'm his fiancée now. Why are you so determined to be the other woman?"The video had been posted with several popular hashtags, and the topic had shot straight to the top of the trending list.Angry strangers had already dug up photographs of me. Some had posted the name and address of the orchestra."What are we going to do?" Rachel asked. Her voice shook.To my own surprise, I felt completely calm.I gently stroked her back. "A lie doesn't become true because enough people repeat it. Right now they're only reacting to one side of the story.""So we do nothing?""No. I'm filing a police report."My voice was quiet, but steady."Then we're coming wit
A New Melody Without Him Chapter 7
The man in front of me stood with his chest heaving and his bloodshot eyes fixed on my face.Adrian.His hair was disordered, dark circles bruised the skin beneath his eyes, and his wrinkled suit hung loose on a body that had grown noticeably thinner."Have you lost your mind?" I demanded. "What gives you the right to hit someone?"I stepped between him and Kevin, checking Kevin's face as I apologized again and again.Kevin gave me a reassuring smile. "I'm okay."Adrian's eyes reddened. He reached for my wrist, but I moved out of range."Nora, is this why you've been hiding from me?" His voice shook with wounded accusation."Do you have any idea how much I've missed you? How could you do this to me?"He looked devastated, as if I'd betrayed him. As if he were the one whose love had been thrown away.The absurdity almost made me laugh."Was Santorini beautiful?" I asked.He froze."Nora, I can explain. It wasn't what it looked like.""All right." I met his gaze. "Explain i
A New Melody Without Him Chapter 6
"Rachel? It's Adrian. Is Nora with you?""Well, if it isn't the CEO who's been busy flashing diamond rings and making out with his new girlfriend." Rachel drew out every word with acid sweetness. "How did you find time to remember our Nora?""Enough. Where is she? Put her on the phone."His voice was sharp with impatience. He had no interest in her insults."Wherever she is, it's got nothing to do with you. Now that you're not dragging her down, she's doing wonderfully. Go comfort your little girlfriend and leave Nora alone.""Let me speak—"Rachel ended the call.Adrian fought the urge to hurl his phone out the car window and booked the next available flight to Sydney.He'd bring Nora back himself.He was certain that if he showed up in person, she couldn't refuse him.Across the world, I was in the middle of rehearsal.I hadn't performed in years, but the moment I stepped into the stage lights, every trace of strangeness vanished. I gave myself over to the music. My bow
A New Melody Without Him Chapter 5
Adrian's phone struck the table with a crack.He shot to his feet as if someone had hit him. Naked disbelief churned in his eyes.Nora?She was supposed to be at home, taking care of the house. How could she be in Sydney playing violin?No. He had to be mistaken.That woman couldn't be Nora.He snatched up the phone and enlarged the photograph with trembling fingers.Chloe noticed his reaction and leaned across the table to look.She gave a scornful little laugh. "Wait, is that Nora? God, she looks about sixty. Why is she posing with a violin?"The mockery in her voice went through Adrian like a blade.The woman in the photograph was unmistakably Nora.How could she leave the country without saying a word?For years she'd almost never traveled. She had spent nearly all her time at home so that whenever he returned, a light would be glowing and a hot meal would be waiting.A suffocating sense of dread closed around his throat.Had Nora seen something?"Adrian, look at the
A New Melody Without Him Chapter 4
Adrian spun toward the door and crossed the foyer in three quick strides.Chloe stood on the front step.She flashed him a sweet smile and gave him a playful wink. "Mr. Shaw, I'm all ready."One of Adrian's hands stayed on the door while the other rubbed nervously at the seam of his pants.I knew that gesture.He'd done the same thing around me when we first met. It was how his shyness showed.Chloe leaned past him to look inside. Her gaze settled on me.“Excuse me, ma’am. Could you bring me a pair of slippers?”I stared at her. "What?"She covered her mouth as though she'd only just recognized me. Her lashes fluttered."Oh—Ms. Wells. I'm so sorry. I thought you were the housekeeper."She started to duck her head, but Adrian stopped her."It's fine. That wasn't your fault."The words drifted through the foyer as lightly as dust.Not her fault.Whose was it, then? Mine?I looked at myself in the mirror across the room: red-rimmed eyes, colorless lips, tangled hair, and t
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