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A Piano for Her Life
A Piano for Her Life
Author: OBe

Chapter 1

Author: OBe
When the final piece ended, the concert hall erupted in applause.

Audrey McMillan, seated in the front row, was the first to rise. She walked onto the stage and presented August Hart with a bouquet.

The crowd immediately began buzzing.

"That's the CEO of McMillan Group. She actually went up there herself to give him flowers? That's unbelievable!"

"What's so unbelievable about it? Mr. Hart was Ms. McMillan's first love. Back then, he went abroad to study without so much as a word to her, and she didn't even hold it against him. Every year, she poured millions into the orchestra he worked for just to make sure he kept his position as principal."

"Now that he's finally back, of course our devoted Ms. McMillan can't wait to stick by his side."

Ms. McMillan.

So that was how people addressed my wife in a world I could never hope to be part of.

I crushed the ticket in my hand.

Two thousand dollars. Enough to cover a day's hospital expenses, yet it had only bought me the chance to see that man.

I gave a bitter laugh and left the concert hall.

Luxury cars packed the area outside the venue.

I couldn't get through, so I stood by the street and waited for the crowd to thin out.

When I looked up, I saw August shielding Audrey as he helped her into a car, keeping the overexcited fans from jostling her.

"Audrey, thank you for coming to my recital. I'm really happy you came."

With an arm around her waist, he ignored the flashing cameras, bent down, and kissed her on the cheek.

Audrey didn't pull away. Instead, she gave him a helpless smile and let him guide her into the car.

The car drove away, and the crowd dispersed.

I looked at the $200 left in my bank account, opened Maps, and found the nearest subway station.

It was three miles away. It took me two hours to walk there.

By the time I reached the station, my clothes were soaked through with sweat.

Audrey called just as I got home.

The old electric fan buzzed and crackled.

"Samuel, why haven't you answered my messages? Are you mad at me? Because I haven't been home for two months?"

Audrey always sounded cold and serious when she spoke to other people. It was the kind of tone that made everyone around her instinctively tense, but with me, her voice was always especially gentle.

"Don't be mad, okay? I'll be home in a couple of days, all right?

"How's Annie doing? Is she feeling any better? Does she still have to stay in the hospital a few more days?"

I fought the ache in my chest, but in the end, I couldn't stop my voice from trembling. "Do you still care whether Annie is okay?"

There was a brief pause on the other end.

"Of course I do, Samuel. Annie is our baby. I don't want anything to happen to her. This time was my fault. I should've been there with both of you. Next time. I promise I won't let this happen again."

She thought I was angry because she hadn't been there while our daughter was sick.

But this wasn't the first time she'd been absent.

Before, I'd always understood that she was busy. Whenever Annie got sick, I took her to the hospital alone and handled everything myself.

Even when I was so busy I didn't have time to use the bathroom, I'd never blamed Audrey. She was working hard for our family. She was toiling away so our daughter and I could have a better life.

So I never blamed her.

But it turned out she'd been busy with another man—supporting him, attending his recital, and announcing to the entire world that the person she'd truly loved had finally come back to her.

"There won't be a next time," I replied hoarsely.

Our daughter was already gone. How could there be a next time?

Audrey froze for a moment, then quickly responded, "Right, right. There won't be a next time. Annie is going to be healthy from now on. She'll never get sick again."

I gave a self-mocking smile and ended the call.

My screen was still showing the text the cemetery had just sent me.

[Mr. Davidson, we've reserved the plot for you. When would be a convenient time for you to come by?]

That single line made my eyes burn.

I rubbed my swollen, reddened eyes. Ten minutes later, I finally typed a reply.

[I'm sorry. I've decided to take my daughter back to my hometown. Cemetery plots here are still too expensive. I can't afford one.]

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  • A Piano for Her Life   Chapter 10

    "I'll go back. But whatever exists between us will be purely transactional."Without realizing it, the leash that had once bound Audrey was now in my hands. I'd only taken half a step toward her, and it was enough to satisfy her.She nodded immediately. "Fine. As long as you're willing to come back with me. Sam, we can take everything else slowly."I had no intention of taking anything slowly with her. I only wanted to use her money and influence to get my health taken care of.As the saying goes, you can hold a grudge against anyone, but there's no sense holding one against money.Annie could have a better resting place. My greatest regret was that I'd never been able to give her a good life. Now that I had the chance to do something better for her, of course I wasn't going to pass it up.As soon as we returned to Ashbourne, Audrey had someone give me a complete physical. According to the results, I wasn't in particularly good shape and would need long-term treatment and care.

  • A Piano for Her Life   Chapter 9

    I thought telling her to leave would work.She was so proud. Surely she wouldn't tolerate me embarrassing her like that.But she remained seated in the bamboo chair without moving. She even picked up the tea in front of her and took a long drink."Sam, there's a children's cemetery in Ashbourne. Isn't that where you wanted to bury Annie before? I can help you."I frowned, unsure what she was trying to do.That cemetery really had been my first choice. Every grave was decorated according to the child's personality and what they had loved.More importantly, the lights were never turned off at night. A bright light shone in front of every headstone.Annie had been terrified of the dark. That was also why I'd buried her at the top of the mountain."What do you want in return?"There was no way she'd suddenly offered this without expecting something from me.Pain flashed through Audrey's eyes. My distant tone had hurt her."Nothing. I just want you to come back to Ashbourne with

  • A Piano for Her Life   Chapter 8

    When Audrey knocked on the door of the old house, I'd just finished clearing the overgrown patch of land in the backyard.When Mom was still alive, she'd always grown vegetables there. Now that I was back, I naturally wanted to keep up her old habit."Ms. McMillan."I wasn't surprised to see her. She was bound to find out about Annie's death eventually.The furniture in the old house was worn with age. Audrey sat awkwardly on a creaking bamboo chair, seemingly at a loss for how to begin."How have you been?"My expression didn't change. "Very well, since leaving you. I imagine you're doing well too. You can finally give Mr. Hart his place back."Audrey's expression stiffened. "I'm not with him."That did surprise me."So?"For a moment, Audrey had no answer.The atmosphere turned awkward.The huge banyan tree outside the old house was full of cicadas, their relentless chirping adding to the oppressive heat.I watched the collar of Audrey's shirt gradually darken with sweat

  • A Piano for Her Life   Chapter 7

    "Wasting the effort?" Audrey grabbed one of the bodyguards by the collar and demanded, "A human life wasn't worth the effort to you? Did I hire you people just so you could collect a paycheck for doing nothing?"By the time she'd heard the full story, Audrey was almost beyond rage."You don't take care of your own family's business, but you think you have the right to interfere in mine? August, have I been far too lenient with you?"She knew.Without August's instructions, these people would never have gone that far.People in elite circles survived by knowing which way the wind was blowing. Those beneath them merely carried out what they believed their employers wanted.But what August had done had crossed Audrey's bottom line."You said life can't be perfect. You're right. What we had ended five years ago, too."August, starting today, you won't receive any more support from me. And I'm taking back everything I've given you."August's face alternated between red and white, a

  • A Piano for Her Life   Chapter 6

    "Ms. McMillan, do you think... we should move Miss Annie's grave to the McMillan family cemetery? She is a McMillan, after all. If your grandparents find out, I'm sure they'll want her moved there too."Kevin had been Audrey's assistant for five years. He knew everything she'd done during that time.He couldn't understand her behavior, but some wealthy people did have strange tastes, treating the lives of ordinary people as entertainment whenever they got bored.He'd assumed Audrey felt the same way about Sam.But seeing her now, looking as though her entire world had collapsed, Kevin began to wonder if perhaps he'd been wrong.At his words, Audrey looked up, and a faint glimmer appeared in her eyes. She immediately pulled herself together and was about to leave to find Samuel when August arrived.His polished dress shoes clicked sharply against the gleaming tile floor. He stopped in front of Audrey. There was a vulnerability in his eyes."Where are you going?"Beneath his dete

  • A Piano for Her Life   Chapter 5

    By the time the car stopped outside the hospital, Audrey's face had gone completely ashen. For the first time in her life, she was afraid to walk into a hospital."Ms. McMillan, this is Dr. Aaron Sanford. He was the doctor who treated Miss Annie."Audrey nodded numbly. "What exactly happened? Annie was perfectly fine. How could she suddenly be gone?"Remembering what had happened that day, Dr. Sanford sighed with regret. "It was acute leukemia."Several of us took turns trying to resuscitate her for a long time before we barely managed to stabilize her. She underwent four emergency procedures in just one week. Her father didn't sleep for days."Compared with adult patients, children with acute leukemia generally have a relatively high cure rate. As long as they respond well to treatment, there's a good chance of recovery.""But the cost of treatment can still be substantial. During those few days, her father borrowed money from everywhere he could. He asked everyone he knew and w

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