As the Night Fades, the Moon Departs

The dart brushed the top of my head and hit right into the apple.

Emma Chambers, who was Clara Hall's assistant, quickly ran up to untie me. I lost my balance and had to lean against the dartboard as I slid down on the deck, trembling from the cold.

Clara approached me slowly, glancing at my unnaturally angled hands. My fingers were twitching uncontrollably. "Have you gone dumb?"

She stared at my emotionless face with a flash of annoyance in her eyes. Clara was not happy with my dead look, and she was about to say something when someone placed a coat over her. "You're scaring him, Clara."

Zayn Jordan was in a bespoke suit and was wearing an expensive watch on his wrist. The watch had been the headline of all major news outlets over the past few days in Graymore. Clara had generously spent $60 million on the auction and locked down the bidding three times just to make Zayn happy.

Clara went up to Zayn right away and hugged him with a soft look in her eyes. "What are you doing out here? It's windy outside, and you might catch something in this strong sea breeze."

All Zayn did was stand in the wind for a while, and Clara was already worried about him. My heart tightened in my chest, and it felt like a thousand needles were pierced into it.

They were still together happily after four years, while my piano-playing hands were broken. I was also diagnosed with stomach cancer and forced to sell my dignity for money.

Everyone noticed how similar Zayn and I looked, and they started whispering amongst themselves.

"They look quite alike, don't they? Too bad a blue-collar worker on a cruise ship will never have the air of a distinguished man like Zayn Jordan."

"Everyone knows how much Ms. Hall dotes on her little boyfriend. Since he was diagnosed with gastritis years ago, their villa has never stopped stocking up on expensive supplements and nutrients."

Clara said in a low voice, "Stop being stubborn, Eric. You're no longer the young heir from a wealthy family. You can't make money with your pride. It's not a loss for you to apologize in exchange for a pair of healthy hands. Don't you want to play the piano again in the future?"

Play the piano? I laughed to myself silently.

I used to live under the spotlight of the entire Graymore as a renowned pianist, and it was difficult to get tickets to watch my concerts. Members of high society would fight for tickets just to glimpse my performance.

However, I was now just a maimed man who could hardly hold a glass without my hands shaking. I could taste blood in my mouth as I tried to stand slowly, with difficulty.

Clara frowned as she looked at my twitching hands. I looked back into her eyes and smiled calmly. "My hands are fine. There is no need for you to worry about them, Ms. Hall."

Ms. Hall. Calling her that was enough to put distance between us.

Clara frowned again, but said nothing, and she left with her arms around Zayn.

A few minutes later, Emma returned to put a bank card in my hand. "Ms. Hall wanted me to give you this, Mr. Miller. It has $10,000 in it."

$10,000 was not even enough to pay for one day's worth of Zayn's supplements.

Emma's head was lowered, and she spoke quickly, not daring to meet my eyes. I suddenly found it funny to see her looking so guilty. "What's with the act? When Clara and I fought, you were the one who went around searching for suitable men for Clara. Weren't you the one who sent Zayn into her arms?"

"Don't say that. The past years have seen Ms. Hall…"

Emma shut up awkwardly when she saw the disgust in my eyes.

Every person by Clara's side whom I had helped had heartlessly stepped all over me when I fell off my pedestal. It was not difficult to guess the person behind their actions. I did not accept the card, but dragged myself away weakly.

The freezing sea breeze gusted into my thin shirt, and I trembled from the cold. I was suddenly reminded of the first time I met Clara, when we stood in the wind that gusted just as coldly as today.