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Dreams Before Family

Dreams Before Family

Short Story · Emotional Realism
By:  Triple ThreatCompleted
Language: English
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11Chapters
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Synopsis

Plot Twists

Melodramatic

Bias

Remorse Family

Girl Power

Winning Back the Wife

When I was seven, my mother, a pianist, died of cancer. During her last moments, she held my hand. “Naomi, we both share a passion for the piano. When you grow up, you must stand on the world stage and play for me someday.” Since then, performing on the stage in Vinna had been a lifelong dream of mine. From the age of seven, I trained long and hard, practicing more than six hours a day until my fingers and wrists were bruised. At last, I gained recognition and earned a chance to audition for a spot in a top orchestra at twenty-one. If I succeeded, I would perform at Vinna’s New Year’s Concert the following week. However, my father brought home a sister, only six months younger than me. She became the apple of my father’s eye, and my piano room was turned into her dance studio. My brothers adored her, always personally making sure she got to school and came home safe and sound. Even my boyfriend, whom I had known all my childhood, was dazzled by her smile. His eyes often stuck on her. On the day of my audition, he ditched me on an overpass just to take her to her dance class. “Naomi, all you’re missing out on is a chance to realize your dream, but Charlotte can’t be late. “Don’t be such a drama queen. I’ll take you once I drop her off.” As the car sped away, I calmly took out my phone and broke up with Maddox over text. My mother was right. Boys only got in the way of dreams.

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Chapter 1

Chapter 1

After the message went through, I received a big question mark in response.

Maddox Wright hit me up on the phone in disbelief.

“Have you lost your mind, Naomi?

“So I took Charlotte to her dance class? Is that reason for you to break up with me?”

Charlotte Clarkson’s hurt voice came on the call.

“Is Naomi mad with me, Maddox? I didn’t mean to upset her. Today’s class is important. I won’t be able to get on stage for the dance recital if I miss the class.”

With his heart melting, Maddox assured her.

“Don’t worry about it. Naomi has always been so dramatic over a tiny thing. She’ll get over it after I talk to her.”

He raised his voice in annoyance.

“Hear that, Naomi? Charlotte has an emergency. I’m going to be family soon. I don’t see anything wrong with helping her out.

“If you’re going to be petty over something minor, I honestly am lost for words—”

“Then, keep your mouth shut.”

I cut him off indifferently.

“Maddox, this is not a negotiation. I’m informing you that it’s over between us.

“Stay away from me!”

After hanging up, I blocked his number and sprinted off the overpass.

I returned home once the audition was over.

It was pitch-dark in the manor. When I opened the door, several party poppers exploded right in my face.

“Surprise!”

Arthur, Caleb, Tucker, and Rhys Clarkson held gifts and flowers in their arms. However, they pulled long faces the moment their eyes fell on me.

“Why are you here? Where’s Charlotte? Did you leave her stranded somewhere?”

Caleb, my eldest brother, was first to grill me.

“Of course she did. Naomi must have found out that we were throwing a party for Charlotte, so she came home early to ruin the surprise. Talk about manipulative.”

Tucker, the second eldest in the family, pursed his lips and dumped the flowers on me.

“You’re so annoying!”

Rhys, the youngest of the family, gave the side eye before making the comment.

“That’s enough.”

My father, Arthur, stopped them from speaking any further, his gaze sliding past me.

“Charlotte’s going to be back soon. Hurry up and clean up the mess. Don’t ruin the surprise for her.”

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11 Chapters
Chapter 1
After the message went through, I received a big question mark in response. Maddox Wright hit me up on the phone in disbelief. “Have you lost your mind, Naomi?“So I took Charlotte to her dance class? Is that reason for you to break up with me?” Charlotte Clarkson’s hurt voice came on the call. “Is Naomi mad with me, Maddox? I didn’t mean to upset her. Today’s class is important. I won’t be able to get on stage for the dance recital if I miss the class.” With his heart melting, Maddox assured her. “Don’t worry about it. Naomi has always been so dramatic over a tiny thing. She’ll get over it after I talk to her.” He raised his voice in annoyance. “Hear that, Naomi? Charlotte has an emergency. I’m going to be family soon. I don’t see anything wrong with helping her out. “If you’re going to be petty over something minor, I honestly am lost for words—” “Then, keep your mouth shut.” I cut him off indifferently. “Maddox, this is not a negotiation. I’m informing you t
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Chapter 2
“As for you, Naomi…” Arthur paused before waving his hand dismissively. “You should go back to your room. Don’t come down unless it’s necessary. No point coming down and getting in everybody’s way.” As they chimed in one after another, no one recalled that it was my big audition day. It was a good thing this wasn’t new to me. I changed into my house slippers, made a beeline upstairs, and closed my bedroom door, my gaze never straying from ahead. I sent a voice message to a pinned contact with a grayscale profile. “Mom, I nailed the audition. “The orchestra conductor said they have room in the dorms, so I’ll be moving over tonight.“I’ll be on my own now, Mom. Don’t you worry.” The text was sent successfully, but a reply would never come. Out of habit, I took out my obsolete phone and texted myself a “you did great” emoji before packing my bags. The lights downstairs were killed, and ten minutes later, a car pulled up outside the manor. Out of nowhere, the party
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Chapter 3
“I don’t buy it for a minute that Naomi’s leaving for good. She’ll probably go off somewhere for a bit of fun before she comes crawling back.“Naomi, I should remind you that Charlotte has been eyeing your room. If you don’t stop these antics, I’ll tell Dad to give your room away to Charlotte.” I froze. Mom had lovingly decorated the space in my room. Charlotte demanded my room on the first day she moved in. The family was all on board, except for me. “If you move her into my room, I’ll break her legs!” Arthur branded me ungrateful, Caleb and Tucker called me a psycho in disgust, while Rhys spat at me.I couldn’t care less. All I wanted was the memory of my mother. Clutching the suitcase in my hand, I turned on my heel, my voice flat. “She can have it.” The sneer on Rhys’ face went stiff as he stared at me in disbelief. Caleb and Tucker scowled. Exasperated, Arthur yelled at my back, “Naomi, don’t bother coming back if you walk out the door today!” I nodded and
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Chapter 4
“What about now? Where were you when I was hurt?” Maddox was taken aback. “When were you hurt…” As his mind wandered to the moment he had dumped me on the overpass, Maddox was at a loss. “Naomi, hear me out—” “Save your breath, Maddox. If you still have even a shred of conscience, you should just leave me alone.“We are done.” Shaking off his hand, I took strides to leave. It was nearly time for rehearsal, and the last thing I wanted was to be late. Maddox stood there in a daze, lost in his thoughts. That night, I got his message. “I’m sorry, Naomi. I know I was wrong. I won’t make you give up your spot to Charlotte. “She’s honestly just like a sister to me. Can we not break up?” While breaking out in goosebumps from sheer disgust, I blocked and deleted Maddox’s contact number again. Maddox was absent from my life for the next few days. My family, on the other hand, was out of control. These men were never ones to frequent social media. Yet, they had been u
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Chapter 5
“Desmond, can you come by tomorrow? Someone’s using my mother’s name to kick me out of the orchestra.” Silence ensued on the other end of the line, and soon enough, I could hear teeth grinding on the call. “Text me the address.” With Desmond having my back, I didn’t stray away from rehearsals the next day. As usual, I walked into the hall. On stage, Arthur, Caleb, Tucker, Rhys, and Maddox crowded around Charlotte as she took my seat in front of the piano. Charlotte had never received formal training, and it showed in the awkward way she lifted the fallboard. Her eyes shifted when she spotted me, and she pulled a sweet and innocent look. “Naomi, what are you doing here? Didn’t Caleb have you kicked…” Biting her lip, she seemed to realize she had said something wrong. Her eyes welled up. “I’m sorry, Naomi. I didn’t mean to rub salt in your wounds. If you’re upset, I’ll make way for you.” Caleb pressed her down. “Don’t be scared, Charlotte. You are deserving of this
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Chapter 6
Arthur stood right in the center of the music hall. As the press and orchestra leadership poured in, his expression shifted from surprise to anger. He quickly put two and two together. With his gaze falling on me, Arthur pointed at me shakily. “Have you lost it, Naomi? Why must you call everyone here over something trivial?” I looked at the crowd with a smirk and said, “Didn’t you say that she was the late Talia Clarkson’s student. I don’t think it’s too much to ask her to play a little piece before formally joining the orchestra.”Arthur read between the lines, his expression shifting from guilt to rage. “Naomi, you are so vile. I can’t believe you’re setting me up.” The thought of their smugness at having Charlotte take my place made me sick to my stomach.I lost the will to fight for everything that belonged to me at home. Now, they had the audacity to take away what my mother left me. Well, fat chance. I played dumb. “What did I do? Since you said Charlotte dese
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Chapter 7
“Oh, really? I don’t recall ever seeing you while studying under Talia.“In that case, why don’t you play ‘Moonlight’ right here right now?” Unfazed, Desmond pulled Charlotte along to the piano. “Since you’re Talia’s student, this introductory piece should be a walk in the park.” The press and orchestra leadership murmured among themselves. Charlotte bit her lip, tears pooling in her eyes. “Naomi, I know that you’ve always hated me, but there’s no need to humiliate me…” She made it sound as if she were the victim. The press angled their camera toward me, capturing the aloof look on my face. However, Desmond didn’t back down. “Miss, stop talking about things unrelated to music. If you honestly did learn music from Talia, let your music do the talking, or are you trying to tell us that you can’t play at all?” Under everybody’s gaze, Charlotte reluctantly sat in front of the piano. Her fingers rested stiffly on the keys, producing notes with no rhythm or coherence. She co
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Chapter 8
I thought Maddox would jump at the chance to be with Charlotte now that I was out of the picture. Yet, there he was, coming back to me. Maddox told me that he had a change of heart. He wanted us to be back together. I gave him the side glance, not in any mind to say anything. The only thing on my mind was to walk away. However, Maddox held onto me, refusing to let me go. According to him, Charlotte gradually lost her tender and sensible nature after we broke up. That once sweet and adorable girl would call Maddox in the middle of the night just to give him a piece of her mind. She would check his phone to see if Maddox was still in contact with me. Charlotte would even stalk him when he was away on his business trips. “Naomi, you have to believe me. I was only nice to her then because of you. I gave her attention because she’s your sister.” Maddox smiled wryly. “I felt like I was possessed in that moment, believing her lies that you cared more about playing the piano
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Chapter 9
After several months in Vinna, Keith and I returned to the country with the orchestra. I was on cloud nine, never expecting to run into the very people I least wanted to see the moment I stepped off the plane. The exhaustion from a flight of more than ten hours didn’t dampen my joy after a successful performance.I was wheeling my luggage through the arrival gate when I froze at what I saw.Arthur, Caleb, Tucker, and Rhys stood there, holding up a huge banner that read, “Welcome home, Naomi.” Their faces were a mix of emotions. Like a group of children who had done something wrong, they looked at me expectantly.“Naomi.” Arthur’s voice trembled. It had been a while since I heard him use that tone of voice on me. Most of the time, the tenderness in his voice was reserved for Charlotte. Caleb was quick to grab my suitcase. “We’ve watched the live broadcast. It was amazing, Naomi. You played the piano well. We are proud of you.”Tucker chimed in. “Exactly. The clip of your p
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Chapter 10
Anything related to the Clarksons was none of my concern. However, it upset me to learn that Charlotte was hogging my bedroom. I was forced to give up my bedroom back then. Everything in the room was filled with Mom’s love and wishes for me. The last thing I wanted was to give that away to someone else. Fortunately, I recalled that the manor was my mother’s separate property before marriage. Since she left her entire estate to me before her death, I saw no reason not to exercise my right to claim back what was mine. So as not to deal with the Clarksons personally, I went ahead and filed a suit with the courts. It didn’t take long for the court to issue an eviction notice, ordering the Clarksons to vacate my mother’s manor. Later, Arthur asked to meet up. I guessed he wanted to see me about the matter, so I readily agreed to a meeting. To my surprise, I couldn’t be more wrong.No longer his awkward self at the airport, Arthur stared at me earnestly as if trying to make up f
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