Chapter 2

The woman in charge of the company was Linda Brooks. She answered my call with her usual warmth. But the moment she heard what I wanted, there was a long pause.

When she finally spoke again, she stumbled over her words. "Eve… the company isn't hiring right now."

My heart sank. I remembered clearly that I had seen their recruitment notice just two days ago.

"Is this because Ethan Bennett said something?"

Linda let out a quiet sigh. "Eve, there's not much we can do. Mr. Bennett made his position very clear."

A cold feeling crept through me. "What did he say?"

"He told us you're nothing more than a receptionist now." Linda's voice softened. "And he gave strict orders not to let you back into the company."

It felt as though I had been plunged into an icy lake. I stood there frozen, the phone still pressed to my ear. I barely remembered ending the call.

A moment later, Ethan pushed open the door.

I turned toward him, numb. "Ethan, do you really have to push me this far?"

His voice was gentle, almost patient. "I'm not trying to push you, Eve. You're just too talented."

He paused before adding, "You're so talented that you make it impossible for other people to make a living."

My heart sank.

"But Vivian is different. She's sacrificed too much to get where she is today. If I let you go back, she'll be forced to play second fiddle again.

"She nearly fell into depression back then. You're her best friend. Could you really stand by and watch her fall apart?"

I stared at him, barely able to process his words.

He was afraid Vivian might fall apart. But what about me?

Every hour I had spent pushing my body to its limits in that studio had been made meaningless by a single fraudulent medical report.

Years of sacrifice. Years of sweat, pain, and passion. Everything I had given to dance had been taken from me in an instant. And with it went every dream I had for my future.

Dance wasn't just a career to me. It was my life. Had Ethan ever once worried that I might fall apart, too?

Ethan walked toward me.

"You haven't danced in five years, and you've been doing just fine. So why insist on putting yourself through all that hardship again?"

I stared at him.

"Listen to me," he continued. "Let's start trying for a baby. Stay home and be my wife. I'll take care of you for the rest of our lives."

As he leaned down to kiss me, I slapped him across the face. The sound cracked through the room.

Ethan froze, one hand slowly rising to his cheek. He stared at me in disbelief. "You hit me?"

I met his gaze without flinching. "You abandoned me once already. I don't trust you anymore."

Ethan took a step back, his expression hardening. "If that's how you choose to see it, there's nothing I can do."

He turned toward the door. "We'll talk again when you've calmed down." Then he stopped and looked back at me.

"But as for going back to the dance company?" His voice was cold and final. "Absolutely not."

He stormed out, slamming the door behind him.

I wiped the tears that had already begun to dry on my cheeks, opened my laptop, and replied to the latest email in my inbox.

"Hello, I've given your offer some thought, and I'd like to accept. I'm ready to join your dance company."

The next morning, I went to the company to submit my resignation.

Linda pulled an old newspaper clipping from her desk. It featured a photograph of me winning the national championship seven years ago.

"Eve, you're a once-in-a-generation dancer," she said. "If you'd just swallow your pride, I could even put in a good word for you with Mr. Bennett."

She paused, then tried again. "You've worked here for years. You're still one of our own. Doesn't that count for something?"

I smiled, though there was a bitter ache in my chest. "Linda, the company already has Vivian. That's enough."

Linda froze. She knew about the rumors surrounding Ethan and Vivian. The moment she understood what I meant, the sympathy in her eyes deepened.

There was never room for two queens in the same company.

"People always side with their own," Linda said with a sigh. Then she gave me a reassuring smile. "Don't let this get to you. With your talent, you won't be overlooked wherever you go."

I gave her a faint, bitter smile.

So this had been happening for much longer than I realized. Somewhere along the way, I had stopped being the person Ethan chose first. Maybe I had lost that place years ago.

I said nothing more. I simply turned and walked away.

As I passed the rehearsal studio, I saw Vivian surrounded by the other dancers after finishing her routine. Ethan stood beside her, gently wiping the sweat from her forehead.

The moment he noticed me, he frowned. "What are you doing here?"

Vivian turned and followed his gaze. Then she smiled brightly and walked over. "Eve, what did you think? How did I do?"

She gestured toward the studio. "This is the piece I'm performing next month. You always wanted to dance it too, didn't you?"

Her smile widened. "Why don't you give it a try?"

I had no idea what Ethan had told her, but Vivian looked perfectly innocent, as if nothing had happened between us.

Only her eyes betrayed her. Beneath that sweet smile was an unmistakable trace of contempt and arrogance.

The former dance prodigy was standing beneath her now. And judging by the satisfaction in her eyes, Vivian was enjoying every second of it.

The girls around Vivian exchanged glances before breaking into whispers and snickers.

"What would she know? Why even bother asking her?"

"She's just a receptionist. And she actually thinks she can take the principal dancer's spot? That's hilarious."

"What's she going to dance up there? Something she learned at a community center?"

Their laughter and taunts washed over me, each word hitting harder than the last.

Vivian simply lifted her chin, wearing that same condescending smile.

"It's okay if you can't do it well," she said. "Professional dancers and amateurs are on completely different levels, after all."

She thought five years away from the stage had made me harmless.

Ethan pressed his lips into a thin line before looking at me coldly. "She gave you the floor. You should at least dance."

I looked at him for a moment, then let a faint smile curve across my lips.

"Fine." I took a step forward. "You asked for it."

I had never truly stopped dancing during those five years. Whatever they practiced, I practiced too.

I couldn't handle intense training anymore, so I kept my movements small and controlled. I worked through the choreography piece by piece, studying every transition and memorizing every beat.

But years of training didn't simply disappear. The moment the music started and my body began to move, more than a decade of muscle memory came rushing back.

Every step. Every turn. Every change in rhythm. My body remembered it all.

I moved with the same precision and fluidity I had once had, my movements effortless despite the years I had spent away from the stage.

Then the music stopped, and silence fell over the studio.

For a moment, no one said a word. Then came the whispers.

"Those movements were so precise. I swear, she might even be better than Vivian."

"Keep your voice down! What if she hears you? But… she really is incredible."

"Is she secretly some kind of dance prodigy? You'd need more than a decade of training to move like that."

I lowered my gaze, hiding the faint smile tugging at my lips.