A New Melody Without Him のすべてのチャプター: チャプター 1 - チャプター 9

By the time I sat down, Adrian had already left with Chloe.From my table on the mezzanine, I had a perfect view of them standing together on the sidewalk below, their fingers laced.A sharp wind swept off the Chicago River. Adrian pulled off his cashmere scarf and wound it around Chloe's slender neck. Then he opened the back door of his car and lifted out an enormous bouquet of blue roses.I couldn't hear what he said. I only saw Chloe cover her mouth in delight before throwing herself into his arms and kissing him.A few blue petals broke loose and spun away on the wind.I'd seen roses like those once, in a bridal magazine.I could still remember reading their meaning aloud. "A miracle found nowhere else in the world. A love that can never be replaced."Then I'd looked up at Adrian and smiled. "We should have blue roses at our wedding."He hadn't even lifted his head."They're all show. Flowers are a stupid thing to waste money on."I never mentioned them again.That brida

I went down to the basement and pulled my violin out of the corner where it had sat untouched for years.When I lifted the lid and plucked a string, a clear note rang through the room.My eyes stung.Thank goodness. It still had a voice.During the bleakest days of Adrian’s company, I'd taken this violin out onto the street and played for tips. One song for one dollar. Hundreds of songs, then thousands, until the crumpled bills added up to the fifteen thousand dollars he needed to keep his company alive.Now I was holding my violin again.This time, I'd play for myself.A violent pounding shook the front door early the next morning.Adrian strode inside the moment I opened it, shrugging out of his coat as he complained, "Where were you last night? How could you not be home?"I lowered my head and secured the violin in its case.Only when I failed to reach for the coat the way I always did did he bother to look at me properly."Why did you drag that old junk out?" He frowned.

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

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

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