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Lahat ng Kabanata ng I Watched Him Serenade Someone Else: Kabanata 1 - Kabanata 10

10 Kabanata

Chapter 1

It was almost 1:00 am by the time my husband, Matthew Lowe, got home.He was lugging his cello case, still dressed in his black performance shirt.It wasn't until he stepped up behind me and caught sight of "Viremont" on my screen that he froze."You went to Viremont today?""Yeah."My fingers glided across the trackpad as I deleted a duplicate audio annotation. "Last-minute assignment to interview a conductor.""When did you get there?" Matthew asked."Afternoon."He paused for a beat. "Why didn't you come see me?""I was busy with work. I left as soon as the interview wrapped up," I replied without looking up.Out of the corner of my eye, I saw his tense shoulders visibly relax.It was as if he'd finally confirmed that I hadn't set foot in that concert hall and hadn't seen what happened after the show let out.He set his cello case against the wall and rubbed his wrist. "I played too long today. My hand's cramping up again."He sat next to me as if it were the most natur

Chapter 2

The next morning, I had an appointment at the visa center.The transfer was rushed through. I had to personally verify every document, from my criminal record check and notarized academic credentials to my work visa application.I packed the paperwork into a folder and pulled my suitcase down from the top of the closet. A thin cloud of dust puffed up as it hit the floor.I had bought it three years ago, but I'd never used it once.Matthew didn't like traveling. To be precise, he didn't like traveling with me.He was happy to hop across a dozen countries for performances, but he always claimed that private trips threw off his rhythm.I had just started packing my winter clothes when my phone rang. It was Matthew.When I answered, the line was pure chaos. People were calling for a doctor, while others scrambled to calibrate equipment.His assistant, Charlie Russell, kept his voice low as he spoke into the receiver. "Hannah, Matthew was right in the middle of a recording session

Chapter 3

Three days left until my departure.I contacted the movers and packed the books and clothes I was taking with me so they could be shipped to Noveria.There wasn't much left.Eight years of marriage, and what truly belonged to me only filled four cardboard boxes.I was double-checking the overseas address when Matthew came home. He didn't notice the missing pair of slippers at the entrance, nor did he see the two empty shelves on the bookcase.He tossed a document onto the table. "Sign this."It was an image release form for a documentary.To mark the tenth anniversary of his rise to fame, his team was putting together a documentary chronicling his journey from isolation and self-destruction to the international stage.Ten full pages of the proposal detailed his darkest days, yet not a single sentence mentioned me."The director wants to use old archival material," Matthew said, unbuttoning his cuffs. "Hand over those recordings, medical records, and early rehearsal videos you

Chapter 4

On the morning of my departure, Matthew surprisingly didn't head straight to the studio.I was double-checking the weight of my bags when he appeared in the bedroom doorway, watching me."Are you free tonight?" he asked.I zipped my suitcase shut. "Is there something you need?"He held out a premiere ticket for his documentary, his movement stiff. "Didn't you always want to hear me play 'Love of My Life'?"I didn't take it.Frowning, he pushed the ticket a little closer. "I'm playing it tonight."In the past, whenever Matthew made me mad, he never knew how to sweet-talk his way out of it. He would just bring back a dessert I liked or save a ticket for me after a performance. Then he would assume I was automatically placated.Eight years later, that was still the only way he knew how to act."I saved a seat for you," he said. "I'll take you out for dinner after the show."My fingers brushed the edge of the ticket.A place deep in my heart that had long gone cold actually ga

Chapter 5

Once the plane reached cruising altitude, all phone signals were lost completely.I leaned back against the seat and closed my eyes.At that exact moment, Matthew had just dropped Evie off at her home.Evie stood beside the car door, her eyes still red. "Matt, did Hannah misunderstand something?""She's just been in a bad mood lately," Matthew replied, glancing at his phone. The messages remained unread.Frowning, he added, "She'll get over it in a couple of days."Evie bit her lip. "It's all my fault. I shouldn't have sat in the family seat at the premiere.""The team arranged the seating.""But that spotlight was almost on her." Her voice grew even softer. "I told the director I was camera-shy and wanted a heads-up beforehand. He must have misunderstood and kept the camera on me instead."Matthew's fingers paused."Don't take matters into your own hands next time." His tone wasn't harsh.Evie nodded immediately. "Okay."When Matthew returned home, it was already past midn

Chapter 6

After I landed, I didn't turn on my phone.The Noveria branch had sent a car to pick me up. My new place wasn't big, but I could see the river from the window. A coworker helped me carry the boxes into the living room, then laughed and pointed at the bare walls."Just make do for now. I'll take you furniture shopping one of these days.""It's fine like this."I opened a box. On top was a set of interview equipment. There were no medicinal bath salts, no pain-relief patches, and not even the soft-soled slippers Matthew had to wear after every performance.As it turned out, the life that truly belonged to me didn't take up much space.Back home, though, everything had already fallen apart.On the day of the documentary's celebration party, Grant, the director, was served a letter from my lawyer. It stated that I had explicitly refused to authorize the use of any private recordings, medical records, or early footage.Grant's expression changed on the spot. "The film's already out,

Chapter 7

I had just gotten out of a meeting when Matthew showed up outside my office building. He was standing in the cold wind, wearing only a thin black coat, and his eyes were bloodshot.I stopped in my tracks. "What are you doing here?"He looked like he could finally breathe again, and he stepped forward to grab my wrist. "Let's go home and talk about this."I pulled my hand away. "I'm not going back."Matthew's hand froze in midair. "Hannah, don't make a scene here.""I work here." I looked at him. "You're the one who barged into someone else's workplace.""Fine." He reined in his temper. "Then let's find somewhere to talk."There was a café on the ground floor of my building. Once we sat down, Matthew slid a photo from the premiere across the table. In it, I was sitting in the last row, with the stage lights sweeping across my profile."I didn't know the broadcast director would cut you out of the shot.""Okay.""Evie's off the documentary.""Okay.""The film's been pulled to

Chapter 8

On Matthew's second day in the hospital, I flew to Ravenport to interview a composer who had retired from public life years ago. He had turned down more than a dozen media outlets, and when we met, he glanced over my interview outline."You know the cello too?""A little.""Someone in your family plays?"I paused for a second. "Someone used to."The interview lasted three hours. As we were wrapping up, the old man suddenly asked me a question. "Why do you keep asking about the people who get overlooked behind the work?"It was snowing outside. I turned off my recorder. "Because I used to be one of them."He looked at me for a long time, then nodded. "Then this story is yours."Once the exclusive went live, its readership quickly broke the company record. My boss called me into the office. "You're in charge of the next feature."I took the file, which had "Uncredited" written on the cover. The series would document the people who had genuinely contributed to works of art but

Chapter 9

Matthew's public statement left him no way out. He admitted he had gone along with the documentary rewriting of the timeline, and he owned up to the family seating and camera arrangements at the premiere. He also admitted that for the past three years, he had only set aside ten minutes a week for his wife.The internet exploded. Some people called him an ungrateful jerk, while others said his whole devoted-husband image had been a joke from start to finish. Sponsors dropped him, his performances were postponed, and even the tour he had spent half a year preparing was canceled.Charlie asked whether he wanted to bring in a PR team, but Matthew said no. "Everything they're saying is true."The documentary was pulled for good, and the production company issued a public apology. Every piece of material involving me was deleted, and Aidan returned the original recordings and medical records back to me.Matthew also put out a follow-up statement making it clear that "Love of My Life" h

Chapter 10

Three months after the divorce, Matthew announced his comeback. There were no publicity stunts and no documentary crew this time, and the last piece on the program was "Love of My Life".Once the news spread, the media speculated about whether I would show up. Matthew had saved me a ticket in the front row, and this time, the name card clearly read Hannah Newman.I didn't go. When the concert started, I was editing the final episode of "Uncredited".My assistant poked her head in. "Hannah, the livestream's starting. You're not going to watch?""No.""Seriously? People online are saying he's got something big planned tonight."I put on my headphones. "The final cut is due tomorrow morning."She shrugged and closed the door for me.Later, the recording of that concert went viral. When Matthew finished playing, he didn't take his bow like he usually did. Instead, he sat in the middle of the stage and looked at the empty front row."I wrote this piece for someone who stood by me f

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