Charlotte woke up gasping for air, her heart pounding from the nightmare that clung to her even in the morning light.
In her dream, she was a small girl again, trapped in a suffocating, pitch-black room, barely enough space to move. Every window was boarded up tight, and the air was thick with a sickening, rotten smell that made it hard to breathe.
Suddenly, the door slammed open. A shadowy figure stormed in and forced her to the ground. The words that came out of his mouth were cruel and sharp.
“You came to me on purpose, didn’t you? Just for this?”
“You want to compete in the piano competition? Fine. Let me have you tonight and I’ll give you the test pieces.”
“You’ll do anything for the competition. How shameless.”
“She’s got serious schizophrenia, so nothing she says can be trusted.”
“Shameless, shameless…”
She tried to fight back, but the darkness swallowed her. There was no escape, no hope. She was completely lost.
Then, just when it felt like she’d sink forever, a pair of warm, steady hands reached out. Someone pulled her up, gentle and strong, carrying her out of the pit. A sliver of light slipped through a crack, shining into the darkness and bringing a little bit of hope into her broken world.
A harsh ringtone shattered everything.
Charlotte jerked awake, wiping the cold sweat from her forehead. She grabbed her phone and answered without thinking.
“Yeah?”
“Charlotte, do you really have to ruin Olivia’s life?” Steven’s voice blasted through the speaker, raw and angry. Even over the phone, his fury was impossible to ignore.

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