Chapter 1

To help his childhood sweetheart win an award, my fiancé locked claustrophobic me in a tiny, dark basement for a day and night.

I trembled and cried helplessly in fear, while his childhood sweetheart basked in the spotlight on stage with my work.

He once promised me forever, but now he shields her behind him.

"You've lost your edge, Mr. Langdon. Wouldn't you rather be a leisurely housewife? Why do you have to compete with Aria for everything?"

I laughed bitterly, my eyes sweeping over the trophy in his hands. I didn't tell him.

The mastermind behind this competition was none other than myself.

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1

I crouch in a dark corner, hugging my knees tightly to my chest, counting my breaths for the 1,079th time.

Before me is a small display screen, flickering with a faint light, silently showcasing the winning pieces from the most recent sculpture competition.

I stare numbly at the familiar work on the screen and the girl standing on the podium, holding a trophy and giving her acceptance speech. My heart is as still as dead water.

The sound of the door lock breaks the silence, and long-absent light streams into the pitch-black space.

A delicate voice, clear as a bell, floats in:

"Elise, the competition's over. You can come out now."

In the open doorway, Aria stands in the light. She hasn't changed out of her award ceremony dress yet, which sparkles under the illumination. Having been in darkness for so long, I have to squint to look at her.

She seems to notice my gaze, and the upward curve of her lips becomes more pronounced. She takes a step and twirls in front of me.

"Wylie picked this dress specially for the award ceremony. Isn't it pretty?"

"He said that after this competition, I'd be the new star of the industry, so I had to wear a dress that matched my aura."

Looking at her somewhat provocative smile, I recall an evening a week before the competition.

Wylie was secretly hiding something in the study behind my back.Out of curiosity, I snuck into his place when he wasn't home and found that beautifully wrapped gift box.

When I opened it, I saw a little dress covered in diamonds.

At the time, I was convinced it was a gift he intended for me, even though neither the style nor the size suited me at all.

But no matter how long I waited, he never gave me that box.

As my eyes gradually adjusted to the current brightness, I could finally see everything clearly, including the countless tiny diamonds adorning Aria's dress.

It dawned on me that some things, if they don't belong to you from the start, will never be yours.

"What are you standing there for? Wylie's throwing me a celebration party, and I came down specially to get you, sis. Don't dawdle, everyone's waiting for you."

Aria looked at my reaction with satisfaction, her feigned innocent tone laced with the venom we both knew all too well.

"Well, aren't you shameless," I laughed coldly.

"What?"

Aria didn't catch my meaning.

"I said, you've got some nerve, pulling such a dirty trick and then having the audacity to invite me to some celebration party."

I stood up and walked over to Aria.

She was a good half-head shorter than me, so I leaned down close to her:

"Using my work to enter the competition, aren't you afraid I'll expose you?"She stared at me, her bravado faltering, but she showed no fear. If anything, her gaze held a hint of mockery.

"My work just happens to be similar to yours, but yours? I've already destroyed it."

"With no evidence, no one will believe you. Not even Wylie..."

I raised my hand and slapped her hard across the face.

A red handprint instantly appeared on her fair cheek.

"You dare hit me? Wylie will be furious..."

Another slap landed.

I blew on my slightly reddened palm, looking at Aria who was now cradling both cheeks, her eyes wide with disbelief.

"This is just a small punishment."

"Before you guys came up with this nasty idea to win awards, you should've considered whether you had the chops to pull it off."

I couldn't be bothered to look at Aria anymore. I turned and slammed shut the basement door that had kept me locked in all day.

After the loud "bang", something seemed to topple over, rolling with a series of thuds.

Then it shattered against the door.

I'm not someone to be messed with. Everyone in our circle knows that, from the grandparents down to the youngest kids.

Even though the Montgomery family has fallen on hard times, no one dares to provoke me, this unpredictable force of nature.But I've always been obedient and compliant with Wylie, never willful.

So Wylie doesn't know my true nature, and neither does Aria by extension.

Dragging along Aria, her face full of resentment yet not daring to make a sound, I went to attend that so-called celebration dinner.