ManyWriters

On the eve of the graduation exhibition, my boyfriend swapped my graduation project with his childhood sweetheart's.
After I discovered it, I ignored his pleas and switched back to my original work.
Later, my graduation project caused a sensation at the exhibition. I became an overnight success, not only winning the academy's gold award but also having my piece acquired for millions of dollars.
But just as I was about to use the money to pay off my boyfriend's father's gambling debts, his childhood sweetheart jumped from her apartment building.
My boyfriend flew into a rage and smashed my artwork.
"Sera, are you so vain that you just had to compete with Delilah! If it weren't for you, how could she have ended up in the ICU!"
The words had barely left his lips when, without a moment's hesitation, he dragged me off to have 1000 milliliters of my blood drawn for his childhood sweetheart.
Already anemic, I didn't survive. I died on the operating table.
When I opened my eyes again, I had returned to the day Julian was about to swap my graduation project with Delilah's.

The Paintings Reveals All Truths

"I'm sorry, Mr. Sterling," I said. "I truly meant no offense. I have the utmost respect for my mentor, and I wasn't trying to provoke you. It's simply that Eleanor taught me I must always protect my own creative work."


Those words seemed to strike a chord with Alexander. He grew pensive, and it was clear we were both thinking of the same incident.


Eleanor had once suffered a severe case of plagiarism, and the plagiarist had been none other than Alexander's ex.


The way Alexander had handled it back then had left Eleanor heartbroken.


He had urged Eleanor to just let it go, to spare his ex the embarrassment.


The outcome was that Eleanor, undeniably the original creator, was vilified online for an entire year.


Meanwhile, the plagiarist received awards amidst public acclaim.


That period had also been a time of crisis in Alexander and Eleanor's marriage.


Chapter 8