Chapter 3

"Come on, who'd dare mess with you? You basically own the place," Victor's comment read.

No one expected Evelyn to be following Sophia's Instagram account-let alone that she'd scroll through every single comment under her latest posts.

That evening, just as expected, Victor brought Sophia back to the house.

She offered Evelyn a bright smile and reached out to shake hands, casting a glance down from her higher vantage point as if inspecting her.

Evelyn frowned slightly-she had never liked being looked down on, literally or otherwise-and silently wheeled herself away.

Sophia clearly wasn't pleased. She turned to Victor with a pleading look. "Did I do something wrong? I think Evelyn doesn't like me..."

Evelyn had barely lain down when Victor came storming in to confront her.

"She's an old friend, and it's her first time visiting. Was it really necessary to act so cold? Do you know she was crying outside just now? You should go apologize."

Evelyn stared straight at him and replied, each word steady and firm. "I'm tired, and I don't want to argue with you over petty things. Besides, I didn't do anything wrong. Why should I apologize?"

Just then, Sophia barged in, beaming as she held a cardboard box.

"Victor, I can't believe you kept my old dance shoes and costumes all this time! Were you secretly in love with me or something?"

She gave him a playful nudge on the shoulder.

Victor looked utterly confused-but Evelyn recognized the box immediately. It was hers.

Swallowing the urge to stand, she wheeled herself over and reached out with a burning gaze.

"That's not yours. Give it back."

Startled by Evelyn's sudden approach, Sophia's hand slipped-and the box's contents spilled across the floor.

Among them was a trophy, which clattered against the ground and shattered into pieces.

Evelyn's eyes went wide in disbelief. In the chaos, someone must've kicked her wheelchair-it tipped over sideways.

She scrambled to pick up the broken trophy, her breathing ragged.

Sophia, visibly shaken, ducked behind Victor and clutched his arm. "What's wrong with her? She's scaring me..."

Victor finally snapped back to his senses. He gave Sophia a calming pat on the shoulder, then turned toward Evelyn. She was dragging her legs, trying to gather all the fallen items back into the box.

"It's just a bunch of junk. Do you really have to be this dramatic?"

Evelyn didn't answer. Her hands trembled as she tried to fit the pieces of the broken trophy back together.

Victor bent down to pick her up, but Evelyn, trembling with rage, slapped him hard across the face.

"That's not junk," she said through clenched teeth. "That trophy meant the world to me."

It held the last of her dreams-and the final fragment of her father's love.

Victor had always been proud and arrogant. Being slapped after trying to console her made his temper flare-he dropped her back down without a word.

Sophia peeked out from behind him and said nervously, "I'm so sorry, Evelyn. I didn't know it was yours. I really thought it was mine. I have plenty of trophies. I'll give you one of mine to replace it!"

And just like that, she turned and fled.

Victor didn't even hesitate-he ran after her immediately.

Left behind, Evelyn sat on the floor clutching the broken trophy. Her legs throbbed with pain, but she pushed through, slowly crawling back into bed.

That trophy... it wasn't expensive.

But it was hand-made by her father when she was twelve.

Now it was broken, just like her dreams of dancing.

Not long after, Victor returned and set another trophy by her bedside.

"This is Sophia's first-ever trophy. It's also her favorite. She said she's willing to give it to you. She also asked me to apologize on her behalf. Evelyn... let's not drag this out. Please, let it go."

Evelyn picked up the trophy from her nightstand and turned it in her hands, studying it.

Three years ago, she'd been forced to withdraw from the competition after her accident left her paralyzed.

So this was the championship trophy-won by Sophia.

No wonder it was her favorite. The first trophy she'd ever gotten, snatched through underhanded means. Of course she was ecstatic.

Victor really kept his word. No matter what it cost Evelyn, if he made Sophia a promise, he'd see it through.

And now, Sophia had brought this trophy to her as compensation. There was no doubt about it-it was meant to humiliate her.

Evelyn closed her eyes. Memories of the past with Victor played like a reel in her head.

Three years ago, Victor had taken over every digital billboard in the city, making a public confession of his love for her. That year, she became the most envied woman in Beaumont.

She'd handed him her heart without hesitation. And in the end, it had all been a lie.

That thought alone made her reach for the trophy and hurl it against the wall.