My fingers were scalded beyond recognition, flesh raw and ruined. And still, he shielded Vera behind him. "Mildred Fox! It's one competition. Did you really have to fight Vera for it?"
He dragged me to the hospital. "You want a championship? I'll arrange another competition for you next year."
"But this time, you step aside for Vera."
I cried the entire night. Stubbornly, I peeled the blood-soaked bandages from my hands.
But even with blood staining the keys, I couldn't play even the simplest piece all the way through.
I lost my chance at the competition. Then the entire internet turned on me, calling me a plagiarist.
I went to Vera Swanson's apartment like a woman possessed, desperate to make her admit that she was the one who had stolen from me.
But the moment I threw open the door, I saw two naked bodies tangled together.
All I remember is Wyatt pressing Vera into his arms, shielding her, his eyes bloodshot as he roared at me: "Mildred! If you still want to be Mrs. Simmons, get the hell out!"
But I had been someone he once held in the palm of his hand. Someone he'd loved. How could I just let it go?
So I lost all composure. I screamed. I raged through that apartment like a hurricane.