Chapter 852:
Tseemed to blur as Fiona sat there, her mind spiraling into a dark, empty void. Then, the announcer’s voice
cut through her thoughts, clear and sharp. “The final piece of the competition is Paganini’s Caprice No. 24.”
Fiona let out a bitter laugh, a sound tinged with irony and regret. It was a piece she had never mastered, not
because she couldn't, but because she hadn't cared enough to try. She had let laziness rob her of this moment.
The laugh bubbled up from deep within her, spilling out uncontrollably until tears mixed with it, streaming down
her face, etching a path of sorrow across her cheeks.
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She laughed until the sound of it beca desperate, hollow echo. Then, amidst her despair, she heard the
Follow on NovᴇlEnglish.nᴇtunmistakable rhythm of approaching footsteps, the heavy yet steady click of leather shoes against the floor.
Fiona’s heart skipped a beat. Was it Gavin, coming to find her?
She hastily wiped away her tears, but resentment still burned in her eyes. When she turned around, she froze. It
wasn’t Gavin. It was Cody.
Panic seized her, her breath catching in her throat. Of all people, Cody was the last person she had expected to
see.
Cody had been lurking in the shadows of the backstage, his eyes scanning the audience until they landed on a
familiar figure—Fiona.
Fiona knew Cody had cto watch Elyse perform.
Annoyance flared within her, and she hastily wiped the tears from her face. She pushed herself up, forcing a
composed demeanor as she faced him. “Mr. Tucker, why are you backstage? Shouldn't you be in the audience?”
Her voice was steady, but there was an edge to it, a hint of the turmoil she was trying to suppress.
Cody looked at her for a long moment, his expression unreadable. Then, with a slow sigh, he spoke, his voice
heavy with disappointment. “Do you realize your mistakes?”
His words hit Fiona like a slap, and her composure shattered. Her face twisted with anger as she snapped back at
him, “Mistakes? What mistakes? Where did | go wrong? | haven't done anything wrong!”
Cody watched as Fiona’s defenses crumbled, her anger and shspilling over. He sighed again, the weight of
regret pressing down on him. “I was genuinely pleased to see you enter the Swan Cup, but | know your abilities
Follow on Novᴇl-Onlinᴇ.cᴏmbetter than anyone. | knew you wouldn't make it to the final.”
“So what? What are you trying to say? Don’t forget, luck is also a part of strength. And my luck has been
incredibly good.” She pounded her chest, forcing a smile that didn’t reach her eyes, trying desperately to prove
something to him, perhaps even to herself.
Cody's heart ached as he looked at the woman before him. Fiona had once been a promising student, but now
she seemed so lost, so unrecognizable.
What had changed her? Was this who she had always been, or had something darker, something desperate,
taken root in her soul?
He didn’t have the answers, but he knew he couldn't just stand by and watch her continue down this path. “I
don’t know what you've done,” he said gently, “But | hope you'll turn yourself in. Listen, don’t keep making
mistakes. Otherwise, there's really no turning back.”