Chapter 5

Bianca POV:

The next morning, driven by a desperate need for routine, for something familiar in a world turned upside down, I rose before dawn. My ballet training was my anchor, the one constant in my chaotic life. I planned to go to my private practice space, the small, sun-drenched studio Adolfo had built for me in a secluded wing of the penthouse, a peace offering of sorts. It was the one place where I felt truly free.

As I approached the studio, a strange sense of unease settled over me. The door, usually ajar, was closed. A faint, unfamiliar scent drifted from within – not the familiar scent of wood and rosin, but something floral, sweet, almost cloying. A knot tightened in my stomach.

I pushed the door open.

The sight that greeted me froze me in place. Ashley and Hunter. They were in my studio. Ashley, her hair disheveled, her dress rumpled, was draped across the piano bench, giggling. Hunter leaned over her, his hands on either side of her, his shirt buttons undone, a lazy, satisfied smile on his face. They looked like they had just tumbled out of bed. In my studio. My sanctuary.

My breath hitched. The air, usually so pure and filled with the ghosts of my movements, felt suffocating, tainted by their presence, by their intimacy.

Hunter looked up, his smile vanishing as his eyes met mine. He straightened, his expression cool, almost bored.

"Bianca," he said, his voice calm, as if this were a normal morning encounter. "Ashley was just curious about the studio. I was showing her around."

Ashley, startled, pulled her dress straight, a blush rising on her cheeks. But her eyes, as they met mine, held a flash of defiant triumph.

"You can use your studio at the company, Bianca," Hunter continued, his voice devoid of warmth. "This space... it's quite lovely, isn't it, Ashley? Perhaps we could convert it into a private gym."

My personal studio. The one he himself had helped design, knowing how much it meant to me. He was telling me to leave. To abandon my space. For her.

My gaze fell upon Ashley' s neck. A fresh, angry red mark, clearly a hickey, marred her pale skin. He did that to her. Here. In my space. The image of his lips on her, the echoes of our own stolen kisses, slammed into me. A wave of nausea, sharp and bitter, washed over me.

My throat tightened. I wanted to scream. To rage. To tear them both apart. But the words wouldn't come. My voice was trapped, choked by the raw, visceral pain of seeing my most sacred space, my last bastion of self, utterly desecrated.

This wasn't just a studio. It was a piece of my soul. And he had allowed her to defile it.

A chilling clarity settled over me. This space, these walls, they weren't truly mine. They were Adolfo' s. They were Hunter' s. And now, they were Ashley' s. Just like everything else in this house. This was their territory. I was merely a guest, an intruder.

And I was leaving. Soon. It wouldn't be worth the fight. It wouldn't be worth another moment of humiliation.

I closed my eyes for a single, agonizing second, then opened them. My face was a mask of icy indifference. Without a word, I turned on my heel, the sound of my ballet slippers disturbingly loud on the polished floor. I pulled the door shut behind me, the soft click echoing the finality of my departure from that space, from that life.

After that morning, I avoided the penthouse as much as possible. My days were a blur of intense rehearsals at the company studio, my nights spent in a haze of exhaustion, escaping to a tiny, sparsely furnished apartment I' d secretly rented near the city center. The thought of encountering Hunter and Ashley, of witnessing their endless, sickening domestic charade, was unbearable. I was counting down the days until my flight to Europe.

One night, I woke up in a cold sweat, my stomach churning with a familiar, agonizing pain. My old enemy, gastritis, was back with a vengeance. I stumbled out of bed, fumbling for the light switch, my mind clouded by pain.

Hunter used to be my personal pharmacist. He always knew when I was about to have an attack, always had the antacids ready, a glass of water waiting. He would sit beside me, his hand gentle on my forehead, his presence a calming balm against the fiery cramps. The memory was a cruel twist of the knife.

I dragged myself to the kitchen, opening the drawer where I used to keep my medication. It was gone. Replaced by a chaotic jumble of brightly colored candy wrappers, half-eaten bags of chips, and crumpled fast-food containers. Ashley's detritus. She had invaded even this small, functional space, erasing my presence, replacing it with her own superficial clutter.

A wave of despair, colder than the pain in my gut, washed over me. He had systematically stripped away every comfort, every connection, every memory that bound us.

Doubled over, clutching my stomach, I stumbled past the library, my hands searching blindly for a bottle of water. A low murmur, then a soft giggle, drifted from inside. The library. Our secret nook.

Against my better judgment, a morbid curiosity seizing me, I pushed the door open.

Hunter and Ashley were there, tangled on the old, dusty armchair. His lips were on hers, his hands tracing the curve of her waist. She giggled, a sound that pierced through my pain-fogged brain. They were in our nook, the place where we had shared so many stolen moments, so many whispered secrets.

Hunter looked up, his eyes widening in annoyance. Ashley shrieked, pulling away from him, her face flushed with a mixture of embarrassment and triumph.

"Bianca! What do you want?" Hunter snapped, his voice sharp with irritation. "Can't you knock?"

My stomach cramped, a spasm of pain so intense it stole my breath. I sagged against the doorframe, my face pale, a cold sweat beading on my forehead.

"Hunter, darling," Ashley whined, clinging to his arm. "She just loves to interrupt, doesn't she? Always seeking attention." She turned to me, her eyes narrowed. "Are you really that desperate?"

Hunter's jaw tightened. He looked at me, then at Ashley, a flicker of something, perhaps guilt, in his eyes. But it was quickly replaced by annoyance. "Bianca, you need to stop. Whatever this is, it's over. It has been for a long time." He paused, his gaze hardening. "Are you really so lonely that you have to intrude on our privacy?"

The words, laced with contempt, struck me with the force of a physical blow. Lonely. Intruding. My vision swam. The pain in my gut intensified, twisting into a burning knot. I opened my mouth to explain, to tell him about the gastritis, about the missing medicine, but no sound came out. My body trembled, cold and weak.

Ashley, sensing my vulnerability, tightened her grip on Hunter's arm. "She looks really pale, Hunter," she said, her voice laced with false concern. "Maybe she needs some rest. Or maybe she's just upset that we're so happy." She smiled sweetly at him, then glanced at me, a subtle sneer distorting her features.

Hunter's face hardened. He pulled away from Ashley, his expression grim. "That's enough, Bianca. You're being dramatic. Go to your room."

"But Hunter, she looks sick," Ashley said, a hint of genuine worry in her voice. Then, as her eyes met mine, a flicker of something else – a cold calculation. "Unless it's just another one of her tricks?" she whispered, loud enough for me to hear.

That was all it took. Hunter's face contorted with anger. He took a step towards me, his hand reaching out, not in concern, but in dismissal.

"Get out, Bianca," he said, his voice flat and brutal. He grabbed my arm, his fingers digging into my flesh, and physically propelled me out of the library, across the hall, and towards the grand, ornate front door of the penthouse.

I stumbled, the pain in my stomach intensifying with every jarring movement. My mind raced, trying to process the sheer cruelty of his actions. He was throwing me out. His home. Our home.

He pushed me through the heavy mahogany door, out into the cold night air. The door slammed shut behind me, the sound echoing through the silent, empty hallway. I was alone. Locked out. In the freezing Manhattan night, doubled over with pain, clutching my stomach.

Tears sprang to my eyes, not from the physical pain, but from the searing agony of abandonment. I sank to the cold marble floor, my body shaking uncontrollably. My stomach screamed, a hot, searing fire consuming my insides.

Desperate, I fumbled for my phone, my fingers clumsy. I dialed my mother's number, my last hope.

She answered, her voice sleepy and annoyed. "Bianca? Do you know what time it is?"

"Mom," I gasped, my voice barely a whisper. "I'm sick. My stomach... It's really bad. Hunter... he threw me out."

"Oh, for heaven's sake, Bianca," she sighed, exasperated. "Did you eat something again? I told you, your stomach is sensitive. You need to be more careful." She didn't ask if I was okay. She didn't ask where I was. "And Hunter wouldn't just 'throw you out.' You must have provoked him. You always do." She paused, then lowered her voice. "Adolfo has a very important meeting tomorrow. He needs his rest. Please, don't make a scene. I can't leave him. You know how important his business is."

"Mom," I tried again, my voice weak.

"I have to go, Bianca," she cut me off. "Just... take something for it. You'll be fine."

The line went dead.

I stared at the black screen of my phone, a profound, crushing emptiness settling over me. My mother. She had chosen him. Again. And again. I was truly alone. No one cared. Not him. Not her.

The gastritis raged, a burning inferno in my gut. My vision blurred. The world tilted. I slid further down the cold marble, my body trembling, my consciousness fading. The last thing I heard was the distant wail of a siren, a hollow echo in the vast, unforgiving city.