Chapter 1

My world crumbled when I saw my husband, Arthur, across the street with his mistress, Karin, and a son who was his spitting image. For years, he' d told me he wasn' t ready for a family. It was all a lie.

But the true horror began at my own awards ceremony.

Karin' s son, coached to hate me, rushed the stage and attacked me. The assault caused me to miscarry the baby Arthur swore he never wanted. As I lay bleeding on the stage, my husband didn't help.

He shoved me aside, his eyes blazing with fury.

"You monster!" he roared, scooping up his son and leaving me shattered in front of everyone.

Later, Karin cornered me, her voice a triumphant whisper. "I made sure you'd lose the baby." Then, she pushed me off a cliff into the churning ocean below.

But I didn't die. A fisherman pulled me from the water, broken but alive. As the world mourned the "accidental drowning" of Elenora Dawson, I made a call to the Vienna Conservatory.

"I accept."

Chapter 1

My world crumbled around me, not with a bang, but with the soft laughter of my husband, Arthur, holding another woman's hand and a child who looked exactly like him.

The coffee shop was bustling. Sunlight streamed through the large windows, illuminating dust motes dancing in the air. I was supposed to be lost in my latest composition, but my eyes snagged on a scene across the street. A quaint little park, a carousel spinning. And there he was. Arthur. Unmistakable.

He was laughing, a genuine, unrestrained sound I hadn't heard in years. His arm was wrapped around a sleek, dark-haired woman. Her head was tilted back, her smile wide. In his other arm, a small boy, perhaps four years old, was cradled. The boy' s hair was the same rich auburn as Arthur' s. His eyes, even from this distance, held the same mischievous glint.

My blood ran cold.

I knew that woman. Karin Kirby. The sharp, media-savvy political pundit. Her face was splashed across news channels regularly. What was she doing with Arthur? And that child... that little boy. He was a miniature Arthur. A perfect, terrifying replica. My heart hammered against my ribs, a frantic bird trying to escape its cage.

They looked like a family. A complete, happy, undisturbed unit. The kind of family Arthur had always said he wasn't ready for. "Elenora, darling," he'd purr, his voice a low rumble, "my career is just taking off. A child now would be unfair to them, unfair to us." He'd held my hand, his thumb tracing circles on my skin, his eyes full of what I thought was genuine regret.

Lies. All of it. Every late-night meeting, every "urgent" political crisis, every canceled dinner. They weren't political. They were family dinners. They were bedtime stories. They were a life I had yearned for, a life he had built with someone else.

My hands began to tremble. The pen slipped from my fingers, clattering onto the table. No one noticed. They were all too busy with their own lives, their own happy, uncomplicated worlds.

Then, the little boy, Leo, pointed a sticky finger. Not at the carousel, not at a balloon vendor. At me. He giggled, pulling away from Arthur' s grasp and darting towards the coffee shop entrance.

Before I could react, he was inside. He slammed into my table, sending my latte flying. Hot, milky liquid splashed across my pristine white blouse, soaking into the delicate silk. My composition papers, covered in nascent melodies, were ruined.

"Oopsie!" Leo chirped, his innocent face alight with mischief.

Karin rushed in, a practiced look of concern on her face. "Leo, darling, what have you done?" Her eyes, however, found mine. They were cold, calculating. A silent challenge.

"Oh, it's you," she said, her voice dripping with mock surprise, loud enough for a few patrons to turn. "Elenora, isn't it? Arthur's... wife." The word 'wife' was a venomous whisper, an insult. "Such a clumsy boy. He just gets so excited around new people. Especially... composers." Her gaze flickered to my ruined papers. A cruel, knowing smile played on her lips.

The humiliation burned. My cheeks flushed crimson. My mind screamed at me to fight, to rage. But my body froze. Numbness spread through my limbs, replacing the frantic hammering of my heart. I just wanted to disappear.

I mumbled an apology-an apology!-and scrambled out of the coffee shop, leaving my ruined work, my shattered composure, and a lifetime of lies behind. The fresh air hit me like a physical blow, but it couldn't cool the fire raging inside.

Later that evening, numb and hollow, I found myself pacing our shared study. Arthur' s desk was meticulously organized, as always. But something glinted under a stack of policy briefs. A small, silver frame. I picked it up.

It was a picture of Arthur, Karin, and Leo. Arm in arm, smiling broadly. Taken on a beach, a sunset painting the sky in vibrant hues. A perfect family vacation. He'd told me he was at a political conference in D.C. that week. The date was clearly visible on the back of the photo. It was two years ago. Two years of perfect, happy lies.

The betrayal was a physical weight, pressing down on my chest until I could barely breathe. My world didn't just crumble; it dissolved into a toxic, bitter fog.

But something else stirred beneath the pain. A flicker. A memory. The deferred residency at the Vienna Conservatory. A dream I' d put on hold for Arthur. For us. I had told myself it wasn't the right time. Now, it was the only time.

I pulled out my phone, my fingers still trembling, but with a new kind of resolve. I found the old email, the one offering me the chance of a lifetime. I typed a reply. "I accept."

The next afternoon, a text from Arthur popped up on my screen: "Hey, gorgeous. Wrapping up a meeting. Looks like I'll be late for dinner. Campaign donors are a handful, you know? Love you."

My stomach churned. Rage, cold and sharp, cut through the numbness. He was lying again. Still lying. I knew where he was. He was at a charity gala, a glittering affair downtown for prominent political figures. He'd told me it was an optional, low-key event, too boring for me. But I saw the invitation on the counter this morning. It listed Karin Kirby as the keynote speaker.

I took a cab. The ballroom glittered, a sea of diamonds and designer suits. I spotted Arthur almost immediately. He was on stage, a practiced, charming smile plastered on his face as he introduced Karin. She was radiant, draped in emerald silk, her arm linked casually through his. He looked at her with an adoration that had once been reserved only for me.

My heart didn' t break this time. It turned to stone.

Karin took the microphone, her voice smooth and confident. "Arthur and I," she began, her gaze sweeping the room, lingering on Arthur, "have built something truly special together. A partnership, professionally and personally, that I cherish." Murmurs rippled through the crowd. This wasn't just about politics. This was a public declaration.

Then, she leaned into Arthur, her hand tracing the lapel of his tuxedo. She pulled him close. And she kissed him. Right there, on stage, under the blinding lights, for everyone to see. A long, lingering, possessive kiss.

The air left my lungs. Not from shock, but from the sheer, brutal finality of it.

After the speeches, a children's corner had been set up for the gala attendees' kids. Leo was there, dressed in a tiny tuxedo, looking precisely like a mini Arthur. He was playing with a toy train set, giggling maniacally. I watched him, a morbid curiosity guiding my feet closer. He picked up a small, hand-painted figurine. It was a woman with long, dark hair, wearing a white dress. It vaguely resembled me.

He held it up to Karin, who stood nearby, sipping champagne. "Mommy, look!" he chirped, "The ugly lady!" He giggled, then deliberately snapped the figurine in half, tossing the pieces onto the floor.

Karin glanced at me, a smirk playing on her lips. "Good job, sweetie," she cooed, ruffling his hair. "She was ugly anyway."

My vision blurred. I heard Karin' s voice, hushed but perfectly clear. She was kneeling beside Leo, whispering conspiratorially. "Remember, Leo, we don't want Elenora to ever be happy, do we? Not when we have Daddy all to ourselves." Leo nodded, his eyes bright with a chilling understanding. It wasn't just Arthur's betrayal. It was Karin's calculated cruelty.

I remembered Arthur' s whispered promises, the way he' d cradled my head against his chest, murmuring about our future. How could I have been so blind? Every tender touch, every loving gaze, every sweet word-it was all a performance. A carefully constructed facade to hide this grotesque reality.

My phone vibrated in my hand. Arthur. His name flashed on the screen, a cruel irony. I answered, my voice a flat line.

"Elenora, darling! Just leaving the gala," he said, his voice a little too cheerful, a little too loud. "Long night of schmoozing, you know how it is. Just wanted to say goodnight."

I closed my eyes. "Is that so, Arthur?"

"Absolutely, babe. Exhausting. Can't wait to be home, curl up with you."

Then, a child's voice, clear and unmistakable, cut through his forced cheer. "Daddy, don't forget my special night-night story!"

Silence. A beat. Two beats. Arthur's breath hitched. "Uh, Elenora, gotta go. Emergency. Work thing. Love you!" He hung up before I could respond.

I stood there, the receiver still pressed to my ear, listening to the dial tone. No, I wasn't just accepting the residency now. I was going to disappear. And I was never, ever coming back. I would take that offer, and I would leave him to his perfect little family.

I wouldn' t just go. I would vanish.