Chapter 29
Not long after Ethan left, my parents returned.
When Fanny came in, she asked curiously, "Strange, didn't Leo say he was coming to stay with you? Why are you alone in the room?"
Leopold was coming to see me? I froze, suddenly recalling the figure that had passed by the doorway.
Could it have been him? That didn't seem right.
If it had been him, he would have certainly burst in to question why Ethan was visiting me, or stormed in to humiliate us both. He would never have silently walked away.
"I don't know," I replied.
James shrugged it off. "It's fine. Leo probably had something urgent to attend to and didn't have time to tell us."
Fanny dropped the subject and instead began telling me about the hardships Leopold had endured over the years. James joined in, recounting all the ways Leopold had been good to me in the past.
"Remember that time you stayed late at dance practice and it started pouring? We couldn't pick you up because the rain was so heavy we couldn't even see the road. Leo went out in that downpour to get you. He even held an umbrella all the way to the studio so you wouldn't get wet. He was completely soaked and came down with a fever that same night... Have you forgotten all that?"
It was precisely because I hadn't forgotten that I felt so much pain. People don't change overnight—unless the person they truly care about has returned.
I'd been with Leopold for ten years—I understood him better than most. So I knew very clearly that he was no longer the man who had once sheltered me from the storm and treated me with such tenderness.
All his patience and affection now belonged to Sophia.
"Don't just sit there staring into space. What did you promise me earlier? Don't go back on your word," Fanny reminded me pointedly.
I had no choice but to call Leopold in front of them. As expected, he didn't answer.
"See? He must be busy. We'll talk later," I said. My parents finally let it go.
As I was about to put down my phone and rest, two message notifications suddenly popped up. They were voice messages from Sophia. After a few seconds of hesitation, I played them.
"...I've told you already, Lucinda and I have had no feelings for each other for a long time. We're just putting on an act for my grandfather. Once his condition stabilizes, we'll go our separate ways."
"A woman like her—so fickle and loose—doesn't deserve to be my wife. If I had known what kind of person she was, I would never have chosen to be with her in the first place! What a curse!"
It was Leopold's voice.
My briefly calmed emotions were instantly replaced by a feeling of being torn apart. The pain spread from my chest to my limbs, as if I were being physically ripped to shreds. How could he humiliate me like this?
I bit my lip hard, barely managing to control my emotions. To hide my distress from my parents, I pulled the covers over myself and lay down. "Mom, Dad, I'm tired and want to rest. Why don't you go for a walk?"
"Alright, you get some rest."
James led Fanny out of the room. The moment the door closed, sobs erupted from my throat like a broken dam. Even though I bit my lip hard to stay quiet, the tears wouldn't stop.
He actually called me fickle and loose? Not worthy of being his wife! His words cut deeper than any knife could.
---
After two days in the hospital, I was desperate to be discharged. First, the semi-finals were only two days away. Second, I couldn't bear to hear my parents' constant chatter anymore.
As soon as I was released, I went straight to the dance company.
During my two days in the hospital, everyone else had been working day and night. Walking into the studio, I could immediately feel the tension in the air. Putting aside all the thoughts I shouldn't be having, I began rehearsing.
To avoid the dining rush, I deliberately went to the cafeteria at an off-peak time. But I still ran into Lillian.
"Lucinda, taking two days off—were you pulling strings behind the scenes or perfecting your bedroom skills?"
I didn't want to engage, but her words were too offensive to ignore. "Lillian, haven't you learned your lesson? Should I just go to the police station and request they reopen the investigation into the glass powder in Sophia's shoes?"
Lillian's expression shifted slightly, but she stubbornly retorted, "Don't be so passive-aggressive! I'm a decent person with nothing to hide. If you want to reopen the case, go ahead—it has nothing to do with me. I'm not afraid."
I couldn't help but let out a cold laugh. "You think the doctored video is my only evidence? You underestimate me. I have other proof that can identify the real culprit."
Although the glass powder incident hadn't become a major scandal, everyone in the company knew about it. Because of this incident, no one dared to leave their shoes in the changing room anymore—they either wore them or kept them close.
Hearing what I said, others couldn't help but ask: "Lucinda, who was it?"
"What other evidence do you have?"
"Please reveal it—we've all been on edge lately. It's exhausting."
"Don't listen to her nonsense. If she really had evidence, she would have gone to the police long ago instead of waiting until now!" Lillian protested, but her eyes were fixed on my face. She was trying to determine whether I was bluffing by reading my expression.
Disgusted, I immediately elaborated, "Of course I have evidence. While the video was manipulated, not everything in it was fake. The person pouring the glass powder—all those actions were real."
"The culprit didn't need to figure out which shoes were Sophia's, yet picked them up with precision. This indicates the perpetrator was someone familiar with the situation. If we follow the glass powder lead, everything will naturally come to light."
"Someone familiar? But only Lillian and Sophia were there at the time. If it was someone they knew, they would have recognized them."
"Exactly. Our company isn't that big. If the glass powder incident is real, the culprit is most likely someone from within."
"None of us can identify Sophia's shoes on sight. If we're talking about someone familiar, then that would mean..."
Hearing someone voice what I'd been implying, I gave Lillian a cold look. Others instinctively followed my gaze. Even though no one said it explicitly, this silent consensus was enough to make Lillian's face change drastically.
"Why are you all looking at me? Sophia and I are close friends—that makes me even less likely to be the culprit. Besides, I was with Sophia at the time. If it had been me, wouldn't Sophia have noticed?"
She then pointed at me accusingly. "Lucinda, you're deliberately slandering me. I'm going to tell the director right now!"
With that, she stormed off without looking back. The others turned to me for confirmation.
I shook my head gently. "Without concrete evidence, I can't make a judgment either. We can only wait for the police investigation to progress."
The crowd finally dispersed. I watched Lillian's hasty retreat, thinking that while I had only been suspicious before, her reaction just now convinced me that she was definitely involved.
But right now, I had other priorities. After the competition, I would have plenty of time to deal with her.
That afternoon, I continued practicing in the studio. As I was rehearsing, I suddenly felt like I was being watched.
I turned around immediately, but there was nothing behind me—no sign of anyone. The only window faced the street, so it couldn't be someone peering in.
Was it just my imagination? Not convinced, I tiptoed quietly to the door, waited a few seconds, then flung it open. The corridor outside was completely empty.
I let out a breath. It was just my imagination after all.
Soon, the semi-finals began. The competition was held in the Grand Arts Hall, with the organizers inviting prominent media to broadcast the prestigious event live. The venue was packed and buzzing with excitement.