Chapter 211
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At the holistic health clinic, nurses had assisted her. Here, she kept stumbling, fall after fall.
Soon, she was drenched in sweat and aching all over.
“Lucille!”
As she fell yet again, a gentle woman’s voice sounded behind her. Supple hands steadied her from behind, just like during her dance academy days.
“Ms. Meredith…” Lucille tensed, noticing Aydan beside her. She nodded a greeting.
She wanted to recover.
But she feared others knowing, terrified that dashed hopes would disappoint everyone.
Meredith shook her head disapprovingly.
Lucille assumed Meredith also doubted her recovery. A flicker of disappointment rose, though she’d never held much hope anyway.
She forced a smile, awkwardness hanging heavy.
“Sweetie, you can’t practice unprotected like this!
Trying to wrap yourself up like a dumpling?”
Meredith scolded lightly, “Our entire tour group has staff–teachers, support crew. Can’t you ask for help?
Too shy to bother others, but not me?
We share a room!”
“Right! And me!
Lucille!
My show’s done today–I’ll train with you tomorrow!” Aydan chimed in eagerly.
Lucille blinked in surprise. So… it wasn’t disapproval? Not hopelessness?
“Ms. Meredith… Aydan, I…” Her eyes grew misty.
Meredith stepped forward, embracing her. “Silly girl, learn to ask for help. Not everything needs bearing alone…”
Lucille froze, remembering that trembling self who’d lived in Cedrick’s shadow–swallowing every hardship silently,
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never daring to seek his aid, terrified of burdening him… terrified he’d stop loving her…
“Enough for today. You had me worried sick–thought you’d vanished!”
Meredith took her hand. “Let’s go rest. Continue tomorrow.”
“Lucille, were you following some video earlier?”
Aydan asked as they walked. “Mind showing me?”
“Yeah, from the clinic.”
Lucille forwarded it to him.
She never expected Aydan to show up the next day with dark circles, having optimized the rehab routine.
“Sorry, Lucille. Only managed these few adjustments overnight.”
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Aydan demonstrated the modified moves, sending her the video. “Don’t worry–I pestered the old specialist yesterday to tailor it for our actual setup! Simplified but equally effective!”
He grinned.
Lucille stared, amazed. “That’s… incredibly kind. And so much trouble for the specialist.”
“It’s nothing!”
“Sir is close to our family, and he’s eager to see how the improvements turn out. In a way, you’re an experiment.”
Aydan said jokingly.
Lucille also laughed; she was actually very happy about being such an experiment!
Some endeavors demand nothing less than total commitment.
If Lucille had approached her rehabilitation before with a take–it–or–leave–it attitude, she now fixed her sights firmly on returning to the stage.
It wasn’t about accepting any outcome anymore–she would reclaim her spotlight.
With this resolve crystallized, her entire being reached new heights of resilience.
Her days revolved around video calls with Grandma, assisting the dance troupe’s logistics, and squeezing every minute into rehabilitation.
Such relentless focus made her utterly oblivious to another corner of Seaston.
The day the troupe departed France for Germany, Lucille rose quietly at 5 a.m.
This was her routine now–rising hours earlier to complete rehab before overseeing costumes, makeup, and stage se- tups.
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At six, Aydan arrived, chuckling at her progress. “You beat the sunrise again, Lucille. Making me look lazy.”
“Not really. We’re relocating hotels today—figured everyone’d be up carly.”
Aydan always “coincidentally” guarded her during rehab sessions. He, Ms. Meredith, and Linda took turns accompa- nying her daily.
By 7:30, after two hours of drills, Lucille and Aydan packed and joined the convoy to Germany.
On the bus, she plugged in carphones, only for her photo album to flash notifications from this date last year.
A photo of Cedrick wearing a birthday crown, cake before him, jolted her memory: today was his birthday. The slideshow rolled–Cedrick with Grandma, her forcing a smile against his shoulder, him blowing out candles.