Chapter 2 Farewell Dance
I gritted my teeth against the excruciating pain in my feet, forcing myself to get up and stagger out of the room. I returned to my bedroom, wiped away my tears, and tried to compose myself.
But then I heard footsteps, and when I looked up, there stood Lionel
and Dion in the doorway, one tall and one small.
“Dion, apologize to Mommy, do you understand?” Lionel said, pretending to be angry, his tone serious.
Looking at Dion pouting, I weakly forced a smile.
If this had been any other day, seeing him look so pitiful, I would have immediately pulled him into my arms and comforted him. But not today.
They both froze for a few seconds.
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Lionel sighed and walked over to my side. “Alice, let me treat your feet. Our great dancer shouldn’t have to suffer like this. The child doesn’t understand. Don’t be angry with him.”
He looked at the many wounds on my feet with sympathy and pulled out some iodine to disinfect them.
CH
“Alice, I’ll get to the bottom of this. I’ll make sure the videos circulating online are deleted. You’re amazing–don’t pay attention to what anyone says online.”
“But you do represent the David family’s reputation. To protect you, it’s probably best if you don’t go out in public anymore. Give up on
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dancing, and just listen to me.”
Every word he said felt like a sharp knife to my heart.
I was numb with pain all over, struggling to maintain a calm exterior, nodding mechanically.
Just then, the doorbell rang.
The guilty expression on Dion’s face disappeared in an instant, and his eyes lit up. “It’s Mom… It’s Alissa!”
He jumped up and dashed out of the room, like a little cannonball.
Lionel, too, seemed excited by the sound of the doorbell. His hand trembled, and he jabbed the cotton swab deep into my wound, making me nearly pass out from the pain.
Moments later, Alissa appeared in the doorway, radiating beauty and confidence. Her makeup was flawless, and she wore a sleek, slender figure in a cropped top and mini skirt.
Lionel and Dion stared at her, transfixed.
“Alice, I heard you didn’t participate in the competition, so I came to visit you.” Alissa smiled sweetly at me.
“Don’t be too upset. One of the judges is your teacher. She specifically asked the organizers to have you perform as a guest, as a farewell stage,” she said.
She paused for a moment, a glint of sharp
flashing in her eyes. “However, everyone thinks it would be embarrassing to perform on the embarrassing to perform on the same stage as you. Only I’m willing to grudgingly agree to do it with you. Remember to participate, okay?”
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Before I could say anything, Lionel eagerly nodded and spoke with forced kindness, “Alice, don’t you want to thank Alissa for helping you? Since it’s your final performance, I’m making an exception and letting you go.”
When I didn’t respond, Dion’s sweet voice chimed in. “Mommy, don’t forget to say thank you! Alissa is so kind, just like a fairy.
“Our little Dion really knows how to sweet–talk. When I win the championship, Your daddy will take us all on a trip abroad
Alissa picked up Dion and playfully tapped his nose, and the three of them laughed together, completely ignoring me,
No one seemed to care that my feet were covered in wounds, or that performing on stage would feel like dancing on the edge of a knife.
I watched them in exhaustion, my heart as cold as ice. But I didn’t refuse.
Because I remembered how, over the years, my teacher had repeatedly asked me to return to the stage. If I didn’t go, she would be deeply disappointed.
