Grant understood Lincy’s intention almost instantly.
He had never ant for her to challenge . In fact, he had expected her to embarrass herself. His gaze hardened as he looked at her and said flatly, "Enough. Go back."
Lincy froze.
In the past, when Grant spoke like that, his words were always aid at never at her. The realization hit her hard, and resentnt flashed across her face.
"So what?" she snapped, eyes sharp. "As the Ashbourne daughter, you can’t even play the violin? What a joke."
I smiled faintly, calm on the surface. "Actually, I don’t know how to play the violin."
Camilla was here tonight too. I could feel her eyes on sowhere in the crowd, quietly watching, waiting for a crack. The last ti I forced myself to perform, old habits nearly slipped through. I wasn’t about to expose myself again.
Still, I couldn’t tolerate Lincy making a scene in front of everyone.
She laughed bitterly and turned to Grant. "Dad, look at Riley. She doesn’t have to do anything. She just looks pretty and marries well. I work so hard, and you still don’t like . How is that fair?"
Her words landed loudly.
Even though no one dared speak, the bla she placed on lingered in the air. I knew how fast whispers spread. If I stayed silent, I would beco the decorative wife people talked about over tea pretty, useless, replaceable.
That wouldn’t just hurt .
It would stain the Ashbourne na.
Lincy didn’t understand that reputation was shared. In the past, Grant had indulged her. But now, in this new territory he was trying to dominate, her recklessness only dragged him down.
For a brief mont, I sensed sothing dark ripple through Grant cold, sharp, dangerous. If Lincy pushed any further, no one would be able to protect her.
Before things could spiral, I stepped forward.
"Today, we’re honored by everyone’s presence," I said clearly, my voice steady. "As the host, I should express my gratitude."
The room quieted.
"I’m not skilled with the violin," I continued calmly, "but my husband taught how to play the piano. If you don’t mind, my husband and I would like to perform sothing for you. Please don’t laugh."
This wasn’t a challenge.
It was control.
The guests weren’t foolish. They knew when to applaud and when to stay silent.
Grant and my mum exchanged uneasy looks. I turned to my mom and gave her a reassuring smile. "It’s fine."
Then I reached for Lewis’s hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "Shall we play together?"
I caught the brief flicker of surprise in his eyes before he relaxed and answered easily, "Sure."
With Theo’s help, Lewis took a seat beside at the piano.
"What should we play?" he asked softly.
"The Wind Rises," I said.
He raised a brow. "Only if there’s sheet music."
Theo moved quickly, retrieving it at once.
Lincy crossed her arms and scoffed. "No wonder you chose the piano. Relying on soone else again? Playing a few notes and calling it yours?"
"Enough," Grant snapped coldly, his patience finally gone.
Ever since Lincy tried to drag Yenik into the Hudson ss, she had been skating on thin ice. And she was still testing it.
Theo handed over the music. Lewis skimd it once, eyes sharp, mory flawless.
"Ready?" he asked.
"Yes."
This wasn’t our first duet.
As my fingers touched the keys, the sound pulled backward in ti back to when I was eight years old.
The sun had been blazing outside. Cicadas filled the air. I followed the sound of piano music up the winding stairs of the Bolton residence, all the way to the attic.
When I opened the door, the wind rushed in through the open window, white curtains lifting and falling gently. Sunlight poured in, bathing the young man in white as he sat before the black piano, fingers moving effortlessly across the keys.
That mont bright, quiet, unreal had carved itself into my mory forever.
Now, as Lewis’s fingers pressed the keys beside mine, our gazes t.
Ti seed to fold back on itself.
For a breath, I felt as though we were standing in that sa afternoon years ago the mont our paths first crossed, before the world hardened us, before choices carved scars into our lives.
Lewis’s hand covered mine gently. He guided my fingers across the keys, steady and calm. Under his touch, the piano felt alive, as if it recognized him. Each note responded smoothly, rising and falling like a shared heartbeat.
We had never played this piece together before.
And yet, there was no hesitation.
Our hands moved as if they had practiced this a thousand tis. No signals. No reminders. Just understanding.
The lody carried a quiet longing.
It spoke of first wonder of staring at the sky and believing it was close enough to reach. Of daring to suffer, just to relive a single perfect mont.
It spoke of wandering through the world, still amazed by it. Of turning back through mory and finding yourself lost in a smile you never forgot.
The notes softened, then lifted again, like youth stretched into sothing tiless. Like sumr held between two hands and played into existence.
When the final sound faded, the hall fell completely silent.
No one moved.
Then, all at once, applause broke out. Loud. Unrestrained. It washed over us like a wave.
I never thought that after all these years, our first duet would feel so... whole.
I never understood how powerful it would look Lewis and I seated side by side, not performing, but connected.
In that mont, I saw Julian.
Tears filled his eyes.
So people watched quietly, emotion shining openly on their faces. Others looked at as if seeing a ghost of soone they once loved. The Morrigans family stared, stunned, as though I carried a reflection of Elena, and they wondered what might have been if fate had been kinder.
No one looked at Lewis’s legs.
No one thought of as decoration.
Lincy stood frozen, disbelief written across her face. She had co tonight convinced the orchestra existed to lift her higher, to crown her.
But what Lewis and I shared wasn’t sothing you could rehearse.
Our presence intertwined. Our focus aligned. The music ca from sowhere deeper than technique.
It wasn’t a classical masterpiece.
It wasn’t complicated.
It was a song people knew.
And still, it moved them to tears.
The applause grew louder, more urgent.
Only music that carries truth can reach people like that not the cold repetition of notes, not empty perfection.
I felt Grant’s gaze settle on .
It was different this ti. No dismissal. No distance.
For the first ti, he looked at fully and said, clearly, "Well played."
"Thank you," I replied.
If the old Riley were still here, she would have cried. All she ever wanted was her father’s attention. One kind word.
Lincy broke the mont with a sharp voice. "How do you even know how to play the piano?"
I smiled, slow and calm. "My husband taught ."
She opened her mouth to speak again
And the doors swung open.
Uniford officers stepped inside.
Sothing inside went cold. I knew, deep down, that Nelson’s team had found what they were looking for.
Lincy, completely unaware of the danger closing in, stood her ground.
Grant frowned. "What is this? No one reported anything."
The officers flashed their badges. "Mr. Ashbourne, we believe your daughter, Lincy Ashbourne, may be involved in a vehicle incident. We need her to co with us for questioning."
Grant stiffened. "What incident?"
Nelson stepped forward, his voice slow and heavy.
"Nolan Morrigan’s death is linked to your daughter."
The room froze.
Every mber of the Morrigans family turned sharply toward him.
Vivian rushed forward, panic breaking through her composure.
"Captain Tucker, what are you saying? My son wasn’t in an accident... are you saying he was murdered?"
The silence that followed was suffocating.
Reviews
All reviews (0)