Chapter 4

Aside from Emily and Victor, another married couple with their child was present in the VIP room as well. After the recital began, everyone became lost in the lovely, crisp notes of the music. Even the five-year-old child listened earnestly. Once half of the program was over, there was a 20-minute intermission. The child let loose and began jumping around the box. She sounded excited as she asked, "This lady's so good. She played such a difficult tune so well. How did she do it? Mom, tell me a story about this lady." Since the mother didn't know Amelia well, she went on Wikipedia and began reading aloud. Emily got up to head to the washroom. By the time she returned, she heard Victor saying, "The information on Wikipedia isn't accurate at all. "She came from a family of musicians. She started learning piano at the age of two. Since young, she always took first place in competitions and could move to the next level without needing to take any exams. "She's a once-in-a-lifetime prodigy at Freymont College's music school. Before she even graduated, a renowned Bastrian pianist took her in as his final protege." Although Victor sounded calm and nonchalant, his voice was filled with unmistakable admiration. The child's eyes lit up at his story. She tugged at his hand and asked, "Sir, how do you know so much about this lady? Do you love her?" Victor's expression froze slightly at the child's question, and he did not continue his story. Even the child's mother realized something was amiss. She quickly carried her daughter away while telling her off. "Katie, don't talk nonsense. This man's already married." As Emily listened to the entire conversation in silence, she unconsciously clenched her fists. So what if Victor was married? If he liked Amelia, so be it. There was no other way around it. Victor never told any lies. His silence at Katie's question was already an answer. Once the second half of the recital was over, Amelia informed them that she had already made a reservation at a restaurant. She explained that she wanted to thank Victor and Amelia for their help. As they arrived at the entrance, Victor and Amelia ran into a former classmate. Since they didn't want to keep Emily waiting, they asked the restaurant owner to take her to the private room first. The boss was very friendly and began chatting warmly with Emily. "You must be Mr. Smith and Ms. Foster's friend, right? "They used to be our frequent customers at my restaurant. Don't be fooled by Mr. Smith's aloof appearance. He's very gentle with Ms. Foster. "Since Ms. Foster enjoys having crabs, he would remove the shells for her himself. Whenever she got drunk, she would insist on wanting a piggyback ride. He would carry her on his back and walk down the mountain for four hours. "After Ms. Foster went abroad, only Mr. Smith came here. He would order her favorite dishes and sit there until our restaurant closed for the day. Now that Mr. Foster has returned, they'll probably get married very soon." Emily forced herself to smile as she said stiffly, "Perhaps." Very quickly, Amelia and Victor had returned. As usual, he ordered all her favorite dishes before handing the menu to the waiter. Once the dishes were served, Victor wore a pair of gloves and began peeling the shells off the crabs. Out of habit, he wanted to place the crab meat in front of Amelia, who was taken aback for a moment. She glanced at Emily before speaking earnestly. "It's Emily's first time at this restaurant. You should let her try the crab first." Victor's hand froze midair. Then, he turned to hand it to Emily. Throughout their entire marriage, that was the first time he did anything for her, and it was because of Amelia. Emily stared at the plate of peeled crab meat and said calmly, "I'm allergic to seafood, so I can't have crab." Victor frowned. "You're allergic to seafood? But why do you always prepare fish and prawns for our meals?" "Because you liked it," Emily said as the private room fell into silence. As for what she liked, Victor never cared about that before. Seeing how things were getting tense, Amelia quickly changed the topic to smooth things over. Victor also joined in, and they started chatting away, becoming lost in their own world. Still, Emily did not utter a word. She remained invisible as she quietly ate her dinner. As the waiter came over to serve them soup, two kids chasing each other dashed over and knocked down the serving cart. A large bowl of steaming soup splashed onto Amelia and Emily. At that critical moment, Victor instinctively drew Amelia into his arms. "Oh!" Emily was the only one scalded all over by the soup. Steam wafted off her skin, and she began to burn bright red. Large yellow blisters started forming, looking rather terrifying. A burning pain overwhelmed Emily, causing tears to stream down her face. Victor's eyes narrowed in shock. He was about to check on her condition when he heard Amelia squeal behind him. He immediately turned back and asked in concern, "What happened?" Amelia's eyes had turned red. "The hot soup scalded my fingertips. It really hurts." Victor's expression shifted. He immediately lifted her into his arms and said to Emily, "You should find your way to the hospital on your own. "Amelia needs her hands to play the piano. She can't afford to be injured at all." Without waiting for Emily's response, Victor hurriedly left with Amelia in his arms. Emily watched Victor leave. She couldn't help but tear up. She headed to the hospital with her body covered in blisters to get treatment. After treatment, Emily was hospitalized for a few days. When the nurses came to make their rounds, they would gossip about the happenings in the hospital from time to time. "I heard there's a pianist staying in the VIP hospital room. One of her fingertips got scalded, and her boyfriend was really upset about it. "He invited many experts for consultation, and he's always there whenever the nurses change her bandage. He also goes with her for her follow-up visits. He even feeds her food and water himself. He's so worried that any injury might ruin her career." "Several times, while I was on night shift, I saw him sitting by the hospital bed while holding his girlfriend's hands. He would gently kiss the back of her hand. "It's hard for anyone to look away from his affectionate gaze. I heard he's a brilliant lawyer. Look at how handsome he is. He's the perfect match for the gorgeous and gentle pianist." Emily listened to their gossip in silence. By then, she was already numb to everything, so she barely reacted. That was because she would be leaving Victor soon. She had already moved on from him. It didn't matter how much Victor loved Amelia—that had nothing to do with Emily anymore.