10
The day of the competition arrived.
I sat in the same seat as last time, watching
Ashley dance.
She danced with passion and precision.
The audience was captivated.
The auditorium was silent, as if holding its
breath for the butterfly about to emerge from
its cocoon.
Tears welled up in my eyes. This girl, who
loved dance so much, was finally shining on
stage.
Ashley finished her dance and took a bow.
The next dancer was Chloe.
I was shocked. After claiming she hated
dance, she was competing after all.
Despite her natural talent, Chloe hadn’t taken
care of herself. She’d gained weight, and her
lack of practice showed.
く
She twisted her ankle during a turn and had
to be helped off stage.
I watched her go, feeling nothing.
She had chosen this path.
Ashley won the competition and received a
scholarship to Juilliard.
Reporters swarmed her, and Ashley faced
them with grace. “I wouldn’t be here today
without Mrs. Miller,” she said.
“I owe this win to her.”
“My biggest dream is to make it big and
repay her kindness.”
<
Her eyes, shining with tears, found mine in
the crowd. “Thank you, Mrs. Miller.”
I waved back, then felt a burning glare. I knew
it was Chloe.
Suddenly, Chloe grabbed the MC’s
microphone. Her voice, filled with venom,
echoed through the auditorium.
“Jane Miller! You’re the most evil woman in
the world!”
“Are you happy now that I lost?”
“Ashley, you’re disgusting, sucking up to my
mom to get ahead!”
“Both of you make me sick!”
Г
“I wouldn’t want a win like that! It’s
pathetic!”
The audience gasped, staring at us.
Ashley looked at me, worried, but I shook my
head.
I calmly addressed Chloe.
“I raised you on my own, scrimped and saved
to pay for your dance classes. How am I
evil?”
“I don’t care whether you win or lose. We have nothing to do with each other anymore.”
“Ashley works hard. She’s a good kid. I
admire her and I didn’t want her to give up on
<
her dream. There’s nothing wrong with
helping her.”
“What’s disgusting is how you treat the
mother who raised you. You’re ungrateful and
dishonest, twisting everything.”
“You didn’t lose this win, Chloe. You never
had it.”
“I’ve been a good mother to you. Can you
honestly say the same to me?”
Chloe was speechless. The MC smoothly took
back the microphone and diffused the
situation with a few jokes.
I thanked everyone and left with Ashley.
Footsteps behind us. Chloe followed.
く
“Dad doesn’t love me,” she said. “He was
only nice to me because he thought he
couldn’t have any more kids.”
“Now that woman’s pregnant. A boy, they
say. So he kicked me out.”
“Are you happy now? Well, I’m not going to
beg you to take me back.”
“I hate dance! I want to be free! I don’t want
to be with you!”
“I’m an adult now! I can make my own
decisions!”
“My boyfriend’s good to me! I’ll be happy
with him! You’ll see!”
<
“I won’t regret leaving you!”
I looked at her, my heart numb.
“Congratulations.”
Her face contorted for a moment, then she
glared at me. A whistle and the roar of a
motorcycle engine came from across the
street.
A guy with tattoos and the same dyed hair as
Chloe yelled, “Let’s go, babe!”
Chloe shot me one last look of pure hatred,
hopped on the back of the motorcycle, and
disappeared around the corner.
Ashley looked at me anxiously. “Mrs. Miller,
are you okay?”
<
I shook my head. “I’m fine. I have a clear
conscience. This… this is for the best.”
I couldn’t treat Chloe like I had before. Too
much had happened.
No contact. It was the best ending for both of
- us.
