My Double Life

The invitation to the National Piano Championship still rested in the suit jacket pocket, the off-white fabric pressed tightly against my chest, the sharp edge of the paper clearly felt beneath the cloth. My fingertips gently stroked the outside of the pocket, imagining how, in just a few hours, these hands would leap and dance across the black and white piano keys; my heart couldn't help but race, and even my breath held a trembling excitement. "It's almost time. We should head to the venue." Beside me, Stacy Scott opened the car door, her voice soft as if wrapped in warm cotton, sweet and tender enough to warm the heart. She wore a pale blue dress, her long hair draped over her shoulders. The warmth in her eyes was tender, like the countless nights she had stood by me through my piano practice. I nodded, a smile playing at my lips, bending to settle into the passenger seat. After years of competing, this was the closest I had ever come to becoming the national champion. My heart was a swirl of nervousness and anticipation, my mind filled with the melodies of the pieces I was about to play. Just as my right hand touched the car door frame, an immense force suddenly slammed into me from the outside. "Bang!" A heavy, dull thud rang out as the car door slammed down, mercilessly crushing my finger bones like a massive weight. Sharp pain shot from my fingertips up through my arm in an instant, like countless fine needles piercing relentlessly into my bones, tightening every muscle in my body. "Ah!" I cried out in pain, cold sweat breaking out instantly on my forehead. Instinctively, I tried to pull my hand back, but the car door held fast, utterly immobile as if welded shut. "Stacy Scott! Open the door quickly!" I stared intently at Stacy Scott; the tenderness that once graced her face had vanished without a trace, her eyes as cold as ice in the dead of winter, utterly devoid of warmth. This sudden change sent a jolt through my heart, an ominous premonition rising unbidden. She said nothing, instead raising her hand and pushing hard against the car door once more. "Crack!" The sharp sound of bone breaking exploded in my ears, numbness spreading instantly from my fingertips throughout my entire palm. Warm blood dripped steadily down the gap of the car door, pooling quickly on the ground into a small, glaring red puddle that made my head spin. "Are you crazy?" I frantically tried to pry the car door open with my left hand, but my fingers were limp and powerless. The harder I struggled, the more excruciating the pain in my right hand became, as if my bones were about to shatter. Stacy Scott finally released her grip and stepped back. Crossing her arms over her chest, she looked down at my right hand, hanging limply by my side, mangled and bloody. A strange, triumphant smile played on her lips—a grin that sent a shiver down my spine. "This way, you won't be able to steal Simon Lewis's Champion title." Her voice was chillingly calm, without a hint of remorse, as if she had done nothing more than a trivial favor. Her words were like a sharp ice pick, piercing mercilessly into my heart. A shiver ran through me as I instantly realized—this was no accident; she had done it on purpose! Simon Lewis, my junior, had always seen me as the greatest obstacle on the road to the Champion title, and Stacy Scott, the partner I once trusted and relied on, had conspired with him to betray me! From afar came the wail of an ambulance, growing louder and clearer as it approached. My consciousness was already hazy; the twin blows of pain and betrayal nearly made me faint. I vaguely remembered hearing Stacy pull out her phone and make a call, her tone tinged with a hint of triumph: "Simon Lewis, he won't be coming. Don't worry, the Champion title will be yours."