“Have you lost your mind?” he snapped. “Nothing can go wrong at Anya’s exhibit!”
Anya hurried over, pretending to help me up. But as she leaned close, she whispered, “Bitch, just face it. The only person in his heart now… is me.”
Then, with a quiver in her voice, she turned to Erving, her eyes misty. “Erving, maybe I shouldn’t have held this exhibit. Should I end it now? I don’t want to upset her...”
“This has nothing to do with you,” he said at once, shielding her behind him.
I stared at the sight of him protecting her, and at that moment, the tears I’d been holding back finally broke free.
My lips trembled into a bitter smile. “Erving… What do you even see me as? If that love we had was ever real, then I’m begging you, let me go. Let me keep at least a shred of my dignity.”
The moment the words left my lips, Erving’s expression changed.
He strode toward me and grabbed my wrist. His grip wasn’t as tight as before, but his voice carried a trace of panic.
“Don’t say things you don’t mean. My love for you was never fake…”
My heart fluttered.
It was the first time since the nude painting incident that he’d shown even the slightest hint of vulnerability.
But the next second, his eyes flicked past me to Anya standing behind me. Just like that, his brows knitted once more.
“Anya’s holding her first exhibit today. Your words just now made her tear up. Can’t you give her a break?”
Then, the warmth I’d felt vanished instantly.
I forced a smile, but before I could speak, a ripple of gasps ran through the exhibition hall.
People were stepping back in panic. Someone shouted, “The scaffolding’s collapsing!”
I looked up. The temporary display scaffolding was tilting, ready to topple. Several unsecured oil paintings teetered at the top. The sharp wooden beams were crashing straight toward Anya and me!
Time slowed. I saw Anya scream and stumble backward in fear, and Erving pivot almost instinctively.
Even though I was right in front of him, he spun toward Anya instead, wrapping his arms around her. He used his back as a shield from the falling scaffolding.
A heavy thud followed.
The beam scraped his shoulder and slammed onto me.
The next second, pain erupted through my body. My vision instantly went black. And just before darkness swallowed me, the last thing I saw was Erving, bending over and soothing Anya.
He didn’t even look at me.
I had a dream.