Ch. My previous life 14 My previous life 14

Hallway there, I realized something was missing my prop for the final bow. 

“Did ! leave it in the dance studio?” 

I thought back carefully and decided to head back to look for it. 

Rachel asked, 

“Want me to come with you?” 

“No need. It’s not heavy. I can manage on my own, 

I smiled and added, “You’go ahead to the backstage and start getting your nakeup done. Then coordinate with the stage manager to finalize the order of our stage setup.” 

The large multipurpose building was eerily quiet. 

Lihting the hem of my omate gilded dress, I took long strides up the stairs. 

But just as I was about to reach the flour where the dance studio was, I stopped in my tracks. 

Someone was standing a few steps ahead on the staircase. 

The golden–red light of thes 

e sunset streamed in through the windows, casting its glow on hall of his face. 

The rest remained shrouded in shadow, his eyes dark and unfathomable, like whirlpools in the depths of the ocean. 

Alec’s voice was low and heavy with an aution that felt like a storm on the verge of breaking. 

“Sierra, what are you doing? 

“None of your dan bustness. Got lost.” 

į brushed past him, tak 

taking a step to move upstates 

But before I could go further, a powerful force gripped my shoulder. 

My mind froze for a second, the shock delaying my reaction. 

By the time I realized what was happening, my body had already gone weightless, 

I was falling backward 

Behind me lay the long flight of stairs, dozens of steps stretching down. 

My back hit the hard surface with a thud, and I tumbled down the staircase, one painful roll after another. 

Pain ongulted me, sharp and unrelenting, as I landed beside the iron railing. A faint crack echoed from my ankle, the sound of a bone on the verge of breaking. 

Alec descended the stairs slowly, step by deliberate step, until he stood beside me. 

He looked down at me with those same 

same calm, sorrowful eyes, but when he spoke, his voice was cold and detached. 

“Sierra, don’t blame me. You were born with everything–every advantage, every opportunity. Even if you miss this chance, there will always be another path for you to take. 

“But Linda… she’s not like you. She’s already done her best, pushed herself as far as she can.” 

With those words, he knelt down and gripped my injured ankle. 

Before I could process what was happening, he slammed my leg against the iron railing with brutal force. 

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