𝓔𝓬𝓵𝓲𝓹𝓼𝓮 𝓸𝓯 𝓓𝓮𝓼𝓲𝓻𝓮

CHAPTER-3

Evangeline's Pov

Today I am in California, performing my piano on stage. There are many spectators in the hall, including rich personalities, politicians, aristocrats, famous music personalities, and businessmen. I get so lost in the music, feeling each note deeply. When I finish my performance, the whole hall fills with applause for me. I thank them by bowing.

Afterward, I head to my makeup room, sit in my seat, and close my eyes for a moment of rest. Suddenly, someone enters the room. I start to shout, but stop myself when I see it's my mom, dressed in an elegant dress.

"Evangeline, why are you sitting? Come on, do your touch-up and come outside within five minutes. There are many influential personalities I want you to meet," she says.

"Mom, I'm tired. Can I take at least half an hour to rest?" I reply.

"God, what did you do? You just played piano by sitting there. I didn't raise such an orphan like you. Come out within five minutes. I don't want any excuse," she says before leaving the room.

I do my touch-up, looking at myself in the mirror. I think about my life. I was born and brought up in an orphanage for the first five years of my life. I don't know anything about my real parents. I only know that someone left me at the orphanage door. When I was five, Miss Davis adopted me along with her fiancé, Charles. They were a middle-class family, and I was so happy because I was getting a family.

But I never lived a great life. Miss Eleanor, who I call my mother, taught me various things because she wanted to influence her name. She was once a violin player but never became as famous as she wanted to be. She made me learn violin, guitar, and painting—anything that could make me famous. When I started playing the piano, she was impressed and sent me to a prestigious music university to learn it.

While other girls my age were enjoying their childhood by playing games, I was working hard to learn the piano and show my gratitude for being adopted. But no matter how hard I tried, she was never impressed. She always wanted a life full of wealth, fame, and status.

I finish my touch-up and go outside. I find my mother greeting a couple. She introduces me to them as Mr. and Mrs. Anderson. I greet them, and they introduce me to their son, Ethan, and their daughter, Grace. I nod politely, and my mother continues introducing me to various influential people at the party.

As I meet person after person, I feel like a puppet on display. I smile and shake hands, all the while feeling a deep emptiness inside. These people see me as a successful pianist, but they don't see the struggle and pain behind my smiles. They don't see the little girl who just wanted a loving family and a normal childhood.

I think back to the orphanage. Though it was not a place of luxury, it had its moments of warmth. The caretakers were kind, and I had friends who understood me. When Miss Davis adopted me, I thought I had finally found a family. I remember feeling excited about having parents and a home. But soon, it became clear that Miss Davis had different plans for me.

Miss Davis, or Mother as I call her, had dreams of fame. She had failed to achieve it herself, so she poured all her ambitions into me. I was never just a child in her eyes, I was her project. She pushed me to excel in everything, from playing instruments to painting.

 The only time I saw approval in her eyes was when I played the piano. That's when she decided that piano would be my path to fame and fortune.

I worked hard, not just because she wanted me to, but because I wanted to make her proud. I thought if I could be perfect, she would love me more. But no matter how well I played, it was never enough. She was always pushing for more, always comparing me to others who were more successful or more famous.