Chapter 3

Darcey’s POV

Babe?

Seriously, I couldn’t wrap my head around the fucking nerve Alexis had, calling me that after personally ruining my life.

“I nearly shit myself when I got home and didn’t see you,” he said, rubbing against me, like some sweet fiancé.

There was a time when that would melt me.

His gentle kisses, his firm embrace, they always gave me the illusion that I was needed, that I was cherished.

Every time he got close like this, I would forget whatever I had been questioning him about.

My whole stupid heart softened, and somehow, I would end up comforting him instead.

But this time, I felt nothing but disgust.

Every image in my mind screamed at me: him, on stage, kissing Yasmine in front of everyone.

I gagged, shoving him away.

“I’ve got a cold. Don’t wanna infect you.”

My voice was tight, but I forced it to sound calm.

He froze. It was the first time I’d ever pushed him away.

His brows furrowed. A flicker of annoyance crossed his face, then faded when he heard my “don’t wanna infect you” excuse.

He sighed, his tone softening again.

“Babe, I’d never be afraid of catching your cold.”

Right. Because last night, he told his friends he was saving himself for Yasmine.

But that was just some bullshit.

He’s a grown man with needs. Sometimes, halfway through getting intimate with me, there’s no way he wouldn’t have called Christoph to finish the job.

I only realized it when I felt his body react earlier.

The thought of being a fucking pawn in their little game made my skin crawl. I almost puked on the spot.

Luckily, whatever lust he had earlier was gone. He reached for my arm like usual instead.

“Come on, babe, I’ve got a surprise for you.”

I didn’t resist. I couldn’t let him know my eyes were recovering.

“I upgraded the dance studio. From now on, your choreography can be digitally recorded by AI.”

“You can post it on ‘Butterfly’s’ account on Instagram.”

“Even if you can’t see for a while, people can still see your work. You like that, babe?”

If he said that before, I might have been moved to tears.

To a blind girl who loves dance, leaving a mark on the world is enough.

But now, all I felt was cold.

Because I knew exactly why he had made the effort to upgrade the studio. It was not for me.

Six days later, on the day after our wedding, Yasmine would be competing for principal dancer.

And “Butterfly’s” choreography was her ticket.

I created Butterfly’s Insta account before my parents had acknowledged me.

At the time, I’d started it to make money, posting my choreography online without showing my face. I didn’t expect it to go viral overnight.

Quite a lot from the industry were willing to pay an absurd price for a single piece from the so-called genius choreographer “Butterfly.”

But I had never intended to reveal myself. To me, choreography had always been a hobby.

Now, Yasmine was using my work to build her reputation.

It was fucking absurd.

“I don’t want to choreograph anymore,” I said.

He stiffened. His voice dropped sharply, the irritation no longer concealed.

“If you don’t choreograph, what exactly are you going to do? Sit around and be useless?”

The moment the words left his mouth, he realized his mistake. He quickly corrected himself.

“I mean—”

“Babe, don’t you want to dance again at our wedding six days from now? I’m already preparing a custom stage for you. Even if you can’t see, you won’t fall. You can dance safely.”

Dance at our wedding six days from now?

I let out a silent, humorless laugh.

The one dancing that day would probably be Yasmine.

Seeing that I wasn’t reacting the way he expected, his jaw tightened.

“And your foster dad woke up recently, didn’t he?”

“Don’t you want him to see you dance again?”

I almost admired the audacity. He was willing to use even my father as leverage just to make me choreograph for Yasmine.

Fine. If that was what he wanted, then I would give it to him.

I let my voice waver slightly, as if I were hesitating.

“Then I’ll choreograph one more piece.”

That made him let out a sigh of relief.

“Good. I won’t disturb you.”

With that, he turned and walked out of the studio.

Through the narrow gap of the door, I heard him make a call.

“Yasmine, she agreed. The studio’s monitoring system is already synced to you. Six days from now, at the wedding, you can tell everyone that you’re ‘Butterfly.’”

“With the footage, you’ll be able to explain every movement in detail. There won’t be any inconsistencies. And the next day, your audition for principal will go much more smoothly.”

“After that, you’ll be the principal dancer.”

“And the genius choreographer. Butterfly.”

I bit down so hard I nearly drew blood.

So this was their plan, huh?

They weren’t just stealing my choreography.

They were going to take my name, my identity, everything I had fought so hard to earn.

Tears burned in my eyes, but I forced them back.

There were cameras in the studio.

So I continued practicing, as if I knew nothing.

Yasmine wanted to become Butterfly?

Then let’s see whether she’s actually worthy of it.

I stayed in the studio for an entire day and night.

My vision recovered quickly, the once-blurred world gradually sharpening into clarity.

And during that time, I made sure to gather evidence that would ruin Alexis completely.

The next day, he suddenly pushed open the studio door.

“Babe, take a break today,” he said. “I’ll take you to pick out a wedding ring.”

I tried to refuse, but he had already led me outside.

By the time we reached the car, someone was already seated in the passenger seat.

Yasmine turned around, flashing a friendly smile.

“Darcey, Alexis said you can’t see, so he asked me to help you choose a ring.”

“You don’t mind, right?”