Bound Hearts: My Vows to My Disabled Spouse

Not The Best Performer

Cody nodded, his tone calm as he remarked, "I could tell. You were sweating bullets." Looking up at Cody, Elyse subconsciously touched her back and felt the sweat there.

"I was too nervous to even notice," she admitted awkwardly.

Cody gazed at her violin and asked, "Ever practiced so hard your strings snapped?"

"No, never." Elyse shook her head.

"You need to push yourself to that extent. It's the only way to shake off the nerves and master

your craft on stage," Cody advised, his eyes seeing more than just her face.

After a moment of silence, Cody continued, "You've got talent, but you're not putting in enough practice. You're not as polished as Vicky."

It took Elyse a moment to realize Cody was critiquing her and offering advice.

"Thank you for the advice, Mr. Tucker!" Elyse felt a surge of hope. She had been feeling down, thinking she'd never gain Cody's approval.

Now, she felt she had a shot.

She wanted to ask for Cody's number. After hesitating, she asked softly, "Mr. Tucker, could I have your number? In case I have any music questions?"

Without hesitation, Cody exchanged numbers with her.

With Cody's guidance, Elyse felt a renewed sense of determination.

"Head home. Don't linger here alone." Cody waved her off, seeing her newfound confidence.

As soon as Elyse heard Cody's comments, she trotted out of the garden.

Elyse skipped back to the practice room, where other orchestra members surrounded her, offering comfort and support.

Blushing under their attention, Elyse said, "I won't give up. I'll win next

time."

"Next time? I doubt you can beat Vicky next time," Rebekah interjected, her tone dripping with disdain. "Compared to Vicky, you're nothing. Don't get your hopes up. You'll stay at the bottom next year too!"

Someone moved to defend Elyse, but she stopped them.

She didn't want others getting involved.

Meeting Rebekah's gaze squarely, Elyse retorted, "I may be at the bottom, but what about you? If I recall correctly, you didn't even make it to the second round! You're not even as good as me. What gives you the right to criticize?"Belongs to (N)ôvel/Drama.Org.

Rebekah sneered. "Maybe I'm not as good as you, but you're just going to keep getting beaten by Vicky!"

Someone in the crowd couldn't hold back anymore, saying, "We all know you've been sucking up to Vicky lately. I saw you following her around the other day, buying snacks for her like her personal servant."

"Why are you so obsessed with Vicky? Are you her lapdog now?" Elyse laughed, calling her out. Caught off guard, Rebekah paled, her arrogance vanishing.

Glaring at Elyse, she spat, "What are you so proud of? I may not be as bad as you, but I'm not as humiliating either!"

"What's humiliating about me? I may not be as good as Vicky, but that just means I have room to improve. No one's laughing at me. Only you think I should be ashamed. Talk about narrow- minded!" Elyse shot back.

"You!" Rebekah began but stopped short when Freddy entered the room. Their eyes met, and Rebekah blushed, unable to hold his gaze.

Ignoring Rebekah, Freddy walked straight to Elyse. "You're back. Come with me. I need to talk to you."

Confused, Elyse followed Freddy out of the practice room, leaving Rebekah seething with hatred. Out in the corridor, Elyse saw Darren, asking, "What did you want to tell me?"

"Cody turned down Vicky as his apprentice. She was in tears," Darren blurted out.

Surprised, Elyse asked, "But didn't you say Cody came here to take on a student? That whoever became concertmaster would be his apprentice, right?"

Darren nodded. "Yeah, that's what we all thought. Even my uncle was sure of it. He tried to pull some strings so I'd get the chance. But Cody told us the other day he didn't necessarily have to. choose the best performer."

Elyse stood there for a moment, realization slowly dawning. "Then who does he want as his apprentice?"