Chapter 1

Grandfather was on his deathbed, and his only dying wish was to watch me perform our family's legendary heirloom piece, "Tempest Gathering", on the national stage.

Yet on the night of the gala, security blocked me at the theater doors.

That was when I discovered my girlfriend had secretly scrubbed my performance from the lineup, all to give her idol crush and his boyband the spotlight.

I waited in the freezing rain until the curtain fell, only to see her walking out with her arm wrapped around Colton, laughing as they headed off to drink and celebrate.

Grandfather passed away in bitter grief that very night, but Kendra only accused me of making a fuss over nothing.

"Nobody wants to listen to that ancient acoustic garbage anyway. I did it for the show's ratings."

"Colton is the leader of a top-tier pop group with an unlimited future. How could your useless piece of wood ever compare to his performance?"

1 My mother threw me out of Grandfather's funeral.

She called me the murderer who broke his heart, screaming that I was unworthy of inheriting our family's musical legacy.

Faced with the furious accusations of my relatives, I could not utter a single word of defense.

I had promised Grandfather that I would bring "Tempest Gathering" back to the national spotlight and take first place in his honor.

I had failed him completely.

I knelt outside the memorial hall, pressed my forehead against the cold pavement three times, and walked home in a daze.

I sat in the dark living room until three in the morning.

The front door clicked open, and Kendra stumbled inside reeking of alcohol.

She flicked on the light and gasped. "Why are you sitting there in the dark? You scared the hell out of me!"

I said nothing, staring blankly at the dark red marks on her collarbone.

A suffocating bitterness tightened in my chest.

She acted as if nothing had happened, walking over and resting her bare legs across my lap, expecting me to massage her feet.

"Sorry, my phone was on silent, so I missed your calls," she mumbled casually.

The faint scent of expensive men's cologne drifted off her skin, churning my stomach with pure disgust.

I coldly shoved her legs away and stood up to leave.

Kendra grabbed my forearm, her brow furrowing with instant irritation. "What is with that attitude?"

"So what if your slot got swapped? I told you there was a valid reason, and I apologized. What more do you want?"

I stared at her, remembering how the guards had held me back at the venue.

She had texted me then, claiming the running order had shifted slightly and promising she would get me onto the stage.

I had waited outside in the cold until the lights went dark, never allowed to take a single step inside.

A sharp, searing pain tore through my chest, leaving me almost unable to breathe.

"A valid reason? Your valid reason was drinking with Colton until dawn?"

Her face froze, and she quickly shifted her eyes away. "Stop being so unreasonable. Who even listens to traditional acoustic instruments these days? As the chief producer, I have to think about viewership."

"If you want to play so badly, go build a wooden box in the park and perform for pigeons every day."

A harsh, humorless laugh escaped my lips.

She thought I just wanted attention.

She knew damn well how many years of sweat and blood I had poured into mastering our heritage craft.

To me, that performance was never just a show.

It was our ancestral heritage, a sacred promise to honor Grandfather before he closed his eyes forever.

Yet she had crushed my lifelong dream without a second thought.

I was done wasting my breath. "We're done. I want you out of my life."

Her eyes widened in disbelief, her voice turning into a piercing screech. "You're breaking up with me over something this stupid?"

I did not spare her another glance, grabbing my coat and slamming the door behind me.