Leonard couldn’t get her out of his head. He kept thinking about that sweet young woman who knew so much about music—the same music he loved. He envied Crusher’s luck. A woman with all those qualities was like finding a needle in a haystack.
No matter what rumors were going around, that woman was no opportunist. She had her own sense of life and an appreciation for simple things.
He had one of the university professors send him the videos from Deanna’s entrance auditions. He didn’t know her last name, only that she was Harry Crusher’s classmate, and he got them. He spent two hours going through them until he found her.
The moment he heard her, he knew she had too much talent to spend her life behind Daniel.
At exactly 9 o’clock, Daniel stood in front of room 706. This was unusual.He had his doubts about it—he knew what she was up to, and although he was more than excited by the idea, this wouldn’t solve their problems.He knocked, and when he didn’t get a response, he used his own key to enter.The room was warm and dimly lit, as if no one were there.Deanna stepped out from the adjoining room, and Daniel stopped breathing for a moment.She was wearing a long white satin nightgown with a slit running from her hip down to her feet and a neckline that left little to the imagination. She was barefoot, her hair loose, but her face looked different.She was still angry—her
Laura was already in her seventh month, though to everyone else, it was the sixth. Every day, she felt heavier, more irritable, and Harry wasn’t making things any easier. He was still lost in his own world, the one where Deanna existed. He was attentive to Laura—when he wasn’t avoiding reality. They had even set up the baby’s room together. But those moments never lasted.She saw no way out of her situation. She kept thinking about Alice Reed and what her own life had turned into, afraid she would end up just like Leonard’s wife. She was reaching her limit.“You were right, Beverly. I go to his office to take him out for lunch, and he always has an excuse.” Laura rubbed her belly, feeling the weight of exhaustion settle deeper. “Deanna showed up, and he ran after her like a damn torpedo.”
The day was rainy, damp, and a bit chilly. Deanna was returning from picking up the children from school when she received a message on her phone:Laura: "Hi Deanna, how are you? We haven’t talked in days; come over to the apartment for a coffee."Deanna: "Laura! I’d love to, but Daniel is out of town and I’m alone with the kids. Why don’t you come over to the house?"Deanna’s tone was warm yet tinged with regret. Despite the rain, Laura set off. She arrived pale, her face etched with sorrow and struggling to walk. Deanna hurried to greet her.While the children busied themselves with their own activities, they sat down for tea in the kitchen. Truly, Laura’s belly had grown considerably in such a short time—a sig
That's where the photograph came from. They had coffee, but ended up arguing again; Harry was evasive and it annoyed Deanna that he wouldn't be direct. Finally, all she had gotten were mere excuses, incomplete phrases, and sidelong glances from Harry. That's why her face was red and he looked gloomy.Daniel and Beverly got off at their floor."I'm sorry I showed you that..." she said hesitantly."Why did you do it then?" he asked, his voice tense."I'll be straight with you: Deanna is a sweet and considerate person, but she's going to end up ruining you," Beverly stated firmly."Excuse me?" Daniel's eyes widened in disbelief."Yes, I know.
He didn't go to the office that morning. He felt guilty for not being there when Camila attacked her and because she continued to be everyone's target in his family; Deanna was becoming the Crushers' punching bag. He had his mother and brother come to the house; he was going to put an end to this.Camila arrived with a haughty attitude, unwilling to give in to her son. Harry, on the other hand, only felt remorse. When he heard from Susan what Camila had done to Dean, he wanted to run out to see her, but his sister stopped him; he would only create more problems."This has to end and it has to end now," Daniel began, trying to remain calm though tension radiated from his voice."I told you not to marry her, Daniel!" Camila shot back defiantly.
The situation for Ethan was difficult. He was being bullied at school because his father had married a young woman, gossip spread like wildfire, and Camila wasn't helping. Apparently, the storm hadn't completely dissipated.When she saw Ethan, Deanna tried to help him with his injuries, but the boy was still angry. And he made her feel sad again; her knight in shining armor was taking blows because of her. How could everything be so complicated?After dinner, she went to Ethan's room."Yes, come in," he said hesitantly."Ethan... can we talk?" she asked gently."Okay.""I'm very sorry about what happened to you today. Do you want to tell me
That night, Marcus called Leonard to personally deliver the good news."Crusher called me this afternoon. His wife is willing to come to the Theater," he announced."Fantastic, Marcus! I assure you won't regret it—the young lady has a true gold mine in her throat," Leonard replied, his enthusiasm evident."Can I ask you not to bring your usual drama to my Theater, Leonard? Last time I had to reassemble the entire cast because of your affairs...""Don't worry, Marcus. This time my interest is genuine. That woman is worth all the trouble. This won't be just an affair... I fully intend to take her from Crusher and claim her as mine... I think it's time I settled down."Marcus burst out l
"You'll sing in a theater?" Ethan asked, his curiosity piqued."That's awesome! Can we go see you?" Naomi chimed in excitedly."Of course we can, Naomi," Daniel assured her."I want to see you, Deanna! Can we, Dad?" she pressed eagerly."Absolutely, we'll be in the front row when Deanna performs," he promised."That's still a long way off, but my first performance will be just for you all..." she said warmly, then shifted to a more practical tone. "You finished your homework, right Naomi?""Yes, all of it.""Th
"Grandpa promised to take us to see you at the theater... Why didn't you tell us you were in town?""I'm sorry, sweetie. I took a few days to be with Mom and Grandma... To be honest, I wasn't sure if I should tell you.""Why not, Deanna?" Ethan asked. "Is it because of Dad?""I don't want to cause any trouble...""The only one causing trouble is Beverly!" Naomi said angrily."Come back, Deanna, so she'll leave," the child said innocently."I can't do that, grasshopper. And Naomi, it's not right to say those things.""But it's true! She's always hanging around the
"Deanna, dear. I have bad news. The theater where you were going to perform in Paris suffered a terrible fire.""Oh my God!""A tragedy, but luckily, no injuries. Unfortunately, until they finish the repairs and reopen, you won’t be able to sing there. Do you want us to look for another venue?""I don’t know. What do you think?""I honestly think we should wait, if you don’t mind.""Yes, I think that’s best. I could use a longer break.""Perfect! I’ll let you know as soon as I have any updates.""Thank you, Sacha."
"What a beautiful drawing, little grasshopper. Your drawings get better every day. Do you think you’ll become an artist?"Jonathan grinned from ear to ear. Every time they talked, he would proudly show her all his "masterpieces.""You know, I need to practice a little… Will you keep me company? We always talked about how one day you'd be my practice partner, but you still haven’t accepted my offer, hmm?"Nothing made him happier than hearing her sing. She always sent them recordings of her performances, and he waited for them with so much excitement. They communicated through music—it had always been their shared language, the unspoken emotions carried through notes and melodies. And when she sang just for him, he could feel their connection more
"He invited me to a party, but Dad won't let me go...""Louis? That's awesome, Naomi!""Yes! But if he gives me permission, I'll have to go with Ethan...""Well, at least you'll get to see him.""You have no idea how my dumb brother's been acting. He barely lets me do anything, and Dad always takes his side... I'm going to die single.""Haha! No, sweetie... It's way too early to think like that. Give Ethan time. When he likes some girl, he won't be thinking about watching over his little sister anymore.""I was hoping the dress you sent me for the party would arrive, but it hasn't yet."
"I can't believe it's been a year already... Happy birthday, Ethan!""Thanks, Deanna.""Where are your siblings?""They went shopping with Grandma... Boring.""I imagine you’re not interested in tagging along with the little ones anymore.""No, this year I’m starting driving lessons. If I get my license, Dad will let me drive his car.""You’ve grown so much...""Where are you?""In Sydney... We arrived last night… I’m still not used to the time difference.""La Bohème?""Yes, that one&helli
"Let us see the full costume!" Naomi asked excitedly.Deanna stood up and took a few steps back. She was wearing an empire-waist dress, burgundy with gold details. Her hair was styled in an updo reminiscent of the era, adorned with a delicate headpiece that looked like a small tiara.Six months had passed since she had started working with Sacha Feni, and that night was her debut. She was in Rome, waiting for the curtain to rise. The Teatro dell’Opera had been chosen to present the new gem of the operatic world. The theater was packed; every seat had been sold. Leonard had spared no expense in promoting her, and with Feni’s name attached, expectations were high."You look beautiful, Deanna!""Thank you, Ethan… I’m so nervous!"
What Daniel needed to finally accept that Deanna wasn’t coming back arrived in the form of a news article in the local paper.That Sunday, he had woken up and gone downstairs for breakfast like always. His kids were going to their grandparents' house to visit Emma and spend the day there, and for some reason, around 11, Beverly was already at his house. He didn’t care. He knew she was hovering around, trying to find a way into his life. She could do whatever she wanted—if she wanted to keep enduring his indifference, that was her choice.He locked himself in his office, trying to avoid her, but there she was again, with her laptop and a stack of documents. He didn’t even know why he didn’t just tell her to leave. He was too apathetic to care.He sat back in his chair, reading the newspaper, wh
But the papers remained abandoned in a corner of his desk; he didn’t even look at them. Her signature was on them, and he didn’t want to see it. If he did, reality would hit him straight in the face: "She doesn’t love you anymore."Harry had become the black sheep of the family. Susan was livid with him and never missed a chance to throw what he had done in his face. Daniel outright pretended he didn’t exist, and Charles would sometimes watch him with suspicion. He kept going over it in his head. He had gone down to the security department to check if it was true, and it was. His ID badge had recorded it, and he had made a copy of the video.What bothered him the most was seeing her with Leonard. It was more than confirmed that Deanna had left Daniel for him. They were seen all over the city together, and now people were saying the guy had
Sacha Feni wasn't just left open-mouthed; he was amazed. The call to Deanna didn't take too long—the next day he was already informing her that her audition had been a success and that he wanted to start working with her as soon as possible."I can't believe it..." She was so surprised."I told you! I told you! This is great, Deanna!" Leonard was euphoric."But...""But nothing! You did it!... I'll have to get in touch with the guy and see how we proceed... Get ready, baby, because the world awaits you from now on.""I have to call mom."Shouts of joy and tears rang out in the small restaurant. Her little girl had taken a giant step f