Seven days before the wedding, I was standing outside a private room when I heard my fiancé laughing.

“The fire that burned her foster mom to death, maimed her foster dad, and blinded her? I set it.”

“The guy who’s been sleeping with her every night these past two years? Not me. It’s my dumb little brother-in-law.”

“And at the wedding, seven days from now, I’ll replace the bride with the woman I truly love, right when she least expects it.”

Everyone inside praised him for being so “devoted,” saying he had endured two years of torment just to punish me, the real heiress, and make way for his beloved childhood friend.

I froze outside the door, my body going cold, my ears ringing, my vision spinning.

I had been loving the bastard who destroyed my life, thinking he was my savior, and he had been toying with me for two fucking years?!

Alexis Berstein even took the dances I’d poured my blood and sweat into over the past two years and handed them to his stupid childhood friend, trying to let her step onto the stage I’d built and become an international ballet principal!

With a hollow heart, I dialed my phone.

“I’m getting the eye surgery myself,” I said. “Seven days from now, I’ll step onto the stage at the Paris Opera as Butterfly, the choreographer everyone knows, with my new masterpiece!”

1

Darcey’s POV

After the proposal, I went to Alexis to talk about the wedding, but I heard a burst of laughter from inside the room.

“That dumbass actually thinks you’re going to marry her? Bro, what the hell did you do to punish her these past two years? Spill it.”

I heard Alexis’s familiar voice, nonchalant and mocking.

“First, I set a fire that burned her foster mom to death, maimed her foster dad, and blinded her.”

“Then, at night, I drugged her and sent my dumb little brother-in-law to sleep with her.”

“Finally, at the wedding in seven days, I’ll tell her in front of everyone that the bride isn’t her. It’s Yasmine.”

“These three punishments make up for her stealing Yasmine’s place in the Georgsens’ and the deputy principal spot at the ballet company.”

Every word hammered into my ears like a red-hot iron.

“Fuck, bro, you’re insane!” someone joked. “But that blind girl’s hot, so it’s not like you’re losing out. Why let your brother-in-law enjoy her?”

I heard disgust in Alexis’s voice. “I hate filth. Yasmine’s a neat freak. I want her pure.”

At that moment, I felt like all the blood in my body froze.

I could only hold tightly onto the cold wall, so I wouldn’t collapse on the spot.

It turned out that the fire two years ago, the one that ruined my life, was his crime.

Every dance I bled over, every painstaking creation over two years, he had handed to Yasmine.

The man who held me at night, kissed me, and slept with me? It wasn’t him at all!

He had courted me, cared for me, proposed to me, pretending to love me deeply and without regrets? From the very start, he did all that just to fucking avenge Yasmine and pave the way for her!

People in the room kept talking.

“But hey, bro, you’re seriously ruthless. You suffered being around that blind disgusting girl for two years for Yasmine. Damn, you were even willing to take care of her disfigured foster father. You almost had us fooled. I thought you really loved her.”

Alexis laughed like it was a joke.

“Love her? She’s not even worthy. Yasmine and I grew up together. Darcey can never compare to my girl.”

Someone in the room dragged out the words.

“What if, at the wedding in seven days, Darcey finds out the bride’s been replaced by Yasmine? She’s gonna lose her mind. After all, she’s the real heiress.”

Alexis’s voice was cold and cruel.

“A blind, useless daughter or the daughter who’s about to become the principal of an international ballet company? The Georgsens won’t even think twice about who to choose between the two.”

“As for Darcey, if she won’t let go, I’ll just take her back to my parents’ place. My little brother-in-law seems to like her anyway.”

He turned to the corner, mocking. “What do you think, bro? Is that blind girl sexy enough for you? Want me to give her to you?”

A voice answered, very much like Alexis’s, except it was thicker and duller.

“Sure, sure.”

My body shook violently when I heard that.

I could not mishear that voice.

That was the guy that had been pressed against me every night, breathing into my ear!

I couldn’t hold it together anymore. I ran blindly and stumbled for the door.

The world blurred around me, two years of treatment yielding almost nothing.

I barreled out of the bar, tripping hard over the steps and landing face-first in the alley.

Rain soaked me instantly as memories surged into my mind.

Five years ago, I’d been brought back to the Georgsens by my biological parents, who refused to let Yasmine leave.

I didn’t care back then; I still had foster parents who loved me anyway.

Two years ago, my talent earned me the deputy principal spot at the ballet company, and I was destined to become principal.

But on the day of the finals, the backstage suddenly caught fire.

My foster parents were waiting backstage for my performance to end. They were closest to the fire; they got trapped.

My foster mother burned to death on the spot; my foster father survived but was grotesquely burned.

And I was blinded by shattered stage lights.

For a dancer, losing your sight is basically a death sentence.

I lost it. I went crazy. I didn’t eat, didn’t drink, and refused to see anyone.

I tried to get back on my feet and dance, but I fell over and over.

I overheard my biological parents discussing marrying me off to some decent match.

I didn’t want to marry anyone!

I didn’t want to give up dancing!

And I sure as hell didn’t want to be used as a bargaining chip while my foster father was still in the hospital, on the edge of life and death!

But back then, I was blind and couldn’t walk steadily. How could I say resist?

It was exactly then that Alexis appeared in my life.

He took me away from the Georgsens' place and took my foster father to the best hospital.

He flew me across the world to see specialists and to get treatment.

My foster father’s burns were severe, his wounds constantly infected, needing daily care.

With such severe burns, most nurses refused to touch him, but Alexis never flinched. He cleaned, dressed, and bandaged my foster father himself.

Alexis knew I couldn’t give up dance, so he built me a studio, padded the floors, and surrounded it with mats.

Every time I fell, he picked me up.

He said, “Darcey, you’re still the brightest dancer. Don’t give up.”

For two years, I relearned dance in darkness. I learned to feel the floor with my feet.

I fell, I bled, I created dances all those years.

Every one of them he recorded for me.

He said, “When your eyes heal, show these to the world.”

I imagined that day so many times. Finally regaining my eyesight, taking my work to the stage.

But now, I know he gave it all to Yasmine, letting her climb the ladder on the stage!

The rain grew heavier, I was cold to the point of losing feeling, but my mind uncontrollably recalled another thing.

Every night over the past two years, I thought that the guy who held me was Alexis.

I acted cute, I flirted, I got intimate. But he never said anything back.

I thought he was just shy.

But now…

My stomach roiled violently as I recalled those nights. I collapsed, dry-heaving, the taste of blood thick in my throat.

My eyes were useless, but my hatred was sharp and clear.

Alexis ruined my life. He destroyed my family.

Christoph used me as a toy to satisfy his desires.

And Yasmine stole my dances, taking all the glory on the stage I once loved.

All because I went back to my biological parents?

They punished me like this?

Why the fuck is it always the wrongdoers who go unpunished?

No. I will not accept this!

I will definitely make them pay!

Hands trembling, I pulled out my phone and called someone.

“I’m getting the eye surgery myself.”

“Seven days from now, I’ll step onto the stage at the Paris Opera as Butterfly, the choreographer everyone knows, with my new masterpiece!”

Darcey’s POV

The person I contacted was my fan club president, Jules Marchal.

After I went blind, he tried countless times to convince me to try the latest eye-replacement technology abroad.

But Alexis told me he had never heard of it and warned me not to trust Jules.

Now, I didn’t care anymore.

Even if there were serious side effects, I needed to see again.

Jules arranged everything almost instantly, like he had been waiting for me to say yes.

The next day, when they removed the bandages, I finally saw light.

My vision was still blurry, and everything overlapped, but I could barely make out people’s faces and shapes up close.

That small glimpse of clarity made me feel like I was losing my mind with joy.

Before I could call Jules to thank him, Alexis’s phone call came through.

His voice was frantic, full of guilt and worry.

“Babe, where are you? Why didn’t you come home last night?” he asked.

“I only found out you weren’t home this morning, and I nearly died worrying. What if something had happened to you? If you got hurt, I wouldn’t be able to survive,” he continued.

I held the phone, and my heart, burning from seeing light for the first time, was instantly doused with cold water.

Every word sounded sincere, like the love in his voice was real.

If I hadn’t heard what I heard last night, I probably would have melted again, like always.

After all, who could resist that kind of heartfelt love?

But now I only wanted to ask him one question.

Why?

How could he say he loved me and destroy my life at the same time?

I swallowed the words before I could say them.

I wasn’t going to get any truth from him anyway.

I took a deep breath and softened my voice back to the gentle, dependent tone he was used to.

“My eyes were uncomfortable last night, and I couldn’t reach you, so I went to the hospital myself,” I said.

His guilt deepened.

“I’m sorry, babe. I was at a work event last night. You were waiting at the hospital. I’ll come get you right now,” he said.

After hanging up, I sat in a chair in the hospital lobby and squinted as I contacted a lawyer friend I trusted to do me a favor.

I waited and waited, but Alexis never showed up.

Just as I was about to grab a cab, I saw two familiar figures on the other side of the lobby.

I pulled out my phone and turned on the camera.

There, in full view, were Alexis and Yasmine.

He was kneeling on one knee in front of her, holding her ankle, massaging it slowly and tenderly.

His movements were almost worshipful.

Pain shot up from my chest.

I thought of the countless times I had fallen during practice over the past two years.

Alexis would pick me up and call doctors to treat me.

But he had never once cared for me that gently.

Now, true love and fake love were standing right in front of me.

I could see exactly which was which.

Fake love was enough to fool a blind woman.

My heart tore in two.

Alexis suddenly looked up at me.

His expression shifted, but quickly relaxed.

Why was he tense? I couldn’t see him.

“Darcey!” he called.

He pulled me into his arms.

His voice trembled with fear.

“I’m sorry I’m late. Are your eyes still hurting?”

I had been soaked and numb from the rain all night.

Being wrapped in a familiar embrace made me crave it for a split second.

I nearly struggled to push him away.

Then a quiet gasp came from behind me.

“Alexis… my foot hurts even more,” Yasmine said.

He released me instantly and rushed to her side.

“Did I use too much force just now?” he asked.

I stood there, still feeling the warmth of him in my arms, and let out a bitter laugh.

He hurriedly explained while helping her.

“Darcey, Yasmine twisted her ankle while dancing. I’m taking her to get it checked,” he said.

“We grew up together. She’s like a little sister. Don’t read into it,” he added.

I interrupted softly.

“Go ahead,” I said.

I didn’t cling like I used to when I couldn’t see.

I didn’t beg him to stay.

He looked a little uneasy but didn’t question it.

He bent down in front of me and picked up Yasmine.

He carried her because I couldn’t see.

I clenched my hands slowly.

My nails dug into my palms.

Before, he would always try to hide things with “she’s like a sister” excuses.

I, blind as I was, had no choice but to trust him.

But now, seeing everything clearly, I couldn’t lie to myself anymore.

It wasn’t until late that Alexis finally came to pick me up.

Almost home, my phone buzzed.

A video from Yasmine came through.

It was her performance from earlier that day.

At the end of the video, Alexis walked onstage and kissed her amid the applause.

Then a voice message came through.

Yasmine’s soft, gentle voice said, “Sis, I stepped onto a new stage today. You’ll be happy for me, right?”

She added, “After all, I danced the choreography you created.”

I gritted my teeth.

I tried to ignore the video.

I asked Alexis with a trembling voice, “What does she mean, dancing the dances I choreographed?”

I stared emptily in his direction.

I still clung to a ridiculous shred of hope.

Maybe he would finally tell the truth.

Even just a little.

He didn’t even furrow his brow.

He answered naturally, “Since Yasmine found out you’re the genius choreographer ‘Butterfly,’ she’s admired you nonstop.”

“She’s been practicing the dances you made before,” he continued.

“She sent the video to let you feel her admiration, but I guess she forgot you couldn’t see yet.”

What a liar!

I almost couldn’t hold back my rage.

That dance was the one I had choreographed just a week ago.

Alexis had stolen my work and given it to Yasmine.

The second we got home, he pinned me against the door.

He kissed me, acting afraid and apologetic.

“Babe, don’t think about anything else, okay?” he said.

Darcey’s POV

Babe?

The word almost made me laugh.

I genuinely didn’t understand what kind of sick fucking composure Alexis had to look at a woman he had personally destroyed and still call her that.

“I came home today and you weren’t there. You really scared me.”

He leaned in, brushing against me in a soft, almost coaxing way.

There was a time when I couldn’t resist that.

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.

All that remained was a softness I couldn’t control, and somehow, I would end up comforting him instead.

But this time, all I felt was disgust.

In my mind, the same image replayed over and over again: him standing on that stage, kissing Yasmine in front of everyone, as if I meant nothing.

My stomach churned violently.

I shoved him away without hesitation.

“I have a cold,” I said, my voice tight, though I forced it to remain steady. “I don’t want to get you sick.”

He clearly hadn’t expected that.

It was the first time I had ever pushed him away like that.

His brows furrowed instantly, a trace of displeasure flashing through his eyes. But when he heard my reason, that emotion gradually faded.

He sighed, his tone softening again.

“Why would I be afraid of catching something from you?”

The irony was almost laughable.

What he had told his friends the night before, that he had been “saving himself” for Yasmine, was complete bullshit.

He was a healthy, impulsive man. When things turned intimate between us, there was no way he had ever stopped midway out of some twisted sense of restraint.

I only realized the truth just now when I felt his body react earlier.

And the moment it clicked, a wave of nausea surged through me.

The thought that I had been nothing more than a clueless object, handled, shared, and used at their convenience, made my skin crawl.

It was so revolting I nearly threw up.

Fortunately, whatever desire he had was gone.

As if nothing had happened, he reached out and held my arm.

“Come on,” he said gently. “I’ve prepared a surprise for you.”

I didn’t resist. My vision was recovering. I couldn’t risk exposing it.

“I upgraded the dance studio,” he continued. “From now on, everything you choreograph can be recorded by an intelligent system.”

“We can upload it to the ‘Butterfly’ account.”

“Even if your eyesight doesn’t recover for now, your dances can still be seen.” He smiled faintly. “Do you like it?”

If this had been before, I might have been moved to tears.

For a dancer who had lost her sight, being able to leave her work behind in the world would have meant everything.

But now, all I felt was cold.

Because I knew exactly why he had rushed to upgrade the studio.

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

And “Butterfly’s” choreography was her greatest bargaining chip.

That account… was mine.

I created it before the Georgsens ever took me back, back when I was trying to earn money just to keep dancing. I hid my face, uploaded my choreography online and gained recognition almost overnight.

People in 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 something personal.

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

It was fucking absurd.

“I don’t want to choreograph anymore.”

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.

“I mean—”

He quickly corrected himself.

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

Dance at our wedding?

I let out a silent, humorless laugh.

The one dancing that day would never be me.

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

“And your adoptive father 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.”

He visibly relaxed.

“Good. I won’t disturb you.”

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. At the wedding, you can claim 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.

They weren’t just stealing my choreography.

They were going to take my name, my identity, everything I had fought for.

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 didn’t forget to gather evidence.

Evidence that would ruin Alexis completely.

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

“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, her smile soft and gentle.

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

She tilted her head slightly, her tone sweet, almost sickening.

“You don’t mind, do you?”