Read My Mind, Pay the Price

Soon, two easels were set up on the stage, and we stood facing each other.

The same thing happened again. I deliberately drew at snail speed and even made several mistakes.

Halfway through, I stopped drawing and looked up to study Sophie's expression. To my surprise, she stood up again and handed in her work. "I'm done."

Her hand-drawn piece was slightly different from what I had put on paper, yet it matched exactly what I had envisioned in my mind.

"This piece is shaped like a lighthouse, with a dazzling diamond set at the top. It tells a story about my best friend and me. I was once stranded at a harbor in an unfamiliar city. My phone had no signal, and it was raining cats and dogs.

"The light from a distant lighthouse cut through the storm and guided me to shelter. Later, I found out my best friend had stayed up all night at her computer, using satellite tracking to locate me. Then, she contacted the harbor manager and had the lighthouse turned on just for me."

My heart sank. This was something that had happened between my best friend, Ivy Lancaster, and me. It was an incident only the two of us knew about.

My legs felt like Jell-O. For a split second, I wanted to give up.

Everything that happened next was no different from before. My unfinished drawing was projected onto the massive screen, eliciting waves of ridicule.

"Jesus, she can't even copy it right. She messed up in so many places. This is humiliating!"

"Get off the stage!"

I looked at Olivia, who was shaking her head.

Caleb asked her, "See? One test was all it took. I told you she's not worthy of marrying me. She's a fraud! Do you believe the one who saved me back then was Sophie now?"

Three years ago, I had happened upon Caleb as he lost his footing due to hypoglycemia and fell into an enormous body of water. When I pulled him out, he was barely conscious. All he remembered was the emerald pendant around my neck, the one my mother had given me.

Later, he tracked me down based on that memory. We fell in love in a heartbeat and were soon engaged.

Everything had been smooth sailing. We were only a month away from our wedding when I was involved in a severe car accident. I spent two months bedridden in the hospital before I recovered, and not long after I was discharged, I was forced into this competition.

Then, it hit me—Caleb had forced me into this competition to make Olivia give up on me. I was the one who was destined to lose. No matter what I did, he was never going to let me win.

Caleb joined the audience and demanded, "Get off the stage!"

Just then, a sharp slap cracked through the air.

Everyone watched as Caleb clutched his face and stared at a woman in horror.

"Are you a damn parrot? Shut the hell up!"

Then, she ran up to me. "Pull yourself together, Cleo! I'm here. Let's see this through together!"

That woman was my only friend, Ivy. Her arrival reignited my courage.