Chapter 858
And yet, no matter how hard he tried, Uriah couldn’t recall where he had seen Thomas before. By rights, with looks that striking, Thomas should have left a vivid impression.
In the end, Uriah chalked it up to old age clouding his memory.
Just then, faint strands of music drifted from the darkened stage. As the melody swelled, the stage lights slowly brightened. A single white beam fell upon the woman standing at the center stage.
The graceful sound of strings spread through the entire hall.
Matty’s eyes lit up. He blurted out instinctively, “That’s Sharon’s composition-First Love!”
Xavier recognized the violin in Sharon’s hands. He smiled. “It’s Shaluna.”
Uriah nodded as well. “Indeed. It’s been a long time since Sharon played with Shaluna.”
Xavier murmured, “That violin carries a meaning for her unlike any other.”
Soon, their voices faded, replaced by silent reverence as they listened.
Hearing Sharon play the violin was pure indulgence. Her mastery-whether in technical skill or emotional resonance-was unmatched.
Thomas, too, had listened to her play more than once. He liked it.
For years, he had struggled with insomnia. But the moment her music reached his ears, his body would
ease, and he would drift swiftly into sleep.
At night, he relied on the recordings Wendy had arranged of her performances to rest. And yet, nothing compared to hearing her live.
Every piece she played captivated him-no longer just First Love.
He couldn’t explain why. Perhaps her artistry was simply too extraordinary, surpassing anyone he had
ever encountered.
Lately, his old affliction had not returned. Nor had his moods been as unstable as before. He suspected it
was because he heard her music daily.
That was why he cherished her hands-those hands that brought the violin to life. He would never allow
anyone to harm them, or to strip her of the ability to play.
Now, watching the elegant woman on stage draw her bow across the strings, Thomas felt a strange disorientation.
So familiar… as if he had seen her somewhere before… as though this melody had once drifted through a
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distant dream.
He had long forgotten the figure who haunted those dreams. Yet at this moment, the woman before him blurred with that shadow in his memory.
His breath grew unsteady.
Thomas told himself he only admired Sharon’s music. Yes-admiration, nothing more. That was what he
insisted.
But soon, all thought slipped away. As always, he was pulled completely into her sound.
Shaluna was ethereal, its tone unlike any other violin.
In certain pieces, it produced a resonance no ordinary instrument could achieve. But it was also limited; many works were unsuited to it.
First Love, however, had been composed by Sharon specifically for Shaluna.
No other violin in the world was more perfectly suited to that piece.
Her playing had returned to its peak-and surpassed it. She was stronger now than she had ever been, even in competition.
When the last note faded, thunderous applause erupted across the hall. The audience could not restrain themselves as their voices rose in excited discussion.
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