CHAPTER 1 THE PROPOSAL

It was probably the happiest day of my life. I was selected as the Best Artist of Volgograd Drawing Contest. For the first time in the twenty years of my life, I had known the feeling of owing a title I had always coveted. When the judges had announced the third, the second and the first runner up, I had lost all hope of winning the contest. And just then, my name had been announced: Sylvia Bukowski!

It rang out loud and clear. Everyone was silent, everyone must've heard it too but not with the same throb as me in their hearts. Except one.

Sylvia, congratulations! I'm so happy for you, my darling! You rock!

Sienna Petrowski. My best friend through three years of my teenage journey. She applauded for me as everybody else and we both dissolved into tears mysteriously after I had received my golden medal ...

... and a perfect day crashed like a mirror.

The small signet ring lay on the mahogany table like a death note. This, the painful present of May, twenty-sixth.

My mother picked it up and placed it inside a velvet box very carefully. She looked at me with hard eyes, and said, very gravely, 'You're going to make up your mind, aren't you? '

'I've made up my mind, ' I told her, my heart riven, 'I will. '

My mother shut the small velvet box closed and placed it on the table. She appeared surprised but hid it well. She then, stood up and ordered to "do something of my horribly common dress" and bring me the "good clothes" at once. When William the Butler had hurried to carry out her orders, my mother turned her attention to the medal I had around my neck.

With an overweening smile on her pale face, she touched the metal lightly. Her blue eyes had a strange light in them. It didn't seem at all that she had aged from seventeen to thirty seven.

'You don't know, Sylvia,' she said, her eyes affixed to the medal and voice as rigid as ever, 'the joy of sensing victory from afar and the pacific feeling that comes when the victory finally falls at your feet because you are always so diffident in your actions. It is unfathomable to you. '

'So you sensed that I would say yes, in advance?' my voice was rough as words tumbled out before I could think them through, 'And now you are happy that I have? '

Her severe blue eyes were filled with macabre darkness at once. For a moment, I felt my heart stop and I cursed my big mouth inwardly. But I was surprised at the loss of aggression from the magisterial lady of our household. She turned immediately, leaving no traces of the haunting blue eyes or the grim face painted with paleness.

'I'll inform you if the Rex should want to meet you in person, ' she said robotically, and ascended the grand staircase, out of my sight.

Suddenly, I was exhausted. I plopped down on the sofa and fluffy cushions to close my eyes for few seconds. The butler, William arrived not late after, and I had to go to change. Once I was in my room, I rushed towards my phone and rang up Sienna.

'Sea! ' I cried over the call, 'That woman crushed my life to pieces!'

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