Side Chick Era... Over

Chapter 996

Sharon could hardly believe her eyes.

She moved into the room as if in a trance and lifted Shaluna into her hands. The familiar weight, the texture beneath her fingers–it made her throat tighten, her vision blur with unshed tears.

Clutching the violin to her chest, she felt the cold wood press against her skin, achingly precious, achingly

familiar.

She hadn’t cried in so long. Yet in this moment, tears slipped free, streaming down her face.

This violin had been her mother’s gift to her. And still, she had watched helplessly as it was destroyed, powerless to protect it.

That day, the grief had carved into her a bitter truth–that she wasn’t even strong enough to shield the things she loved most.

Wendy’s chest constricted as she watched her dearest friend cry. Her own eyes grew hot, rimmed with red.

She and Sharon had been inseparable for years. She had eaten countless meals at Shayla’s table, basked in her warmth and kindness. Shayla had been a gentle, radiant woman, untouched by time’s cruelty, her beauty and grace as luminous as ever.

In Wendy’s memory, Shayla was always poised with a violin in her hands, dazzling, unforgettable.

destroyed, Wendy’s heart had shattered–not only for Sharon, but for Shayla as

the cost, she would see justice for Sharon.

was in the hospital, Wendy had begged Julliard and Xavier to search for the

Sharon had been gravely ill.

search. For days, he scoured every lead. According to

plucked at the

soft, trembling notes filled the room, carrying Wendy back through her

no longer summon the brilliance of her past performances; her chance to stand as a true violinist had long slipped away. But the music–simple, unadorned–still held its

her

Thomas. “The strings… they were replaced,

too severe. I found

reverie. “Sharon, you should know—most of the restoration

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studied artifact restoration once. His

found the broken violin, Wendy had wanted to send it out to be repaired. But

Thomas

Better to let him

She hadn’t expected much.