Remarried Wife: Mr. Ex, We Will Never Reconcile!-Chapter 60: Vera Fiercely Slaps Nina’s Face

The reflection of entangled figures inside appeared continuously on the floor-to-ceiling glass. Vera stood rooted to the spot, unable to move, her red lips opening and closing several times without making a sound.

Just like when she was eight years old, that afternoon filled with eroticism and bloody violence.

All around her were hysterical screams.

The floor-to-ceiling glass reflected her face, a pallor that not even exquisite makeup could conceal.

"Vera, men are no good. When you grow up, never repeat your mother’s mistakes!"

No!

Vera wanted to scream but was like someone trapped in a nightmare, unable to make a sound, unable to break free.

She still couldn’t break the curse of generational fate and repeated the same mistakes.

The Ian Kane who loved her like his life had truly cheated.

Suddenly, Vera’s legs lost their strength, and her body swayed, crashing into the floor-to-ceiling glass.

The man inside seemed to hear the commotion and, holding Nina, quickly moved out of sight...

"Ms. Sheridan, please proceed to Performance Hall 1 to prepare for the show. Ms. Sheridan, please proceed—" Amid the confusion, she heard the voice of The National Ballet’s announcement. 𝚏𝗿𝗲𝐞𝚠𝕖𝐛𝗻𝗼𝐯𝕖𝚕.𝚌𝗼𝗺

Dazed, Vera moved her feet numbly and walked out of the rest area.

Milo was about to knock on the door when he saw her exit.

She was wearing a White Swan ballet outfit, her black hair styled in a low Grecian bun, secured with three mother-of-pearl hairpins arranged in a fan shape, surrounded by a ring of tiny diamonds.

Vera seemed not to see him, her eyes fixed on the door of the adjacent rest area, teeth chattering nonstop.

"They called you—what’s wrong?" Milo spoke, following her gaze and asking with a frown.

"Help me...take a picture of them, of Nina and my...husband." Vera used all her strength to say in a trembling voice.

Milo’s expression darkened, remembering the previous rumors within the dance troupe. He clenched his fists, the sharp lines of his youthful jaw tensing.

Nina was someone she had brought to Ardendale from a remote and backward county. Without her, there would be no Nina Sullivan today.

And her husband, she had crippled a foot for him!

Milo took a step, wanting to rush in and hit someone, then quickly calmed down, took out his phone, and said, "You go get ready, I’ll handle this."

It would be another hour before it was his turn to perform.

The announcement urged her again.

Vera closed her eyes for a moment, walking toward the elevator.

Along the way, she didn’t know how she reached the theater.

...

Nina rushed to the theater, watching Vera support herself against the wall, moving toward the stage.

Holding her phone, she curled her lips in satisfaction, "Mr. Kane, just as you predicted, Ms. Sheridan is extremely agitated, like her soul has been sucked away."

For someone like Vera, who demands so much from herself as a dancer, the blow of a performance mistake was undoubtedly fatal.

Her husband’s infidelity and career failure, a double blow.

Mr. Kane is truly ruthless.

But this "ruthlessness" is to bring that limping woman back under his wing obediently.

Nina felt unwilling.

Over there, Ian Kane let out a faint "mm" and hung up.

In the theater, Vera stood on the stage, her face pale and eyes lifeless.

Sitting below were rows of dance artists, all watching her.

Every gaze was strikingly similar to those of the citizens gathered at the bottom of the hotel after her mother caught an affair, pointing at her.

In the judges’ panel, the National Ballet’s leading female dancer, Rae Chase, asked concernedly into the microphone.

"Vera, you seem emotional today. Can you still compete?"

Everyone noticed that something seemed wrong with Vera on the stage, her face numb, eyes unfocused, her body seemingly tense.

Wendy Donovan stood up, her brow furrowed, "Vera, are you feeling unwell?"

She visibly appeared troubled.

Actually, last night, she seemed unsettled, knocking on her door in the middle of the night to ask if there were sleeping pills at home, saying the melatonin she brought wasn’t helpful.

Finally, Vera’s eyes gained focus, seeing the livestream screen not far away with comments urging her from viewers. She quickly said, "I, I can do it. Let’s begin."

She was playing the White Swan in "Swan Lake," Odette’s White Swan variation.

The music started, the stage dimmed, leaving only a spotlight on Vera’s face.

She forced a smile, raised on her left toe, and jumped lightly into the center stage, yet stumbled wretchedly to the floor upon landing on her right foot.

The judges below covered their mouths, and viewers watching the livestream were equally shocked.

Vera lay on the wooden floor, supporting herself with her hands, trying to stand, like a wounded white swan flapping its wings.

Wendy Donovan covered her mouth, worried for her.

Vera gritted her teeth, enduring the burning pain in her right ankle, and stood up.

"Vera, you still have ballet." She closed her eyes, and countless young voices echoed in her ears.

They came from her at ages 8, 9, 10... 20...

Without parents, without love, she still had ballet.

Ian Kane betrayed her, but she still had ballet!

Vera made a deep bow, and when she straightened up, her eyes sparkled, "Please, maestro, replay the music."

The music started again.

She smiled, raised on her left toe, and danced lightly toward the center stage with a joyous leap.

The muscle memory in her body began to revive, the ballet cells carved into her bones gradually replaced the negativity, and Vera slowly blended into a whole new world.

The world she loved.

This world had once driven away her sadness too.

Her facial expressions were rich, rising on both toes, her arms flowed like waves, seamlessly controlling each joint from fingertips to shoulder blades, mimicking a swan’s wings.

This was precise "Swan Arms" (Port de bras), elegant and lively.

Next, her left leg extended over the center of gravity, and her right leg controlled above 90 degrees, completing a long deep backbend in flight, maintaining balance in the tilt.

Below, the judges nodded in amazement, finding it hard to believe that a person with a crippled foot could achieve a limit challenge in balance.

Even more goose-bump-inducing, she landed as if stepping without leaving a trace, especially emphasizing soft landings in small jumps (petits sauts) and spins.

The evaluation ended, and the judges applauded, picking up their pens to score her.

But Vera didn’t stop!

On stage, she staggered into a sliding step, tumbled to the ground, then struggled to get up, appearing on the edge of a mental breakdown.

Everyone suddenly realized she was performing the fourth act of "Swan Lake": the dance of despair.

This was not part of the evaluation.

On stage, she soared into the air, conveying an overwhelming resolve to meet her fate with a floating trajectory.

Under the stage, thunderous applause erupted.

Backstage, Nina watched this scene, eyes wide with shock, hurriedly dialing Ian Kane’s cell, only to find it turned off.

The performance ended, and Vera elegantly took a bow.

Another round of thunderous applause erupted below.

Viewers flooded the comment section, exclaiming, "It’s incredible, she can dance on one foot!"

"Vera is a god!"

As Vera just stepped off the stage, the scenes of Ian Kane and Nina entangled quickly overwhelmed her again, her calves went weak, and her pristine figure teetered. Fortunately, Wendy Donovan and Rae Chase caught her just in time.

"Vera, well done—" Wendy Donovan’s words were cut off as she saw the ashen look in her eyes, a sense of fear rising inside her.