All Chapters of Dreams Before Family: Chapter 1 - Chapter 10

“As for you, Naomi…” Arthur paused before waving his hand dismissively. “You should go back to your room. Don’t come down unless it’s necessary. No point coming down and getting in everybody’s way.” As they chimed in one after another, no one recalled that it was my big audition day. It was a good thing this wasn’t new to me. I changed into my house slippers, made a beeline upstairs, and closed my bedroom door, my gaze never straying from ahead. I sent a voice message to a pinned contact with a grayscale profile. “Mom, I nailed the audition. “The orchestra conductor said they have room in the dorms, so I’ll be moving over tonight.“I’ll be on my own now, Mom. Don’t you worry.” The text was sent successfully, but a reply would never come. Out of habit, I took out my obsolete phone and texted myself a “you did great” emoji before packing my bags. The lights downstairs were killed, and ten minutes later, a car pulled up outside the manor. Out of nowhere, the party

“What about now? Where were you when I was hurt?” Maddox was taken aback. “When were you hurt…” As his mind wandered to the moment he had dumped me on the overpass, Maddox was at a loss. “Naomi, hear me out—” “Save your breath, Maddox. If you still have even a shred of conscience, you should just leave me alone.“We are done.” Shaking off his hand, I took strides to leave. It was nearly time for rehearsal, and the last thing I wanted was to be late. Maddox stood there in a daze, lost in his thoughts. That night, I got his message. “I’m sorry, Naomi. I know I was wrong. I won’t make you give up your spot to Charlotte. “She’s honestly just like a sister to me. Can we not break up?” While breaking out in goosebumps from sheer disgust, I blocked and deleted Maddox’s contact number again. Maddox was absent from my life for the next few days. My family, on the other hand, was out of control. These men were never ones to frequent social media. Yet, they had been u

Arthur stood right in the center of the music hall. As the press and orchestra leadership poured in, his expression shifted from surprise to anger. He quickly put two and two together. With his gaze falling on me, Arthur pointed at me shakily. “Have you lost it, Naomi? Why must you call everyone here over something trivial?” I looked at the crowd with a smirk and said, “Didn’t you say that she was the late Talia Clarkson’s student. I don’t think it’s too much to ask her to play a little piece before formally joining the orchestra.”Arthur read between the lines, his expression shifting from guilt to rage. “Naomi, you are so vile. I can’t believe you’re setting me up.” The thought of their smugness at having Charlotte take my place made me sick to my stomach.I lost the will to fight for everything that belonged to me at home. Now, they had the audacity to take away what my mother left me. Well, fat chance. I played dumb. “What did I do? Since you said Charlotte dese

I thought Maddox would jump at the chance to be with Charlotte now that I was out of the picture. Yet, there he was, coming back to me. Maddox told me that he had a change of heart. He wanted us to be back together. I gave him the side glance, not in any mind to say anything. The only thing on my mind was to walk away. However, Maddox held onto me, refusing to let me go. According to him, Charlotte gradually lost her tender and sensible nature after we broke up. That once sweet and adorable girl would call Maddox in the middle of the night just to give him a piece of her mind. She would check his phone to see if Maddox was still in contact with me. Charlotte would even stalk him when he was away on his business trips. “Naomi, you have to believe me. I was only nice to her then because of you. I gave her attention because she’s your sister.” Maddox smiled wryly. “I felt like I was possessed in that moment, believing her lies that you cared more about playing the piano

Anything related to the Clarksons was none of my concern. However, it upset me to learn that Charlotte was hogging my bedroom. I was forced to give up my bedroom back then. Everything in the room was filled with Mom’s love and wishes for me. The last thing I wanted was to give that away to someone else. Fortunately, I recalled that the manor was my mother’s separate property before marriage. Since she left her entire estate to me before her death, I saw no reason not to exercise my right to claim back what was mine. So as not to deal with the Clarksons personally, I went ahead and filed a suit with the courts. It didn’t take long for the court to issue an eviction notice, ordering the Clarksons to vacate my mother’s manor. Later, Arthur asked to meet up. I guessed he wanted to see me about the matter, so I readily agreed to a meeting. To my surprise, I couldn’t be more wrong.No longer his awkward self at the airport, Arthur stared at me earnestly as if trying to make up f