Three years of loving him, three days to erase myself from his world novel Chapter 295

Clara's heart was incredibly heavy. She watched the staff member get dragged away, taking a long moment before she could finally pull her gaze back...

In stark contrast, Seraphina couldn't care less. Her entire focus was locked on the final results, her fingers tightly intertwined in anticipation.

Anna picked up the microphone. Sweeping her gaze across the contestants, she announced, "The first-place winner of this year's National Design Championship is—"

"Seraphina Shaw!"

The name echoed through the hall with undeniable finality.

It struck like a bolt of lightning from a clear sky.

Clara froze.

Seraphina froze for a second too, utterly in disbelief, thinking she had misheard. But as the reality set in, she broke into a radiant smile, practically moved to tears of joy.

She covered her face, taking a moment to compose herself, before shooting a triumphant glance at Clara. Seeing Clara's pale, stunned expression made her victory all the sweeter. The suffocating weight in her chest instantly vanished!

"Heh. See that, Clara? It doesn't matter how talented you are. At the end of the day, you still couldn't snag first place!"

"Do you want to know why?"

Seraphina chuckled meaningfully, her smugness practically overflowing.

Her words pierced Clara like needles.

Thinking back to before the competition, when Julian had brought Seraphina out to speak with the organizers in the lobby.

A painful lump formed in Clara's throat.

If she couldn't connect the dots now, she'd be a complete fool.

Julian Lowell had ordered the organizers to artificially inflate Seraphina's score!

A suffocating wave of despair crashed over her. It was violent, heavy, and compressed her chest until she could barely breathe.

Clara squeezed her eyes shut, the corners of her eyes stinging with hot, unfallen tears.

She was furious, heartbroken, and deeply wronged.

How could he do this to her?!

Seraphina's voice didn't stop. "All your talent can't even compare to Julian saying a single word to the organizers for me!"

"Now, I'm going to collect my trophy! Oh, and right after that, I'm going to have a chat with Anna about my internship at The Alabaster Atelier!"

As Clara listened, the color completely drained from her face. Her entire body was rigid with tension.

Seraphina laughed, turning to accept her trophy as the host called her forward.

Meanwhile, Clara had to leave the stage!

Julian Lowell stood at the end of the aisle. He looked as though he had rushed over, his tie slightly askew, but he didn't bother fixing it. He stepped toward her, his dark eyes profound, swirling with a thousand unspoken words.

"Clara..." he called out, his voice hoarse.

It was so gentle.

So careful.

As if he were addressing a fragile, precious treasure.

But Clara felt ice-cold down to her bones.

She finally saw straight through his hypocrisy!

He stole everything she had earned to prop up Seraphina, all while stringing her along with this affectionate facade.

She didn't want to engage with him. She just wanted to get as far away from him as possible and never see his face again.

She kept her head down, trying to brush past him.

Seeing her tear-filled eyes, Julian reached out to block her path. She struggled furiously, so he gripped her shoulders, pressing her back against the wall. Leaning in close, his voice dropped even lower. "Clara, I..."

*Smack!*

Trembling, Clara raised her hand and delivered a vicious slap right across his face.