2
610words
Then, the kicks and punches kept coming. I curled into a ball, protecting my head. Blood streamed down my forehead, my ears ringing.
No one intervened. Not the security, not the judges. Not even Amelia.
And that's when I heard it. Clear as day, but inside my head—Connor's voice.
"This pathetic fool. He never suspected a thing. The copycat system works perfectly."
"Planting Amelia with him was a brilliant move. Gotta beat him down, then offer a way out. That's how you keep the pipeline flowing."
The revelation was a jolt of lightning, momentarily numbing the physical pain.
My wife was my anchor.
Before Connor showed up, I was the genius in my parents' eyes, the pride among friends. Everyone surrounded me, praising my sculpting talent.
But after Connor appeared, everything changed.
I became the punchline, unable to prove the truth.
My friends drifted away.
My parents cut ties with me.
When everyone turned their backs on me, only Amelia stood firmly by my side.
It was all a lie.
Every single one of them, liars!
But who would believe me?
A "copycat system"? It sounded insane, even to me.
No one would ever believe me.
If I hadn't suddenly gained the ability to hear his thoughts, my own stubborn pride would have made me dance in his palm for the rest of my life, polishing the very trophies he stole from me.
A wild, hysterical laugh burst from me, startling everyone.
The people beating me stopped, looking at each other, confused.
"Did we hit him too hard? He's lost it."
I locked eyes with Amelia across the room, my voice a raw plea.
"Do you really... believe I plagiarized?"
What I really wanted to ask was, did you ever truly love me?
Amelia touched her nose somewhat uncomfortably.
"Of course, I saw it with my own eyes. Stop digging yourself a deeper hole."
My heart felt like it was being sliced open, but I still managed a broken smile.
"Thank you."
She frowned, looking at me as if I were a stranger.
"Are you insane? Thank me for what?"
"Thank you for helping me make up my mind."
Then, I pointed a shaky finger at Connor.
"I have one last piece in mind that will shock the world. Do you have the guts for one final competition?"
This piece, you absolutely cannot steal.
He seemed taken aback, then raised an eyebrow, a smirk playing on his lips.
"You're on."
"But when you lose, you get on your knees. You bow your head to the floor, and you apologize to the entire art world."
I nodded in agreement but didn't say what would happen if he lost.
Just like that, we agreed to meet again in ten days with our finished pieces, the whole thing streamed live.
Before I walked away, I took one deep look at my wife.
From that day on, I completely vanished from the public eye.
Amelia initially thought I was just licking my wounds. She called a few times, but I never picked up.
Connor just waved it off, telling her,
"Just forget about him. He'll crawl out of his hole on the day."
"The guy's unhinged. Who knows what he’s thinking? Just stay close to me."
Amelia totally agreed, only feeling angry that I was ignoring her, and stopped caring about me.
She had no idea I was already a dead man.
My body was entombed within the greatest sculpture I'd ever created.
And now, my spirit stands here, right beside her and Connor, watching.
